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 S<^S-^loa<^ 
 
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 MEDITATIONS 
 
 REPRESENTING 
 
 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY; 
 
 O R, 
 
 A Gofpel difcovery of Emmanuers 
 land. 
 
 By Mr. ANDREW WELWOOD; 
 
BOOKS Printed by John Bryce,, and Sold at 
 his Shop dTppoiite GMoxi's>^y7;yn(^^' SaU-fmrket, 
 in Wholefale or Retail, - ^ . 
 
 BOOK^ IN OCTAVO. 
 
 Mr RALPH ERSKlNE's Works, in lo large vols 
 
 Trail's fermons, 3 voL 
 
 Pike and Hay ward's cafes of confcience, with the fpirii 
 tual companion 
 
 Dickenfon*s religious letters 
 
 ISleiVi 23fermonson important fubjeds 
 
 Durham's expolition of the ten commands . 
 
 Owen on t^c CXXX Pfalm 
 
 SibbV-foursconflica, together with the brdlfed reed and 
 fmoaking flax 
 
 Dickfon's truths vi&ory over error 
 Durham's unfearchable riches of Chrift, in fourteen com- 
 munion fetmons 
 Adamfon's lots and recovery of eledl finners 
 KawUn's fermons on juftification 
 Durham's 72 feripons on the LIII of Ifaiah 
 Watt's Logick J 
 
 M&rfhai 00 fanflification 
 Erfldne's fcripture fongs 
 Shield's faithful contendings 
 Blackwel's facred fcheme 
 Ridgl^^'s body pf divinity, in Folio 
 
 * The following Articles to be had Stitched. 
 
 ACT, Declaration and Teftimony 
 
 The 'DG<3rifl€ of Graf e 
 
 The full ftate of the inarrow controveriy 
 
 The holy life of Mr John Janeway 
 
 The life of Mr John Uvingfton 
 
 Borland's hiftory of Darien 
 
 form of procefs ufed in kirk courts 
 
 ^r Graham's four difcourfes on covenanting , 
 
 "Where alfo may be had, Bibles gilt and plain, New 
 Teftaments, pfalrn books, confeflions of Faith, cate- 
 cbifms large and fmall, proverbs, Syllabing catechifm, 
 JBrown's catechifm, Henry's catechifm, Muck a r Tie's ca- 
 lecbifm, Oiiphant's catechifm, Proof catechifm, Mo- 
 ther's catechifm, Watt's catechifm. Watt's fongs for 
 children. Paper and Peo5, Lettcr^afes and Pocket boek?a 
 
MEDITATIONS ] 
 
 \ 
 
 REPRESENTING 
 
 l 
 
 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY; 
 
 i 
 O R, I 
 
 A Gofpel Difcovery of E?n?nanuePs ^ 
 Land* j 
 
 Whereunto is fuhjoined, 
 
 A fplrltual Hymn, intituled, ne dying Saint*f ] 
 
 Song : with fome of the Author's laft J^etters. '; 
 
 B Y 
 
 Mr. ANDREW WELWOOD. 
 
 A NEW AND CORRECT EDITION, 
 
 Col. iii. 4. When Chrift, who is our life, Jhall ap" 
 peary then Jl: all ye alfo appear with him in glory ^ 
 
 GLASGOW: 
 
 Printed by John Bryce; 
 And Sold by him at his Shop, Salt-fnarket, 
 
 M DCC LXXXI, 
 
^><^>d^>^><'^>i^><^'^><^»:^y:^><'^x^ 
 
 POEM. 
 
 Written by 
 
 A Friend of tKe Autlior, upon the fight of this 
 rare piece, in Commendatipn of both. 
 
 O U exc'llent fouls, ^vhofe lofty minds afpire 
 To higher objefts only, whofe defire 
 Difdains o'ervalu'd dung, vile worldlings choice, 
 Is not allur'd with Siren's empty voice. 
 And fcorns to aim below the Zenith high. 
 Whither refin'd perfections all do fly ; 
 Here is an obje6J; higheft thoughts tranfcending, 
 y,€t unto mean conceptions condefcending : 
 Here's heav'n, and glory, higher Eden come 
 T' unhappy earth, a fweet Elyfium : 
 Here's glory brought to us, or happy we 
 To glory made, by nimble wings, to flee. 
 On feas of brinilh tears, poor we are tofs'd, 
 AVithboi{l'rouswinxls,and lofty waves are crofs'd; 
 Can't fee our deareft native foil, or lover : 
 But here's a curious profpeft, to difcover 
 That land afar off, thofe fweet hills, and vales, 
 Where blow thefe fragrant, foul refrefhing gales, 
 Which roufe thefe fainting fouls, whofe feet do 
 Within, the borders of Emmanuel's land ; (ftand 
 A 2 Where 
 
[ 4 ] 
 
 Where fhines tK' Eternal, with celeftial ihow'rs. 
 Ne'er-ending bleffings on the ranfom'd pours. 
 The foaring author hath flown up above. 
 Drawn by the cords of his Redeemer's love ; 
 Hath walk'd alongft the green and flow'ry banks 
 Of life's fweet river, view'd the curious ranks 
 Of glory's ftately fruitful trees, hath tafted 
 Their fruits niofl pleafant, and delicious -, feafled 
 His eyes, on glory's land, mofb lovely, fair ; 
 His tafte, with Ne6lar, and Ambrofia rare ; 
 His fmelling, with heav'n's fpring's embroidery -, 
 His hearing, with harmonious raptures high ; 
 His touch, upon the filken carpet's lap. 
 Which glory's fields and alleys doth in wrap j 
 His mind, upon the elevated things. 
 And deep contrivance of the King of kings : 
 His love, on joys, which eye hath never feen, 
 Which man's capacious heart did ne'er contain. 
 He's fad, that mortals in foul mire fhould wallow, 
 And greedily vile lumps of earth fhould fwallow: 
 Moi): friendly bids you fhare fome drops with him 
 Of pleafure's ftreams,in which the faints dofwim : 
 He (Ifr'el's fpy) ripe grapes from promis'd land 
 Hath brought (t' inflame them)witha lib'ral hand. 
 Thy pen mounts higher than the eagle's far. 
 Thy fharpeft eye, more than the eagle's dare, 
 Thy draught Apelles tables far outvies, 
 More curious thy pi£lure is than his. 
 Thy raptures future ages fhall admire, 
 And thefe fhall light their tapers at thy fire. 
 Thou'fl trode a lofty path, ne'er trode before, 
 And which fhail be, it feems, by none trode more: 
 Thou hail outflript, and fham'd the ages gone, 
 And by thy rareft writings grac'd thine own : 
 The times to come may trace thy flately pace. 
 But ft ill thou'It o-et the honour of the place. 
 
 Who 
 
C 5 ] 
 
 Who would fee glory off the neareft fhores. 
 Draw near it with thefe curious mighty oars ; 
 Caft out on glory's beauteous Ikirts your eye. 
 And there, O faints, your ravifh'd fouls ihall fpy 
 A paradife, whofe loweft parts excel 
 This vileft dunghill, in which mortals dwell : 
 A paradife, each glimpfe of which fhall fill 
 Your minds with wonder, and with joy your w^ilh 
 In fhort, a paradife, v/hofe ev'ry part 
 Shall fo inflame your ever raviih'd heart. 
 That longing you fhall never reft, till ye 
 Ji^ve heav'n in you, or you in glory be. 
 
 '10 
 
 ^■^••<>""<>"-^..<>..i|i-^ 
 

 To the READER, 
 
 X N an age like ours, when infidelity and irreli» 
 gicn abound, books of piety and devotion are hel4 
 innoeftimation. The great bulk of mankind feems 
 at prefent to be quite worldly minded, and to have 
 little or no concern about the things which per- 
 tain to eternal life. It is now become entirely 
 faihionable to be altogether influenced by a defire 
 of gain, and of honour in the world 5 fo that, far 
 from confeffing themfelves ftrangers and pilgrims, 
 the generality imagine, or at leaft feem to ima- 
 gine that they were created for no other purpofe, 
 but to acquire riches and pofTeffions, and fo to 
 bring themfelves into credit and reputation among 
 men. The fupreme ambition of their heart is, 
 that they may be great, that they may attr^ft the 
 notice and admiration of all -, and be able in e- 
 very thing to gratify their every defire. A man 
 is famous and held in eftimation, juft in propor- 
 tion to the fums which he can call his own, and 
 the fplendid figure he makes in life, and therefore 
 Money is almoft univerfally regarded as the 
 chief and only good. 
 
 Few fcruple to pronounce a man who is rich, 
 
 polTeired 
 
TO THE READER. 7 
 
 pofleffed of every noble and amiable qualification: 
 but to be poor is, by many, reckoned the fame 
 thing, as to be bafe^, ignoble and mean. No poor 
 man, according to the now almoft univerfally pre- 
 valent opinion, is ppflefled of any endowment of 
 body or of mind. He is quite ftript of every vir- 
 tue, is thought capable of committing any crime, 
 and held out as a difgrace to human nature. The 
 poor are abfolutely neceflary for many purpofes 
 of the rich, but they muft fubmit to be conftant- 
 ly infulted •, they muft at no time prefume to think 
 themfelves of the fame fpecies with their haughty 
 mafters, and in general are, treated much Vv'orfe 
 than their domeftic brutes. 
 
 Money fanftifies every vice of the rich, and 
 poverty degrades even the virtues of the poor. 
 Nothing is thought a vice which is compatible 
 with the acquifition of riches, and fcarce any 
 thing is deemed a virtue which tends not to in- 
 creafe the fhining heap. 
 
 That charity, of .which fo much boaft is now 
 made, is hurt beyond expreffion at fuppofmg a 
 rich man wicked. It views with a placid eye his 
 unremitted ftruggles to increafe his gain. The 
 noble exertions of his fuperior mind, whom no 
 obftacles can difcourage, nor any dangers affright, 
 are a conftellation of the moft bright and exalted 
 virtues. He is pronounced Patriotic and Great. 
 He enlarges the commerce of his country, and 
 procures labour to hundreds of poor. Ought 
 then the faults of fucli a man to be noticed? 
 Is not his total want of religion an undeniable 
 proof of the finenefs of his tafte, and the enlarge- 
 ment of his fentiments ? fhould he be expofed 
 to the fneers of the world, for his obfervance of 
 the precepts of the gofpel j or be crampt in his 
 
 purfuits 
 
S TO THE READER. 
 
 purfuits of gain, by wliat is called. The fear of the 
 Lord ? This would of all things be the moft un- 
 reafonable and abfurd. But neverthelefs, he is a 
 good man ; he entertains with a noble magnifi- 
 cence \ he has the fineft feelings, the moft delicate 
 Tind courteous manner, and is univerfally efteem- 
 €d and beloved by all his acquaintances. This is 
 the plain determination of what is comrnonly cal- 
 led Charity. But apply this charity to a fober 
 religious mean man, who is a partaker of the na- 
 ture of God, and makes his law the conftant rule 
 of his life^ the greateft allowance it can make, is, 
 that he is a poor misinformed, ignorant, enthufi- 
 allic, well-meaning harmlefs creature. In fhort, 
 2t is evident that the love of money is the fource 
 and fpring of all the actions of the men of the 
 world. This, therefore, being the cafe, every 
 thing is valued jufl in proportion as it tends to 
 the acquifition of wealth. Men are conftantly 
 ftudying, and eagerly inquiring, how they may 
 attain this end : and did the treatife, contained 
 in the following fheets, propofe to open up a new 
 fource of gain, or to difclofe any improvement in 
 trade, the fale would be rapid -, every one would 
 fhew the greateft impatience to procure a copy, 
 which he would read and ftudy with the clofell 
 attention. 
 
 Next to the acquifition of riches, men value 
 pleafure and amufement, and facrifice, not only 
 ■much of their precious time, but alfo mucli of 
 their money to gratify themfelves in this refpe61:. 
 Whatever contributes to this great end is valued : 
 whatever contributes to this is eagerly purfued. 
 Thofe who abandon themfelves to a fhameful in- 
 dolence, and can by no means be brought -to en- 
 gage in any ufeful employment^ fhake off their 
 
 native 
 
TO THE READER. 9 
 
 native fluggifhnefs, and beftir themfelves, when 
 they expert to be gratified v/ith fome favourite 
 amufement. Whatever tends to kil] the time, 
 and help away the tedious hour, fills with delight, 
 and is eagerly fought after by them. And did this 
 publication give reafon to expe£l fome book of 
 diverfion, or Novel, to diflipate the mind, and 
 afford pleafantry and mirth | the joyful nevi^s 
 would inftantly be fpread from one polite circle 
 to another; it would furnifh atopic of converfa- 
 tion, to the fafhionable and the gay, whowouldnot 
 fail to exprefs the greateft impatience, foon to 
 participate of the pleafing entertainment. 
 
 But all thofe, who are conftantly bufied about 
 the world, and indulge themfelves in every fa- 
 vourite diverfion, have neither time, nor inclination 
 to attend to religloni To be furprifed with a 
 Bible in their hands, by any of their acquaintances, 
 would make them as much afhamed, as to be con- 
 vi6led of theft. It is therefore by no means to 
 be expedled, that any of thefe will condefcend fo 
 far as to open this book. Being fluffed with that 
 low pitiful pride^ which leads men to imagine 
 themfelves too great to be religious, they would 
 be hurt beyond expreffion, was any one to fuppofe 
 them capable of being fo mean as to read a de- 
 votional book. And indeed, to be pafTed over 
 unnoticed by them, is the beft fate fuch a book 
 as this can meet. The very title roufes their^ 
 laughter and is the fubje£l of their profane and 
 impious jells. 
 
 But while this is the cafe with the men of the 
 world, whofe portion is on earth, it is to be hoped 
 there are fome, who, through the grace of God, 
 have chofen that good part, which fhall not be 
 taken from them. To thofe who are ferioufly 
 cxercifed unto godlinefs, fuch a book as this will 
 B ' be 
 
lo TO THE READER. j 
 
 be precious. Being the poor in fpirit, wliofe is ' 
 
 the kingdom of heaven, they view every fublunary ; 
 
 object and enjoyment in their proper colours, ; 
 
 having their affections fet only on things above. | 
 
 They know that they were naturally children of ; 
 
 wrath even as others, and that their falvation is j 
 
 entirely owing to the fovereign, rich, free, and ; 
 
 unmerited grace of God. It is at prefent their j 
 
 conftant prayer, that they may know God, and j 
 
 Jefus Chrifh whom he hath fent, and whom to \ 
 
 know is life eternal. They defire above all things \ 
 
 to have the fpirit dwelling in them, and to be \ 
 
 fealed by him unto the day of complete and eter- ,i 
 
 jial redemption. Perfons of this character and ; 
 
 employment, efbeem every thing noble, which, i 
 
 through the bleffmg of the Lord, may tend to ■ 
 
 build them up in their mod holy faith. They \ 
 
 are at prefent, under the banner of the crofs, \ 
 
 fighting the good fight of faith; and it mufl be ■ 
 
 pleafing, delightful, and cherifhing to have a view : 
 
 of the glorious crown. Amidll all the tribu- \ 
 
 lations, dangers, and temptations, to which they i 
 
 are expofed, a glimpfe of glory or a gofpel-dif- \ 
 
 covery of Emmanuel's Land mufl be exceedingly \ 
 agreeable. 
 
 This treatife was written by one, who expe- \ 
 rienced much of the love of God, and enjoyed ' 
 almoft uninterrupted communion with him. i 
 Through the whole of the book he writes, not ' 
 like one encumbered with a body of fin and death, \ 
 complaining of interveening clouds, and the with- ; 
 drawing of his Father's face ; but like one already J 
 entered into the joys of the Lord. It hath been '■ 
 already th^ bleffed means of comforting the droop- 
 ing hearts of rnany weary pilgrims; and tho' \ 
 it be cjuite unintelligible to the man of the world ; 
 
 and ' 
 
TO THE READER. u 
 
 and the formal hypocrite, yet none, who have 
 tafted that the Lord is gracious, will carefully 
 perufe it, without feeling their heart to glow with 
 heavenly love. 
 
 The happinefs of the faints in light is deforibed 
 in lively ftrains. The adorable perfections of the 
 great God are fpoken of with becoming reverence j. 
 and the author never forgets to afcribe all unto 
 him, who doth what feemeth good unto him in 
 the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants 
 of the earth. He regardeth creatures as entirely 
 infignificant, and the whole fcope of his book is. 
 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and 
 honour, and power j for thou haft created all 
 things, and for they pleafure they are and were 
 created. 
 
 He fpeaks with a moft enraptured heart of 
 Jefus Chrift whom he efteemed the chief among 
 ten thoufands, and altogether lovely: and, tho' 
 he fometimes ufes phrafes, which offend the pre- 
 tended delicacy of many refiners in religion, yet, 
 when the narrow compafs of the language of men 
 is conhdered, and the peculiar expreffions of the 
 fpirit of God in Solomon's Song, are reflected 
 upon, even thefe perfons will fee reafon to fufpend 
 their cenfures. 
 
 He looks upon faints as the only excellent ones, 
 whom he challenges not to forget their npble 
 original, nor feed upon thofe unfatisfying hulks, 
 which are the proper food of grovelling fwine. 
 He treats the wicked, whom he all along ftiles 
 Worldlings, with a good deal of fe verity. 
 The faints are at prefent expofed, to their cruelty, 
 hatred, and contempt, and he fhews, that they 
 fliall be eternally put under the feet of the ran- 
 fonied of Chrift. He fpeaks of the eternal tor- 
 B 2 ments 
 
J 2 TO THE READER. 
 
 merits of the ungodly, in a way not at all agreeable 
 to the modern notions of hell, reprefenting the 
 righteous as giving glory to God for their ever- 
 lafting deftru£l:ion. This may to many appear 
 fevere and feem inconfillent with the feelings of 
 perfectly happy beings; but thofe who read care- 
 fully their Bibles, and confider that they, who 
 are conformed unto God in all things, mult 
 undoubtedly, rejoice in every work of his hands, 
 will not be difpofed to find any fault. 
 
 There is a fentence, page 1 40, where he feems 
 to make fmcerity the condition of the new cove- 
 nant, as perfection of obedience was the condition • 
 of the covenant of ivorks; which may perhaps 
 offend fome, who difiike the very term condition 
 in a covenant of grace. But whofoever confiders 
 how large and pathetic he is, in defcribing the 
 free grace of God, and is afcribing all the glory 
 of redemption and falvation to Chrift, and only tq 
 Chrift, muft be perfuaded, that he cannot mean, 
 that the believer's fincerity, or any grace of his 
 whatever, is the condition of the new covenant, 
 in a legal fenfe-, for in this fenfe Chrifh's righ- 
 teoufnefs alone is the condition of that covenant; 
 Nor cai! we charitably judge, that this term 
 condition is in any worfe or ftri(fter fenfe afhrmed 
 of fmcerity, which , prefuppofeth and includes 
 faith, than it is of faith itfelf, in the 32d anfwer 
 of our Larger Catechifm. It is clear then, that 
 the author takes condition in a Is^rge fenfe, for 
 iny thing required or accepted in the new cove- 
 nant: and 10 it is true, that as Adam's works 
 were to be perfect, in order to acceptation; fo 
 the believer's good works cannot be accepted, 
 without fmcerity; and will, thro' Chrift, be ac- 
 cepted 
 
TO THE READER, 13 
 
 cepted when fincere ; which mull certainly be all 
 that the author there intends by condition. 
 
 He is aifo pretty pofitive in his opinion of the 
 renovation of the earth and vihble heavens, at the 
 day of Judgement 5 which he defcribes in bright 
 and beautiful emblems. The opinion is indeed 
 controverted among the learned : but moft of the 
 orthodox are of the author's fide. Hence, whpn 
 he is fpeaking of tilings in that renewed ftate, 
 after the day of judgement, none nee<is marvel, 
 that he calls fun, moon and ftars everiaiting, and 
 the earth an eternal monument, as in page 94; 
 or, ftumble at any fuch uncommon exprelfions; 
 for he fpeaks as one beyond time in eternity^ 
 
 Some perhaps will be apt to imagine that the 
 method is not fo clear and perfpicuous as is ge- 
 nerally found in books written upon dodtrinal 
 points. Such ought to confider, that the chief 
 defignof devotional writers is to aiFe6t the heart; 
 and the reader will by no means find this book 
 an indigefted crude heap, but that there is a very 
 good order obferved through the whole. 
 
 As for the titles of the fections, the pubiifhers 
 were not certain whether they were^dded by the 
 nuthor himfelf, or byfome other hand: nay, they 
 did not want ground of fufpicion, both from the 
 difference of expreffion, and fometim.es from their 
 unfuitablenefs to the matter, that fome lefs Ikil- 
 ful perfon had added them. Yet, having no 
 copies fave one, (except the letters, and faint's 
 fong, whereof they found feveral copies,) to com- 
 pare, it was thought fafeft to retain them, left 
 any thing fhould have been omitted which was 
 in the manufcript. And the judicious reader is 
 left to his choice either to read on the matter, 
 without thofe titles, or otherwife; for it muft be 
 
 ov/ned, 
 
S4 TO THE READER, 
 
 owned, that, coilfidering the variety of heavenly 
 purpofes, feme times comprifed in one of thefe 
 paragraphs, it is no eafy matter for any man to 
 -devife an oppofite title, to exprefs the fubftance 
 of the matter therein contamed. 
 
 There is no doubt, but the reader, by this time, 
 ■will be longing for fome account of the author: 
 and it w^ere to be wifhed, that a true and genuine 
 relation of the life of that pious youth could have 
 been recovered, in order further to oblige the pu- 
 blic, v/hich, had it beenprafticable no pains would 
 have been fpared to tranfmit it: and without all 
 <ioubt fuch a life would have been a rare and ex- 
 cellent draught, worthy of Chriftian imitation. 
 He was the fon of a godly father, minifter of the 
 gofpel at Tondergirth in Annandale, concerning 
 whom there is related this remarkable paflage. 
 When the Lord had taken away from him his 
 beloved wife, the deiire of his eyes, he fpent the 
 whole enfuing night in prayer and meditation in 
 his garden. One of the elders of the parifh who 
 came next morning to vifit him, condoling his 
 want of reft byreafon of the difpenfation fo lately 
 befallen him, he replied thus, or to this effect : 
 ' I declare I have not all this night had one thought 
 
 * concerning the death of my fpoufe; I have been 
 
 * fo wholly taken up with the meditation of hea-?- 
 
 * venly things. I have been this night upon the 
 
 * banks of Ulai, plucking an apple here and there.' 
 This paiTage plainly {hews what a heavenly foul 
 this holy man hath been; and how plentifully 
 this gracious youth, his fon, hath been blefled 
 with the fame fpirit, is abundantly evident from 
 the enfuing treatife. His brother Mr John Wel- 
 wood was a perfon well known to many, and his 
 memory is flill favoury to all that knew him, for 
 
 his 
 
TO THE READER. 15 
 
 Ills holinefs and diligence in the labours of tlie 
 miniftry, amidft many perils from bloody perfecu- 
 tors,and falfe brethren^ and for his undaunted zeal 
 and courage in the caufe of Chriftjtho' underavery 
 weak and fickly conftitution of body. What a life 
 of faith he lived in thefe perilous times, is evident 
 from feverai letters of his written to his godly ac- 
 quaintances, and friends, yet extant in manufcript. 
 And as he excelled in the grace of faith, fo this 
 holy youth, the author, feem.s to have peculiarly 
 abounded in that of love, as will be abundantly ma- 
 nifeft from the whole of this heavenly tractate. 
 How zealous he v/as for the royal prerogatives o£. 
 his lovely Redeemer, ufurped by wicked rulers, 
 and the public concerns of his houfe and glory ; 
 may be gathered from feverai parages in this 
 treatife, tho' the nature of the fubjedl: did not per- 
 mit him to enlarge much upon thefe things. It 
 appears plainly, from his letters annexed to this 
 treatife, that he defigned to have ferved the Lord 
 Chrift in the work of the miniftry, if it had pleafed 
 the Lord to continue his abode long here below: 
 but the good Lord was pleafed early to tranfport 
 hirn from the wildernefs of earth to the paradife 
 of glory; and to accept the will, in that matter, 
 for the deed, as he himfelf fpeaketh. He died 
 at London, in the time of our late perfecution, 
 as would feem, of a confumptionj under which 
 affliftion, how much he profited and grew in 
 grace, appears alfo evidently from the fame letters. 
 He concluded his holy and happy, tho' fhort life, 
 with the fweeteft aflurance of obtaining that 
 celeftial bleflednefs which he here defcribes, and 
 fo quietly flept in the Lord. And tho' the reft 
 of the hiftory of his life cannot here be com- 
 mitted to writing, (as was defigned, if certain in- 
 formation 
 
15 TO THE READER. 
 
 formation could have been obtained,) yet there ia 
 in the book itfelf a genuine tranfcript of it to be 
 read; for no doubt he endeavoured to leave what 
 he wtote, and fuch a iafling monument ere£led 
 to the glory of his Redeemer, will alfo ferve to 
 tranfmit his memory embalmed to pofterity, 
 without needing any eulogium from another 
 hand. 
 
 And now may the God of all grace, with whom 
 is the refidue of the fpirit, accompany the per- 
 ufal of this book, with his rich and effeftual 
 blefling: and may he grant unto all his people to 
 enjoy communion and fellowfhip with him; and 
 with Jefus Chrift his Sonj that they may have 
 his fpirit dwelling in them, and teftifying to their 
 fpirits that they are the fons of God: that they 
 may by every means of grace, be gradually pre- 
 pared, for the fall and complete pofTeffion of the 
 heavenly happinefs, which their forerunner hath 
 prepared for them, in the manfions of his father's 
 houfe. 
 
 
GLIMPSE OF GLORYj 
 
 OR, 
 
 A Gospel-Discovery of EMMANUEL'S 
 Land. 
 
 rUE PR ELUD E, 
 
 ROUSE thee, O my foul, from thts bafe 
 and coritagious earth : why Ihould lower 
 thoughts, and bafe alms pofTefs thee thus ? What 
 liaft thou here, that may draw thee afide from the 
 centre of thy felicity but for one moment ? If 
 this world, in her rofy arid youthful conftitution, 
 be very vanity arid vexation of fpirit ; what mutt 
 there be riow in her fad and withered (late ? If, 
 in her fmiles, (he be not worth the regarding ; 
 what folly is it, to court a frowning nothing ? 
 
 2. Is it time, O my foul, to place one beam of 
 thy affe6^ion upon fuch a filly, bafe dunghill, fo as 
 to give it an affedlionate look ? Trample it under 
 thy feet : carry thyfelf after the manner of thefe, 
 who expeO; the kingdom. God hath fornled thee 
 of fuch a capacious conftitution, as nothing can 
 fatisfy thee- below his infinite Self; and fhoiildfl 
 thou be confined, in thy oi^tgoings, within the 
 limits of this lower, fmoky region ? Mount up 
 fwiftly, faf above the fun, moon and ftars, beyond 
 the borders of this narrow vault, where thou may- 
 eft fweetly bathe thyfelf, iA thefe oceans of joys and 
 G fdicity. 
 
18 The PRELUDE, 
 
 felicity, tliat know neither brim nor bottom : tbou 
 art not to wafte away thy conceptions on things 
 to-day in their vigour, and to-morrow they are 
 not ', fhadows, empty nothings^ night-dreams and 
 vanities, infufficient obje^ls for the faculties of 
 fuch a noble being to fix upon. Art thou not 
 beginning to confider of a more enduring fub- 
 ftance ? The kingdom that cannot be fliaken, Em- 
 manuel's glorious,ftatelyandever-flouri{hingland, 
 the fmiling, rofy place, where his fervants do in- 
 ceflantly ferve him, and fee his face eternally, 
 without a cloud ; where our all-lovely Wellbe- 
 loved doth corporally dwell, and fhall fol* ever 
 take up his eternal abode ; a fruitful, fragrant, 
 beautiful, delightful foil, overflowing with the 
 true and real Ne(ftar and Ambrofia ; a garden 
 of delights, a paradife of pleafures, planted at the 
 beginning by the Almighty's own right hand, 
 wherein he hatli manifefled, in an high and 
 tranfcendent manner, the incomprehenfible glory 
 of his power, love and goodnefs, wonderfully, a- 
 bove what eye hath feen, ear hath heard, or the 
 mind of man, within the tents of mortality, con- 
 fidered : what a wonderful frame is this ! O the 
 alluring objedls above ! The fir ft thought where- 
 of fet all on a flame: O what defires ! O what 
 longings ! When fhall mortality be fwallowed up 
 of life, death of victory, time of eternity, miferies 
 ofblefl^ednefs, forrows of joys, pains of pleafures, 
 painted enjoyments- and delights of his love and 
 eternal fweetnefs ? - 
 
 3. All creatures are ever in a£lion, efpecially 
 thefe of the highefl and moll noble rank, which 
 mufl necelTarily have fome obje£l: or other, to fix 
 their outgoings upon : the moft excellent and fub- 
 lime are then to be chofenj and what, more ex- 
 cellent^ 
 
On EMMANUEL'S Land. 19 
 
 cellent, than what will fill all the powers and fa- 
 culties of Ue.fTed men and angels throughout all 
 eternity ? 
 
 4. To -take a view of the higher Canaan, is 
 neither curiofity nor audacity, but a necelTarv 
 duty, incumbent upon all, who are travelling 
 thither : the advantages of fuch a noble ftudy 
 cannot be told, nay, nor conceived, but by the 
 exercifed therein. 
 
 5. According to the knowledge, fo are the af- 
 feftions, both as to kind and degree : what we 
 know not, that we cannot love ; and what we 
 behold lovely, we cannot but love. Seraphic fpi- 
 rits, no wonder you are oft-times ravifhed from 
 yourfelves ! Ah filly worldlings, you cannot but 
 have a drooping life of it j fince you know nothing 
 but earth : had you an half glimpfe of the more 
 enduring fubftance of the ever-flourifhing, never 
 fading glory, how fhould you be in an unexperi- 
 enced frame of joy and admiration ! How fhould 
 you difdain all the leffer beauties on this fide of 
 time ? but ah ! you never faw the enduring glory j 
 and what wonder you are as you are ? 
 
 , 6. Mortality hath no greater joy, than the folid 
 hope of glory , the fweetnefs, arifing from the fo- 
 lid hope of fo great things, fills the foul with won- 
 derful ravifhments, and perfumes the loweft of 
 earthly enjoym^ents: furpaffing joys to my foul ? 
 thefe temporal things my Lord bellows upon me, 
 are as pledges^ of the fair inheritance. And, are 
 not all vifible things as fo many emblems of the 
 invlfible? AVorldlings, you are fools, to imagine 
 we have a fad and melancholy life : none live but 
 we ; tho' we may be faid to be/as to this life, * of 
 * all men the moll miferable ;' it is only as to the 
 bulk of externals ; you know not our joys,' nor 
 C 2 the 
 
20 The prelude, 
 
 the manner of our enjoyments j neither can ye 
 know them. 
 
 7. Ofnecejfity ive miiji fearch after another I'lfc^ 
 than this evanijhing vapour. 
 
 May not the vanity and vexation o£ fpirit, in 
 the purfuit of every fuhlunary enjoyment, force 
 us to the fearching after another life ? If wq 
 fearch not for the glory to come, then let u$ 
 fearch after nothing at all. Sirs, what madnefs 
 is it to notice this earth, unlefs in order to eter- 
 nity ? Do you not clearly fee all your temporary 
 enjoyments die in the birth ? Are not the glifter- 
 ing fliews of men on this ft age of the world, like 
 the appearance of aerial things in the clouds ? 
 Here are armies engaging one another, there are 
 fliips under fail, yonder are men riding in the 
 equipage of kings, queens, <tc» in other places 
 are towns, caftles, rivers, <bc. All appear real to 
 the fpe£l:ators, but anon all evanifli to nothing, 
 and where are they ? Fools ! are they confidering, 
 that thus it is with all the glories of time ! Ve- 
 rily, to all eternity, they fnall be as if they had 
 not been. 
 
 8. The fmall Jliidy of glory praves uSy hi a great 
 party carnal. 
 
 Is it not evident, we have our eyes too much 
 upon fhadows ? and that we divide Our looks 
 betwixt heaven and earth ; fince our joys are 
 more carnal than fpiritual, and our longings and 
 defires run fo little heaven-w^ard ? Ah ! our love^ 
 to the only Wellbeloved, is not unlike that which 
 every nation carries to their God ; elfe w^e w^ould 
 be often crying out. Is not my Wellbeloved gone- 
 unto another country ? and fliall not my heart and 
 love for ever dwell there, and only there ? Sit I 
 down here, when he hath removed himfcif to an^ 
 
 othc?r 
 
On EMMANUEL'S Land. 21 
 
 otlier place? Can there be anything defirable 
 where he is not ? O ! all ye beauties of this lower 
 world, what are yon to me, if my Lord be abfent ? 
 Let me pafs through all poffible difficulties, even 
 through ten thoufand oceans of burning hre and 
 brimilonej provided I land at lafl, on that ten 
 thoufand times happy place, where he for ever 
 dwells ; that thefe arms may be blefled in embra- 
 cing, thefe eyes in forever beholding, and all my 
 faculties may be filled with his eternally raviihing 
 fweetnefs. O, when fhall I behold thy counte- 
 nance ! when fhall I hear thy voice ! when (iiail 
 I ftand among thefe happy, happy, happy ones, 
 who ftand in the immediate prefence of thy all- 
 glorious Majefty, and have the naked, imme- 
 diate and clear vifion of thine eternally ravifliing 
 Godhead! Ah, how is it I think of any thing but 
 heaven! why are we not ever in an impatient 
 longing to be in his everlailing embraces? Know 
 we what it is to take him for our only Wellbe- 
 loved? Is not every founding of his very name 
 melodious harmony in our ears ? doth not every 
 hearing or reading of him affect us with a won- 
 derful fweetnefs? Do not the thoughts of our 
 being in his naked embraces ere long, fill us with 
 an ecftafy of joy? Are we not often challenging 
 years, months^and days, why they fucceed fo lei- 
 furely to one another j and contending with fun, 
 moon and ftars, becaufe they run their courfe fo 
 llowly ; looking upon every hour as an age, in his 
 abfence; and death as of a fweet and lovely coun- 
 tenance, (ince it opens us a paffage to the full 
 enjoyment of him ; and the marrow of all crea- 
 ture excellency, as a mafs of deformity, if it 
 lliould eclipfe, for a moment, the fweet enjoyment 
 •cf his all-fufhcient Self? 
 
 9. Students 
 
22 The PRELUDE, 
 
 p. Students of glory overlook the difflcidtie.<! and 
 vexations of time. 
 
 S 'ATCt, fweet Is the Way to my bleffed home ! 
 can the way be thought tedious, that leadeth to 
 fuch boundlefs joy? O the goodly country I be- 
 hold lying at the end of my race ! hell in my way 
 fhould be as a pleafant paradife: what though fad- 
 nefs afiault me ? yonder are oceans of joys at the 
 end of my journey; though wearinefs ? yonder are 
 green paflures^with an eternal May; though death? 
 yonder are floods, the rivers of life, of which I 
 lliall drinkj and drink again, for evermore. Doth 
 poverty and contempt intervene ? Lo, the rich in- 
 heritancej the golden and pearly city, the fplendid 
 houfnold-iluff? O the rich inhabitants ! How do 
 mine eyes affect mine heart! O bleffed Chrift, I 
 have ittn thee in thy beauty; and O how is my 
 foul in an uninterrupt<ed motion to be at thee 1 
 The affairs of time move not as fach. O what al- 
 lurements ! who can fee, and not run ? O thy 
 violent, fweet, attractive virtue ! how ftrongly 
 and quickly doft thou draw thy members up to 
 heaven after thee! See I not thee, O Wellbeloved, 
 fcanding with the maffy crown of glory in thy 
 hand crying. Run, and have it? And fhall I not 
 run, even run with patience and chearfulnefs unto 
 the death ? How chearfuUy did my Lord go up to 
 Jerufalem, to purchafe the crown for me ! a crown 
 to be purchafed through a v/orld of forrows and 
 difHcuIties.! What am I doing ? vvdiy ftand I thus ? 
 all is purchafed already, and the word is to me, 
 Enter and poffefs. 
 
 10. The Jiudy of glory is fo alluring, that the 
 more we Jiudy, the more we love tofiudy it. 
 , Had we a difcovery of the only excellent things, 
 how difficult would it prove, to get our thoughts 
 
 plucked 
 
On EMMANUEL'sXand. 23 
 
 plucked off them? Moft lovely things, feen In their 
 lovelinefs, captivate the aiFections moft, and con- 
 fequently determine the thoughts: do we not 
 think mofl upon what we love moft ? Worldlings, 
 I appeal to your confciences, if your thoughts run 
 not out moft upon earthly things: why? you 
 know them only, and efteem them moft: but, had 
 you a view of the real world, the outgoings of your 
 foul would run in a higher orb. Had we the im- 
 prefhons of glory on our fpirits, lower objects 
 fhould not eafily draw down our thoughts; or turn 
 them afide ; yea, our higher powers ihould be fo 
 ftrongly affected as that the lower powers Ihould 
 be regulated even in fleep ; our imaginations 
 would be compofing and dividing thefe ideas of 
 the life to come, they recelved^j according to their 
 natures, from the higher faculties. How oft would 
 'wc be, in our dreams, walking up and down the 
 flreets of the golden city, the beds of lilies and 
 rofes, in the higher paradife-of glory, the banks of 
 that river of wafer of life ? Days thoughts have 
 influence upon nights dreams; the difpofition of 
 the fancy follows that of the mind. Ah! ye fons 
 of men, what wonder your fancy run out after 
 fo foolifh a manner ! the ftrength of your fublime 
 powers is wafted on dunghill-concerns, your 
 thoughts are full of earth, and all your lower 
 powers are full of It alfo. 
 
 1 1 . Creatures are only fo be ejleemed more or lefs 
 excellent, according fo their knowledge, it being the 
 primum mobile of all other endowments. 
 
 Creatures are excellent accordingtotheir know- 
 ledge: let beafts imagine that the fcenical garbs of 
 riches, and titular honours, add any thing real to 
 men, it is only knowledge that differenceth; 
 without it a man is but a beaft; and with it, in its 
 
 elevated 
 
24 The PRELUDE, 
 
 elevated pitch, he is a glorified and immortal crea- 
 ture: ' This is life eternal, that they might know 
 thee, andJefusChrifl whom thou hail fent.' And, h 
 nbt the knowledge more noble, according to the 
 excellency of the obje61:s, they being taken upcon- 
 gruoufly? O then! are they not feraphic creatures., 
 whofe minds are fetupon the only excellent things? 
 Had we a fight of that furp ailing glory, howwould 
 cur minds be elevated wonderfully above this bafe 
 dung-hill? how ihould we look down upon the 
 greatefl things of earth, as inconfiderable trifles, 
 far below our fublime fpirits? how fhould we 
 trample on crowns and fceptres,yea, many worlds, 
 tho'_ exiilent, when elevated 'on our high places, 
 
 * clothed with the fun, and having the moon un- 
 
 * der our feet?' How fliould we laugh at filly 
 earth-worms, . crawling over one another with 
 great trouble and vexation? Ah childiih fpirits? 
 are you contending and wafting your inch of time 
 on trifles and iliining nothings? what is the gain, 
 when all your projects are accompliihed? Heirs 
 of glory, no wonder you are termed by truth it- 
 felf, *the excellent ones of the earth-,' none of 
 excellent and generous fpirits, but you. The 
 opinion of blind worldlings concerning you is of 
 no value ; the excellency and bafenefs of^ankind 
 is not yet laid open; mortality, and its black reti- 
 nue, obfcure ail; a little patience, and the Al- 
 mighty fhall unm-alk the whole race of mankind. 
 
 12. ^ clear viezu of fo great rewards encou^ 
 rages and excites to all duties. 
 
 The clear fight of the great recompenfe of re- 
 ward, makes the creature chearful in duty. Am I 
 fo flow in my race, and the matchlefs inheritance 
 at tlie ftake? Cries not my Lord unto me, *Be 
 
 * thou faithful unto the death, and I will give thee 
 
On EMMANUEL'S Land. 25 
 
 * a crown of life?' Is there fuch a neceflarycon-* 
 nexlon betwixt a momentary figlit, and an 
 everlafting triumph ? O the difproportion ! who 
 would not fight ? who would not wreltle ? O let 
 me run to the death? 
 
 13. The better vje areverfedin thejludy of hea^ 
 vjen^ the more we are fitted for it. 
 
 Is not grace young glory; and the forethoughts 
 of heaven, a preparation for heaven? even as black 
 nature is a preparation for hell, the height and 
 perfe<n:ion of wickednefs: there is a fuitablenefs 
 and congruity betwixt the creature and its condi- 
 tion. High fpirits are not for bafe, Jew things j 
 as creeping fpirits are not for high. What things 
 ?n heaven can delight a carnal foul ? Earth, earth, 
 and only earth, is its known obje£l:: give him 
 earth, and he defires no more. There is congruity, 
 and difcongruity betwixt the capacity and obje61:: 
 beads have no difoernment of intellectual things ; 
 neither have carnal men (termed beafts in fcrip- 
 ture) of the things of God. O fweet! how do 
 the faints fmell of glory, before they enter in ? 
 May. they not fay, 'Whither I go, I know, and 
 ' the way I know?' were I ignorant of the world 
 I remove for ever into, could I be thus in fo joyful 
 a frame ? my foul is going to the place where my 
 heart is already : ' I know in whom I have be- 
 ' lieved,' and what is his reward. ' O joy un- 
 *■ fpeakable, and full of glory!' 
 
 14. Noble apprehenfions of glory y make us i?i 
 part pojfejjhrs of heaven and glory. 
 
 Serious mjeditating on heaven, renders us. In 
 fome manner, poiTeflbrs thereof: 'Our converfa- 
 
 * tion is in heaven,' faith the apoflle; and again, 
 
 * You are come (not to the mount vifible) unto 
 
 * mount Zion, and to the city of the living God.' 
 
 D Converfe 
 
26 T H E P R E L tJ D E, 
 
 Converfe and prefence is only by benefit of the 
 mindj were we dwelling in heaven by faith, we 
 might be faid to be in heaven before we were 
 there; or rather heaven would come down unto 
 our fouls; Chrifl and all his glorious train would 
 be intimate unto us. O then ! we might fay, My 
 company is fwee't, my fellowfliip glorious: he, 
 whofe prefence enlightens, enlivens and beautifies 
 heaven, is ever prefent with me : ^ I have fet the 
 
 * Lord always before me, becaufe he is at my right 
 
 * hand, I fhall not be moved. A bundle of myrrh 
 ^ is my Wellbeloved unto me, he fhall lie all n?ght 
 
 * betwixt Iry breafts.' O our paffirig joys and 
 fweetnefs! the fource of all joys and fweetnefs 
 doth poflefs my heart. Blinded worldlings, yoa 
 fee but the outward garb of fenfe ; faw you what 
 were within, you could not but admire their hap- 
 pinefs: ' the King'sdaughteris all glorious within.* 
 Saw you your own felves in your own genuine 
 colours, ye would run from yourfelves, if it were 
 poflible : hell lodgeth withifi= you^ and you know 
 it not: but anon, when the confcience is awaken^- 
 ed, ye fhall know it, to your dreadful experience. 
 
 15. Heaven is the proper place "where all excel- 
 lency dwellsy Jhould we not then divell mentally 
 there? 
 
 As the fields are moffc pleafant, fertile and beau- 
 tiful, which lie nearelt the perpendicular rays of 
 the fun; fo the more nearly we approach the *Sun 
 
 * of righteoufnefs,' the more vigorous aird lively 
 fhall our condition be : how fhall we bloom and 
 flourifli 4ike a tree plantedby the rivers of waters?* 
 O how beautiful fhall wc become, in the eyes of 
 God,, angels, and faints! "Worldlings, you live in 
 a; cold climate ; can any thing befal you, except 
 tvithering and decay? Come hither, this 1% the 
 
 funny 
 
On I; M M A N U E L»s Land. 27 
 
 funny fide of the world: were ye here, ye coul? 
 not but cry out, *The lines are fallen to me ir 
 * pleafant places, yea, I have a goodly heritage. 
 
 16. JVe are allowed to have our mind no where 
 elfe but in heaven^ that only being free of the con- 
 tagion of Jin, 
 
 To have the rnlnd in heaven is fafe; to Ifet it 
 fall down to earth is mofl dangerous: moftly from 
 this do Satan, the world, aud our vile hearts get 
 fuch advantage againft us: this is the place where 
 Satan domineers; to dwell here, implies a fubmif- 
 fion to the fceptre of his government. No w^onder 
 fo many mifchiefs befal earth-worms. Heaven is 
 the faint's proper foil: if ye be wife, O citizens of 
 the new Jerufaleni, range not without the borders 
 of yovir kingdom, left foms evil befal you. 
 
 17. According to the excellency of our knowledgey 
 fo is the fphere of our aSlivity ; and confequently 
 our Jitnefs for dojng great things for our Lord's 
 glory. 
 
 Who are rnoft accomplifhed for the greatefl 
 actions and fuflcrings for Chrift ? Who, but thefe 
 who are molt above ? If the ftudy of human fcien- 
 ces" renders ^ man ii^ fome meafure excellent; 
 what will the ftudy of this hyperphylical fcience 
 do? all other fciences are fubordinate to this ; it 
 being a practical fcience, dire(^l:ing and illumi- 
 nating our minds, in the right and folid difcern- 
 ment of all things. Know miich of God; and 
 know much of all things. 
 
 18. JVhat lue know and are affecled by, that we 
 are; if by earth, we are earthly ; if by heaven^ we 
 are heavenly. 
 
 The difference betwixt faints, and all world- 
 lings, lies much here; as the man is, lb are his 
 thoughts. Do the faculties of thy foul run moft 
 J) 2 out 
 
28 T H E P R E L U D E, 
 
 out on heaven and glory? Doth heaven more at- 
 fe(fl: thee than earth? Is it the ordinary frame of 
 thy fpirit? O the bleiTednefs of thy condition! 
 little canft thou conceive what is referved for 
 thee. But doth thy mind run moft upon earth ? 
 Is it the mofl delightful objeifl? and is heaven a 
 foreign and ilrange-like fubje£l to meditate upon? 
 Is that the ordinary harmony of thy fpirit? O thy 
 dreadful condition! v^ho can conceive it? But 
 thou {halt know it ere long. 
 
 And how fweetly and cordially are we invited 
 to come up from this bafe earth, and partake of 
 that noble fellowfhip with the Father and the Son? 
 the gates of glory are caft wide open to all ; the 
 ivells of falvation are not fealed : if you be eter- 
 nally thruft out, blame yourfelves. He complains, 
 exhorts, and argues with men, ' Ye will not come 
 ^ to me; that ye might have life. Why will ye 
 *^ die ? Whofoever will, let him come, and take 
 * of the water of life freely.' Ah fools ! what are 
 ye doing? doubt ye whether to come up or not? 
 what have ye there but broken cifterns ? Here, O 
 here, are the fountains, the rivers, the oceans of 
 living waters. Beware, Sirs, this become not 
 your eternal complaint. Heaven was wide open, 
 ;and I would not come in 5 and now, wo, wo^ wo 
 for evermore! the gates are eternally fhut a- 
 gainfl: me. 
 
 19. It is dangerous to take a fuperfidal view of 
 glory, and no more: lue are to fear ch, and die fe arch- 
 ing; fince earth hathfo Jirange a power upon crea- 
 tures compofed of earth. 
 
 O heirs of this never-fading glory, need we 
 fpeak of the things you have a view of, far above 
 all our expreffions? See you not what is inexpref- 
 Tible ? Are you not ravifhed with the goodnefs of 
 
 your 
 
On EMMANUEL'S Land. 29 
 
 your lot ? Have you not been often on the top of 
 mountPifgah, viewing the higherand lower world, 
 the vaft difference betwixt the childrens inheritance, 
 and that of the baftards? Have ye not received a 
 talte of the delicious fruits that grow on the tree 
 of life? Have ye not received in your fouls, fome 
 fparkles of that heavenly joy ?nd love? Have you 
 not experimentally feen the nothingnefs and va^ 
 nity of all created enjoyments ? How is it then, 
 that fo many of you are (o bafe and carnal in your 
 deportment, as to make it difficult to difcern be- 
 twixt your walk, and that of the fons of the earth? 
 What! back to the earth again, after you have re- 
 ceived fo high an elevation ? You fomewhat refem- 
 ble the fallen angels. Sirs, (if it be fo, that you 
 are fallen indeed,) it is an hundred to one, if ever 
 you approach fo near heaven, on this fide of time: 
 apoftafy in the fmaileil degree is very dreadful. 
 Be it fo, you cannot totally and finally become 
 earth again: yet, is it not fad, never to come near 
 to the firft attainments? as it moftly fails out in 
 fallen faints: eveu David's laft ways were below 
 his firft. But howevej, can 3^ endure fo to dif- 
 grace your Lord's glory, before the eyes of vile 
 worldlings, who efteem heaven a well-invented chi- 
 mera .^ Can you feed their Atheifm ? and dare you 
 fhake the faith of weak ones? and be the fad oc- 
 cafion of miany's going back at the birth? Either 
 walk in an heavenly manner, or profefs no reli- 
 gion at all: if your converfation be like that of 
 dunghill wretches, wherein do ye glorify God more 
 ^lau they? Yea, you do diflionour him more a 
 thoufznd times. Chriftians, can you forget your 
 fweet country, in this melancholy wildernefs ? Is 
 pot death at youT hand? Our time is (hort, for 
 lijak.ing ready for eternity ; ere we get a light 
 
30 Te H PRELUDE, 
 
 of the vain world, death will aflault us. "What Is 
 time, but a preparation for eternity ? Were there 
 not a connexion betwixt thefe two, verily time were 
 of no confideration; have we loft the real ufe of 
 our fenfes? does not all we fee, or hear, hivite us 
 to go up, and leave this defpicable world? Every 
 earthly enjoyment hath vanity written upon it ;- 
 every thing here hath a frowning countenance ; 
 are we not ' looking for a city whofe builder and 
 ^ maker is God?* Let usbeperfu^ded of the truth 
 of fo great things; let us 'embrace the promifes, 
 ' and confefs we are ftranger^ and pilgrims on 
 ' earth,' that the natives of this worjdmay perceive 
 ' we feek a country.' Cry out, Sirs, Adieu, you 
 gilded enjoyments, abftracled from the life of all 
 .enjoyments; ah gliftering nothings! what ^re you 
 alLto me? what to one who hath found the enduring 
 fubftance? welcome, a tho\ifand times welcome, 
 eternal joys, fubftantia} pleafures, enduring com- 
 forts ! welcome enjoyment of God, in any meafure, 
 tho' through a glafs. Mount up, O my foul on the 
 feraphic wings of heavenly meditation: ^Tho' thou 
 * haft lien among the pots, yet (halt thou be as the 
 ^ wings of a dove, covered with filver, and her fea- 
 ' thers with yellow gold.' Let n<?t a low fight con- 
 tent thee, never reft, until thou be over the borders 
 of time, where thou llialt be at reft, and free of 
 trouble: here is nothing but *vanity and vexation 
 ' of fpirlt.' 
 
 20. Scripture gives us a difcr.vcry cf things hc-^ 
 yond time. 
 
 By a fpiritual difcernment of the fcriptures, in 
 their own genuine fenfe, we might attain unto the 
 fublime knowledge of excellent things: they are 
 wifeft, who are beft ftudied in them j faithis an in- 
 ftrumqit, whereby the foul takes up aright the 
 
 things 
 
pN EMMANUEL'S Land. 31 
 
 tilings contained therein. And doth not every page 
 fmellof heaven and glory? The glory of God, and 
 intellectual creatures, and everlailingenjoyment of 
 him, is the fubjeft and fpope of all. Nay, this great 
 volume of this vifible All, demonftrates fomewhat 
 inviiible, of a far higher nature: 'The heavens de- 
 
 * clare the glory of God: the invifible things of him 
 
 * from the creation of the world are clearly feen, 
 
 * being underflood by the things w^hich are made.' 
 How many draughts and emblems of glory miy 
 we behold, in the glorious fabric of heaven and 
 earth? How doth the Spirit fet before our eyes, 
 that inconceivable glory to come, in types andbor- 
 rowc4 terms, drawn from the glories of this lower 
 region? Verily they have the advantage of others, 
 who have inclination and opportunity, for fearching 
 into the admirable works of God's creation: for 
 fuch is the nature of things vifible, that they 
 lead us to thefe that are invifible. 
 
 2 1 . Glory is 7iot to be confidered after d philofo- 
 phical vianner^ being altogether fupernatural. 
 
 To inquire metaphyfically into the nature of 
 this excellent glory, is not our intention : we de- 
 fire not to fpeak other things than what is writ- 
 ten. Subtle inquiries are cold, having fmall in- 
 fluence on the affections, the inflaming of which 
 is oiir aim. A gofpel view of glory, in a fcripture- 
 dialed, is our defign. That the fcripture termeth 
 heaven, a r/Vy, and again, a bride, iTiews that all 
 emblems come wonderfully fhort, in repfefenting 
 fuch inconceivable things; and therefore difcourfes 
 thereof are not to be examined, according to vul-' 
 gar rules. Glory may be underflood, either for- 
 mally, or fubjc£lively; which is the fupernatural 
 elevation of the creature; or objecliveiy, which 
 is the n^anifeftation of God to the cre.:ture: the 
 
 glary 
 
32 The PRELUDE, 
 
 glory then to be revealed is a fupernatural perfec- 
 tion, and that in kind. Natural wifdom, ever 
 {o intenfe, is not glory: the fplendor of the fun^ 
 though a thoufand times gradually augmented a- 
 bove what it is, is ft ill but natural glory, and not a 
 fupernatural elevation. Every thing is perfect, 
 beautiful, excellent, or glorious ^which terms ex- 
 prefs the fame) in its own kind; but in heaven, 
 all are fupernaturally excellent, as being elevated 
 far above the reach of their natural beings. 
 
 22. All creatures^ from the highejl to the lowefty 
 are paffively capable of fupernatural elevation. 
 
 What bafer things than duft? and yet that is ad- 
 mitted within the new Jerufalem: yet may intel- 
 leclual beings be faid [Gr. kaf exochen, i.e. by way 
 6f eminence) to be only capable of glory : and then 
 we may fay. Glory is the higheft elevation (ac- 
 tual) of a creature, in its being, faculties, virtues, 
 operations, and relations, by which it is enabled 
 to enjoy God to the full. 
 
 23. Nothing leads us fo excellently to the hioiv^ 
 ledge of glory ^ as grace its forerunner. 
 
 Grace being an endowment above the ftrength of 
 nature, what is it elfe but young glory? For that 
 the knowledge of the one will lead us by the hand 
 unto the knowledge of the other: as glory is grace in 
 the bloom and fulleft vigour; fo grace is glory in the 
 bud and firft fpringing: the one is holinefs begun, 
 the other holinefs perfected; the one is the * behold- 
 ^ ing of God darkly, as thro' -a glafs,' the other be- 
 ^ holding him face to face.' Chriftians,are youcon- 
 fidering, that in part you are glorified already i* 
 Tho' it be fmall, 4ike a grain of muftard feed,' and 
 obfcured by corruption and mortality; a little pa- 
 tience, and you fhall fee it grow out wonderfully, 
 in all dimeiifious^ and flourifli; and bloom, and be 
 
 fruitful 
 
On EMMANUEL'S Land. 33 
 
 fruitful and fragrant through never-ending ages. 
 You have tafted that the Lord is good, you fhall 
 fvi^im, erelong, in the oceans ofgoodnefs; youhave 
 had his amiable countenance lifted up upon you; a 
 little hence fhall ye for ever dwell under the noon- 
 tide rays of his ravifhing face: fome drops of ce- 
 leftial joy have fallen into your hearts, unto ra- 
 vifhment; yoH fhall enter into the ocean itfelf ere 
 long : you are walking with the Lamb, in the days 
 of your pilgrimage ; * you (hall follow him anon 
 * whitherfoever he goes.' May ye not then attain to 
 fome conception of glory ? the tree may be known 
 by its feed; the direcb rays, by the reflex. As for 
 you, worldlings, who know not what it is to have 
 communion with God, the very natural conlider- 
 ation of fuch dazzling glory, may roufe up your 
 fenfes, and caufe you underftand what you never 
 heretofore confidered. 
 
 24. Saints get fome dijcoveries more evident 
 than thrd a glafsy which may he termed glimpfes of 
 glory. 
 
 The faints, on this fide of time, are not feldom 
 more than vicEtors ; they have fights above that of 
 faith : O the fights ! O the fweetnefs ! O the ravilb- 
 mentSi, more like thofeofovercomers, than fighters, 
 which the faints experience ! why may we not then 
 attain to fome apprehenfions of the glory above I 
 may not the experience of ourfelves and others lead 
 us into the difcovery of wonderful things : no 
 doubt, the new creation is afupernatural elevation, 
 which we fhall never be able to attain unto, thro' 
 -the ordinary and common influencing of the Spi- 
 rit on our natural faculties; his marvellous light 
 is of another nature, than that commonlight which 
 he communicateth * to every one that cometh Into 
 * the world.' Natural excellency, ever fo gradual- 
 E ly 
 
34 The PRELUDE, 
 
 ly perfe£led is ftill natural; gradual difference 
 changeth not the kind: join all Gommon graces of 
 reprobates together, could they make up a fa- 
 ring or fupernatural? Many carnals make not a 
 heavenly -, many material excellencies make not 
 up a fpiritual: grace is a heavenly, new principle 
 infufed, not the perfeciing of what hath been al- 
 ready in the worldling* OSirs,beware of being be- 
 guiled here : the intenfe natural knowledge of di- 
 vine myfteries, with the overflowings of love and 
 joy arinng therefrom, may dazzle our own eyes, 
 and the eyes of the fpedlators : look that you have 
 heaven indeed within you, elfe you cannot enter 
 there* O to be partakers of the divine nature ! O 
 for the noble mind of Chrift ! O to be transformed 
 in the fpirit of our minds! ^caufe thy wind to blow 
 
 * on our dry bones, and wefhall live/ Be notbeguil- 
 ed. Sirs, *as ye fow fo fliall you reap:* have you 
 the immortal feed within you? look well to it, let it 
 not be choked with cares, anxieties, and vanities ; 
 though the beginning appear fmall and inconfi- 
 derable, the end will be wonderfully glorious and 
 excellent: the wonders to be manifefted upon thee, 
 will be theperfeftion of what thou haft got already: 
 
 * If the Spirit of him that raifed up Jefus from 
 
 * the dead be in you, he fhall alfo quicken your 
 
 * mortal bodies, by the Spirit that dwelleth in you. 
 
 25. All things invite to this excellent Jiiidyy and 
 there is -no argument againfi it, 
 
 "We heartily befeech you, to ftep up to the top 
 of mount Pifgah, and take a view of our ravifhing 
 country: what have you to fay againft the bufi- 
 nefs? ' Come and fee,' will anfwer all your objec- 
 tions: whatever you can fay againft the matter, 
 will prove it. Speak ye of melancholy ? O what 
 fweetnefs is here ! of inability, and dimnefs of 
 
 knowledge ? 
 
On EMMANUEL'S Land. 35 
 
 knowledge ? O the lightnefs of this city ! all 
 things are obfcure and fmoky below. Speak we of 
 hindrances from our necelTary worldly affairs ? O 
 how doth the fight of this glory oil the wheels, and 
 cheer up to every duty? "Will any term it an un- 
 known fubje£l ? Nothing more fruitful, and fuller 
 of varieties; nothing more pleafmg than glory. 
 Art thou worldly-minded? O then iludy heaven; 
 the excellency of the one will caufe the other to 
 'difappear. Thinkeft thou hell and deftru61:ion are 
 more to be confidered by thee? Come, and thou 
 fhalt behold, that the difcovery of glory difcovers 
 all things, fince there is no danger for a trem- 
 bling broken-hearted finner: the way to glory is 
 the path of life, the new and living way. ' We 
 ' are not come unto the mount that might not be 
 
 * touched, and that burned with fire; but unto 
 ^ mount Zion, the heavenly Jerufalem, to the in- 
 ' numerable company of angels, and to the fpirits 
 
 * of juft men made perfetl, to Jefus thp Mediator 
 
 * of the new covenant, to God the judge of all, 
 
 * and to the blood of fprinkling, that fpeaketh bet^- 
 
 * ter things than that of Abel.' 
 
 2.6. This knozvledge is only from above^ and to ba 
 ajked of God, 
 
 Thou inexhauftible original of all light, life, and 
 fulnefs, draw up our minds to thee, from this pro- 
 per habitation of the,d.evil and hisilayes; andhold 
 us ever with thee, left we fall down to this dung- 
 hill again: 'Then (hall we be joyful in glory, we 
 
 * ihalj fing aloud on our beds, we fhall fpeak of the 
 
 * greatnefs of thy kingdom, of the excellency of 
 
 * thy majefty, <ind of the glory of thine inheritance 
 
 * in the faints in light: then fhall we go out with 
 
 * joy, and be led forth with gladnefs: the mpun- 
 f tains and the hills (hall break forth before us in- 
 
 E 2 * to 
 
35 T H E P R E L U D E, 
 
 * to finging : then fhall we renew our ftrength, we 
 ' fhall mount up with wings, aseagles: weihalirun, 
 
 * and not be weary ^ and walk, and not be faint.* 
 
 I N V I T A T I O Ne 
 
 HEreTabor*s top s,furmounting far the marches 
 Of thofe etherial moft majeftic arches. 
 Reaching beyond the azure canopy. 
 Which envious mafk hides glory from our eye. 
 Into the new creation, whofe bright glory 
 Would caufe earth's fplendor vanilh, make usforry 
 WeVe placed a grain of love on things below. 
 Since only 'bove this world all fweets do flow. 
 Afcend the mount, afpiring fouls, and enter 
 Within the cloud, fear not, draw near love's center: 
 Go in to th' privy chambers of the King, 
 If princely minds, and flowing hearts you bring : 
 But wanting thefe, I ftraitly you command, 
 In my Lord's dreadful Name aloof to ftand. 
 There fhall you fee your lover's lovely face. 
 His heav'nly gefl:ure, his divineft grace; 
 There {hall his voice melodious charm your ears. 
 And from your heart fhall banifh quite all fears : 
 There fhall the fmell of 's garments, all perfum'd, 
 Refrefh your fainting fp'rits, with cares confum'd: 
 There Ihall you feaft upon the cheering wine. 
 That crimfon liquor of the only vine. 
 You and your Lord fhall c'lafp in one love-tie, 
 Ne'er to be lo.os'd through all eternity. 
 Your thoughts fhall dive into love's deep abyfs. 
 And fcan, what without all dimenfions is : 
 Your heart (furpaffing joy !) in your love's breaft. 
 And his in your's, eternally fhall reft. 
 In fine, your fenfes, foul and all fhall ly. 
 Bathing in fweetnefs everlaftingly. 
 
 A 
 

 G L I M P S E OF G L O R Y; 
 
 OR, 
 
 A Gospel-Discovery of EMMANUEL*s 
 Land. 
 
 THOU glory and beauty of the higher para- 
 dife, fulfil thy promife upon me, in letting 
 me fee thee in thy beauty, ^ and that land that 
 * is very far off:' a difcovery of thine excellency, 
 a tafte of thy fweetnefs fliould caufe me overlook 
 all fublunary things, ftiould enable my glory to 
 proclaim thine aloud before the fons of men. Let 
 thy ftrength appear in weaknefs ; thou canft per- 
 fect glory and praife by babes, and nothings ; get 
 thyfeif glory, and I have all I can defire. 
 
 2. All joys ! am not I exalted on. the high places 
 of the earth ? Wonderful ! what ftrange things 
 are thefe ? ' What hath GOD done?' Shall I write, 
 or fhall I not ? What avails earth's idiom here, 
 which falleth (liort in the full expreffion of earth- 
 ly things ? Shall I not debafe my Lord's glory, if 
 I endeavour to reprefent it by the low, bafe, and 
 childifh exprelFions of the language of men ? But 
 fmce our condefcending Lord is pleafed, in bor- 
 rowed terms, to exprefs thefe inexprefEble enjoy- 
 ments, 
 
38 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 merits, which * neither eye hath feen, nor ear 
 
 * hath heard, or the heart of man conceived/ we 
 will follow his footfteps ; being certain, though 
 our expreffions reach not the brim of that ocean, 
 yet they may furpafs moft mens efteem of it. May 
 we not then, in borrowed fpeeches and dark em- 
 blems, delineate the glory of his kingdom, the 
 excellency of his perfon, and * the riches of his 
 
 * inheritance in the faints in light, until we come 
 
 * unto the fulnefs of the ftature of Chrift,' when 
 we (hall fee and exprefs him as he is ? 
 
 3. The foul muji be elevated on the ivlngs of 
 heavenly meditation, before it get a fight of the pro- 
 mifed land. 
 
 Now my foul, thou art got up to the top of this 
 fubiime and majeftic mountain, overlooking the 
 celeftial Canaan. Ah, my fenfes are not celellial ! 
 yet do the things I fee and hear fill me with 'joy 
 ^ unfpeakable, and full of glory:' I cannot tell what 
 my faculties are filled with. Words are narrow 
 for fuch high and wide things. But, fhould we 
 not exprefs thefe things according to our meafure? 
 
 4. Glory is rather to be admired by mortals, thai} 
 underflood, 
 
 I am quite amazed, confounded and ravlfhed 
 at once. O eternal dwelling-place of blefled men 
 and angels ! and of the man infinitely more excel- 
 lent than all ! How am I afFe£led with thy various 
 beauty, excellent glory, and delightful fweetnefs ! 
 What appeareft thou now, O lower world ? Thou 
 ,art the dunghill ; this the palace-royal : thou art 
 the footftool ; this the throne. Were the cur- 
 tains betwixt the higher and lower world drawn 
 afide, all lower glories would difappear ; all glo- 
 ries are here, and only here : this is the world. 
 Where fliali we find emblems any where elfe, fuf- 
 
 ficien^ 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 39 
 
 »ficlent to reprefent In the thoufand thoufandth 
 part or property, one of the infinite beauties, va- 
 rious glories, admirable excellencies, tranfcend- 
 ent virtues, wherewith this land is ftored ? Ve- 
 rily it is a large land indeed, like a confluence of 
 an infinite number of worlds. O my Lord, thy 
 report was true, * In my Father's houfe are many 
 * manfions/ The earth is nothing to the vifible 
 heavens, and the vifible to the invifible. O vaft 
 land ! are they not fhallow fools, who boaft them- 
 felves of Ihovelfuls of earth ? But worms are 
 much taken up with dunghills. Nothing below 
 this narrow vault of the vifible heavens tan bound 
 the outgoings of capacious and fublime fpirits. 
 
 5. We may imagine y in this our childhood^ child- 
 iJJjly ; andfo conceive of glory in a metaphoric way. 
 And O the beauty and fweetnefs wherewith 
 this blefled land is adorned ! Earth in its May- 
 clothing, with its various beauties, appeared fome- 
 what delightful before j but all former apprehen- 
 fions are fwallowed up ; all the fenfes and facul- 
 ties are loft in the endlefs maze of infinite varie- 
 ties of beauties and excellencies. Are not the 
 eyes almoft ravifiied from their proper orbs, by 
 the ftrong attracftive virtue of raviihing objefts ? 
 Are they not dazzled and confounded ? What, 
 varieties ! what glories I v/hat numberlefs num- 
 bers ! every object is enough to allure unto ra- 
 vifhinent : but the confpiration of them all can- 
 not be told. How are the ears charmed with 
 numberlefs variety of melodious raptures ! fo that 
 the ears become harmony itfelf. How do incef- 
 fant and full gales of odoriferous exhalations per- 
 fume and fill with a furpafling fweetnefs, not on- 
 ly the brain, but every vein, artery and finew : 
 
 ■ that which enters the mouth, every where, fur- 
 
 pafieth^ 
 
40 A GLIIVIPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 pafleth Ambrofia and Neflar. The circumjacent 
 fpirits hav& {o pleafant embraces, as they ftill re- 
 frefli the body, that cannot be weary. What 
 fhall I fay? Am I not nonplufled here? Lo, all 
 beauties, both material and immaterial, here ! all 
 things are here in an eminent formal manner. O 
 mighty God, this world is a mafterpiece of thy 
 power, wifdom, and goodnefs indeed; did I never 
 fee more of thy raviihing attributes, than what is 
 imprinted on this golden world, fhould I not be 
 ravifhed with an eternal rapture ? This is a land 
 befitting the inhabitants, all things are ever in their 
 May-clothing, theybloom and flouriih with an eter- 
 nal and glorious verdure, feeming, as it were, all 
 to outfhine one another, in wonderful beauty 
 and excellency : what would an earthly paradife 
 appear here? Shall we fpeak of gold and gems, 
 trampled upon by beads? Sure the fun in its 
 ftrength would blufh to let forth its rays, on fo 
 beautiful a place, the leafl ftone here would look 
 him out of countenance : nothing in the lower 
 world which is not here; and nothing here which is 
 tobe feeninthe lower world. If we fpeak any thing 
 in earthly idiom, it muft be in perfect contradic- 
 tions-, all is covered over with all varieties of beds 
 of lilies, and rofes, and dropping fweet-fmelling 
 myrrh j every where the vines flourifh, the man- 
 drakes fend forth an odoriferous exhalation, the 
 pomegranates bud, the grapes and all fruifr-hang 
 in goodly order ; all is overflown with Ambrofia, 
 milk and honey ; all is an orchard, all a champaign 
 field, every way is the funny fide of the hill, and 
 alfo a pleafant fhadow, every place is filled with 
 odoriferous gales j and yet there is nothing but 
 one f vt^eet and endlefs calm : the winds that blow 
 here are like vital and animal fpirits. Are they not 
 
 thefe 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 41 
 
 thefe heart-refrelhing, and foul-rejoycing breath- 
 ings of the Spirit of life? All are plajitedwith trees> 
 every one of which doth fpecifically differ from. 
 one another, and bears every month, every hour, 
 every minute, ten thoufand kinds of fruits ; and 
 every fruit containeth ten thoufand qualities ; 
 and every quality ten thoufand virtues, and every 
 virtue ten thoufand delights, and every delight is 
 enough to confound myriads of worlds of men 
 and angels. All- things fend forth melodious 
 notes, odoriferous perfumes, and what may charm 
 thoufands of fenfes, differing fpecifically from 
 one another : all things here do more than con- 
 tain all the virtues and excellencies of fun, moon, 
 and flars. O what every thing is, how incon- 
 ceivable, and beyond imagination ! this worM is 
 all things, it is a palace, alfo it is a glorious and 
 ftately city, decked with the glory and comeli- 
 nefs of her builder j ' whofe light is like unto a 
 
 * ftone moft precious,' whofe walls are high, and 
 beautified with * twelve gates, and at the gates 
 
 * are twelve angels : whofe figure is four-fquare, 
 
 * whofe circuit twelve thoufand furlongs, and the 
 
 * height of the wall, an hundred forty-four cu- 
 
 * bits ; the building thereof is of jafper, and the 
 ^ city of pure gold, as it were tranfparent glafs.' 
 If the foundations thereof be of pearl, the houfes, 
 ftreets, and walls of gold, what mull the deck- 
 ings of the houfes be ? If the ordinary fluff ex- 
 ceed the price of the diamond, who can weigh 
 our mofl: noble jewel of the New Jerufalem ? Sure 
 all the excellency of this lower univerfe would be 
 of no reckoning here -, yea, many worlds are not 
 to be valued. Muft not this be a glorious and 
 delightful city, which is immediately enlightened 
 with the uncreated glory of Jehovah, and the 
 
 , F Lamb? 
 
%^ A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 Lamb ? ^ All the kings of the earth bring in their 
 • glory and honour hither :* all other glories and 
 excellencies are fwallowed up, and concentred 
 here : all joys, all pleafures, all contentments, 
 all defires are for ever here. 
 
 6. We cannot he Jo high, in cur own conceptions 
 of ghry, butfiillwe may be higher. 
 
 But let us draw near, that we may difcover 
 more of ihefe wonderful things : what ravifhing 
 melody is this ? Were it not heaven to dwell with- 
 in the found of heaven's melody ? I am altoge- 
 ther ravifhed I O * it is good to be here !^ O the 
 fweet, fweet, fweet frame the inhabitants are in ! 
 their hallelujahs have converted me almoft into 
 joy itfelf. But what can I fay ? the idiom of 
 glory hath a wonderful efficacy and deepnefs, be- 
 yond our fhallow uptakings, as far tranfcending 
 earth's language, as immortality doth tranfcend 
 mortality : and I want an ear celeftial, mufical, 
 to perceive diftintlly, and underftand thefe ange- 
 lical fongs, and wonderful expreffions of joy, love 
 and admiration, in the higher houfe : but the 
 very found is enough to ravifh all our fenfes. 
 Hear I not fomething like the fong of Mofes and 
 the Lamb ? 
 
 ** We will fing unto the Lord ; for he hath tri- 
 umphed glorioully, his enemies hath he over- 
 whelmed with everlafling fhame: he isourftrength, 
 and our fong, and he is become our falvation. 
 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in 
 power ; who is like unto thee, glorious in holinefs, 
 fearful in praifes, doing wonders ? Thou in thy 
 mercy haft led forth thy people, which thou haft 
 redeemed j thou haft guided them, in thy ftrength, 
 unto thy holy habitation : we have a ftrong city, 
 falvation hath our God provided, for walls and 
 
 bulwarks* 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 43 
 
 bulwarks. We will greatly rejoice in the Lord, 
 our fouls fhall inceflantly and eternally^ be joyful 
 in our God ; for he hath clothed us with the gar- 
 jnents of falvatlon, he hath covered us with 
 the robes of righteoufnefs. Thou haft awaked, 
 and put on ftrength, O arm of the Lord j arj; thou 
 not It, which dried up the Red fea ? that hath 
 xnade the deeps of the fea a way for thy ranfomed 
 to pafs over ? Therefore the redeemed of the Lord 
 do return, and come with Tinging unto Sion, and 
 everlafting joys upon their heads ; and forrow and 
 lighing have fled away. Sing, ye heavens, fliout, 
 ye lower parts of the earth, break forth into me-^ 
 lody, ye mountains ; for the Lord hath redeemed 
 Jacob, and glorified himfelf in IfraeL Behold, 
 we dwell on high, our place of defence is the mu-» 
 nition of rocks : our eyes do feq the King in his 
 beauty ; our eyes do behold Jerufalem a quiet ha^ 
 bitation, a tabernacle that (hall never be taken 
 down. And in this mountain hath the Lord of 
 hofts made, unto all people, a feaft of fat things ; 
 and hath fwallowed up death in vicftory ; and hath 
 wiped away all teajs from all faces. The Lord 
 is a fun and ihieid ; he hath given grace and glo- 
 ry j no good thing hath he with-held from thefe 
 who have walked uprightly. How excellent is 
 thy loving kindnefs ! we are abundantly fatisfied 
 with the fatnefs of thy houfe, and thou haft made 
 us drink of the rivers of thy pleafures : thou haft 
 turned our mourning into dancing ; thou haft put 
 off our fackcloth, and girded us with gladnefs: 
 ^ the lines are fallen to us in pleafant places ; yea, 
 we have a goodly heritage : thou haft iliewed un-^ 
 to us the path of life ; in thy prefence is fulnefs of 
 joy, and at thy right hand are pleafures for ever- 
 F 2 • more. 
 
44 A GLIIMPSE of GLORY, 
 
 more. Worthy is the Lamb, that was fiain, to 
 receive power, and riches> and wifdom, and 
 flrengthj and honour, and glory, and bleffing : for 
 thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God, by 
 thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and 
 people, and nation ; and haft made us unto our 
 God, kings and priefts ; and we ftiall reign for 
 ever and ever. Cry, and fhout, thou inhabitant 
 of Zion 5 for great is the holy One of Ifrael in 
 the midft of thee." What a golden life is this ? 
 Am not I come into mount Zion ? Know I not 
 now by experience, that the converfation of mor^ 
 tals may be above ? O what a ravifhing frame 
 am I now in ! the melody of heaven draws mc 
 nearer and nearer ; I cannot, I will not^ I may 
 not reft, until I look within the vail. 
 
 7. Chrifty the dejire of all nationSy becaitfe he is 
 Cod, mdji fully manfefied to finite capacities* 
 
 O ftrange ! nothing but wonders ! are not the 
 whole inhabitants of the higher Canaan all in a 
 fea of delight, love, and admiration ? Ar-e they 
 not all flocking round about, as contending who 
 fliall be moft fatiate with the matchlefs beauty and 
 lovelinefs of the white and ruddy One, the Stand- 
 ardbearer among ten thoufand ? O the Day's-man 
 betwixt God and creatures ! the wonder of won* 
 ders, the glory and triumph, and fhame of crea- 
 tures, the beauty of heaven, the admiration of 
 earth, the compend and model of heaven and earth, 
 and all things, the life of all joys, marrow of all 
 loves, flower of all defires, fountain of all fweet- 
 nefs, fun of all glory, the everlafting delight of 
 the Father, and raviftiment of men and angels, 
 the centre whereunto all hearts, all loves, all eyes 
 do eternally and inceffantly run, the brightnefs 
 of the Father's glory^^ the exprefs character of his 
 
 perfon ! 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 45: 
 
 perfon! Chrlft Jefus, God-man, the ^ver-flourllh- 
 ing flock and the ftem of Jefle, the plant of re- 
 nown ! all are chanting thus. 
 
 Speak no more of beauties, men and angels, all 
 leffer glories are quite fwallowed up; this is the 
 only beauty, the only excellency, by the borrowed 
 rays of whofe lovelinefs, we are all rendered 
 glorious : out of his fulnefs have we all received; 
 let us caft down thefe mafly crowns of glory at 
 his feet ; <For of him, and by him, and through 
 ' him, and to him are all things/ 
 
 8. No manifefiation vf God Jo full and fweet to 
 creatures, as through Emmanuel; fo hifinite is the 
 diftance, 
 
 O! my only Wellbeloved, thou art God, thou 
 art God, the infinite Jehovah; and therefore thou 
 art become my All, and only One; none but him! 
 I difdain all yefterday-beings for a Wellbeloved: 
 yet, fince thou art a creature alfo, thou art more 
 lovely as to me ; wert thou not man, as well as 
 God, I could not enjoy thee fo familiarly and near- 
 ly : though fin in itfelf cannot be the objecSt of joy, 
 yet the refult thereof is furpafTmg joyful : this 
 world of free grace tranfcendsever fo many worlds 
 of another kind. The enjoyment of God, as a Re- 
 deemer, Hufband, Brother, is another manner of 
 enjoyment, than of God Creator. Happy, happy 
 we, that ever we were miferable ! we had been un- 
 done, if we had not been undone. We ruined 
 ourfelves, but thou haft made us up; far, far a- 
 bove all that we had to lofe : O fweet debt of thy 
 free redeeming grace ! fhall not e\'ery moment of 
 eternity augment my obligation ? I am thy infol- 
 vent debtor, O my Lord ; and therefore my happi- 
 nefs fliall grow and bloom throughout all eternity. 
 
 9. One 
 
46 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 9. 07ie fight of Chrift is enough to rav'if;> ever fa 
 7nany, 
 
 The firft fight of thine eyes hath flricken me 
 with everlaliing admiration ! many excellent 
 beauties do my blelTed eyes behold, but thou 
 doft infinitely tranfcend them all. Thy counte- 
 nance hath a beauty and excellency above all pof- 
 fibie created glory! Increated glory rays through 
 the vail of this human nature ! my blefled eyes, a 
 thoufand times blefled eyes, which behold the man 
 who is God! FelloviT-beholdersj this fight hathcaft 
 us fof ever into a wondering frame ! the more we 
 behold, the more we are inflamed; the more wc 
 love, the more we behold ! O wonderful eternal 
 circle! hence joys inutterable, inexpreflible, hence 
 the fweet praifing difpofition, hence admiration, 
 hence beholding*, and thus throughout eternity. 
 
 10. All our ejijoyment 7iothingy till ive fee hin^ 
 face to face. 
 
 O flower of excellency 1 O ocean of lovelinefs \ 
 mortality could take up no confiderable portion of 
 thee •, the mofl: excellent of their difcourfes was 
 childifJi nonfcnfe : nothing, but feeing thee face 
 to face, can difcover thy worth. Verily I never faw 
 tliee untilnowj and therefore love and joy were 
 never in their higheft vigour. I love, I love now 
 indeed ! what though I might be faid to love thee 
 in thy abfence, and to be filled ^with joy unfpeak- 
 * able and glorious,' with the very found of thy 
 name? Thefe drops are nothing to the ocean, the taft- 
 ing to the banquet. O fweet, fweet ! nothing but 
 joy \ who can (land befide infinite love, and not 
 be inflamed! Am I not almoft converted into 
 love itfelf? O delightful ravifhing fire! what 
 greater happinefs than to burn here for evermore. 
 
 II. Tht 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 47 
 
 1 1 . The foul is not perfeSlly happy, until it reji^ 
 without interruption, in the JVellbeloved's love. 
 
 Now we are for ever in one another's arms ; the 
 days of heaven fhall not put a period to thefe love- 
 embraces: *Thou haft fet me as a feal upon thy 
 
 * heart, as a feal upon thine arm : for love is ftrong 
 ^ as death,* the coals thereof would burn up hell 
 itfelf. Nothing but full eternity, inceffant enjoy- 
 ment, willfatiate this burning love; and therefore 
 art thou unto me, ^as a bundle of myrrh, which 
 ' liethfor ever betwixt my breafts.' This is theplace 
 where love doth bloom, with an eternal verdure : 
 no ups and downs, and hidings of his face; no 
 love-^ficknefs, through the want of perfonal pof- 
 feffion ; no need of apples, or flaggons of wine.; 
 no contending with time and days, becaufe of their 
 feeming lazy pace; nor with interpofing clouds, 
 lingering death, fin and mortality: nothing but 
 full enjoyment; I am as I would be; I fee thy face 
 to the full; and therefore my happinefs overflows 
 the banks. 
 
 12. The mutual intereft betwixt Chrijl and his 
 chofen is an eternally fweet conjideration. 
 
 Thou art mine, my deareft Lord, and I am thine; 
 I was thine from eternity, and thou art become 
 mine to eternity. O my large, wide, broad inhe- 
 ritance! thou art mine in full poiTeffion: O my" 
 happinefs, my happinefs, my loves overflow, my 
 joys are in their fpring-tide : 'Even thou art mine, 
 
 * and thy defire is towards me.* No wonder that I 
 am ravilhed with thy beauty : but, art thou ravifhed 
 with mine ! wail thou not at reft, until thou hadft 
 brought me to thefe higher chambers of glory, that 
 thou mighteft be delighted for ever in my fellow- 
 (liip? What am I to thee ? If there be any thing 
 in me can draw one look from thee, it is thine, 
 
 ' only 
 
48 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 only thine, and not mine own. If the rays of this 
 harrowed iovelincfs in me redound back upon thee, 
 thou haft received but what isthine own.Beholdeft 
 thou raviihing lovelinefs in me, who am what I am 
 only of thee? what boundlefs oceans of fweetnefs, 
 what infinite worlds of beauty are in thy matchlcfs 
 Self! many an excellent objeft have I feen, but 
 thou haft raviftied my heart from them all. I have 
 found, I have feen him, who is only lovely: this 
 fair One hath my heart for evermore. Choiceft 
 beauties of yefterday, were it pollible for you to 
 draw my affeclions in the leaft afide ? I have tafted 
 of creatures fweetnefs, but they could not fatisfy: 
 (hall it not be my endlefs excrcife, inceffantly to 
 kifs, and draw ravifhing confolations from the Tips, 
 that brought the joyful tidings of this boundlefs 
 happinefs ? None but thee ! if I love and delight 
 in other beauties, it is as they are decked with thy 
 lovelinefs ; as they are emblems, fliadows, and re- 
 flexions of thee, who art all 'together lovely:' but 
 thou art the fubftantial beauty, thou art the beau- 
 ty ! let innumerable millions of worlds of beauties 
 ftand round about thee, one ray of thy tranfcend- 
 ency would eclipfe them all. Beholders can you 
 tell what you fee ? O his beauty, his beauty ! what 
 more can be faid, than that it infinitely tranfcends 
 the conceptions of men and angels ? 
 
 Other loves are but the pi£lure and refemblance 
 of love, to this fublime and noble love of Jefus : 
 this is love indeed. Should I fpeak of flames? am 
 I not entered into the ocean, the floods, the worlds 
 of love? 'for God is love, and he that dwelleth in 
 * love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.' Is not 
 this a fweet ravifhing habitation? what joy to 
 think, that this h my eternal rep.ofe? I dwell in 
 
 the 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 49 
 
 the midft of hot burning flames, without harm, 
 as in a bed of rofes, and an orchard of delights. 
 
 13. The glorified /only refle^ing on former things^ 
 looks upon all as childijh. 
 
 This is 'the fulnefs of the ftature of Chriftj'how 
 capacious, to receive incelTantly floods of love ! be- 
 fore my foul vras narrow, now it is larger than 
 the heaven of heavens. O the outrunnings of 
 my foul after thee : before they were fmall ftreams, 
 now they are huge floods; fmall things are not 
 now noticed; all our defires are now fwallowed 
 up. What is the moon when the fun doth ap- 
 pear? How mafly, maflfy art thou, O love of Je- 
 fus! wouldft thou not downweigh innumerable 
 worlds ? Had I known in the ten thoufandth part 
 on earth, what now I know, the world would have 
 imagined me quite befide myfelf : how wonderful- 
 ly would I have fpoken, written, and done? But, 
 ah! how poorly and childifhly did we fpeak o£ 
 thee? What joy, that mortality is done away? 
 
 14. Saints and angels fiall be ever going forth 
 into the matchlefs excelleiicies of their Wellbeb" 
 ved; and running them, as it luere, over and over 
 again. 
 
 Though I behold thee, as thou art; yet am I 
 ever fupplied with new matter of admiration: wherr 
 more ages arepaft than atoms in the creation, Ifhalt 
 not be at a lofs for matter to exprefs thine infinite 
 excellency: men and angels, when fhallyou dive fo 
 deep, as you may dive no further ? But (hall I notfoiT 
 ever delineate thy beauty now, when I have thee in 
 my arms? Sirs, fhall we not for ever fpeak of him, 
 of whom too much cannot be fpoken? No injury- 
 is here done to the Father and bleflTed Spirit; their 
 glory and excellency do vifibly fhine here: and do 
 thefe arms embrace God, thefe eyes fee him? Othc 
 G myftery 
 
50 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 myftery of godlinefs ! men and angels, you are aH 
 aftonifhed, God vifibly manifefted ! O wonder of 
 wonders ! Is not thy name rightly termed, ^5;z^«?r/zi/? 
 O my elevated thoughts ! O eternity ! eternity! thou 
 fhalt be filled with wondering : what glory Ihines 
 in this man's face ! thy countenance, Wellbelo- 
 ved, hath a non-fuch Majefty. The faints have the 
 face of glorified creatures, and no more ; but the 
 Majefty of thy countenance is altogether divine. 
 O perfe£i:ion's flower, and marrow of lovelinefs! 
 rfone who fee thee, will inquire, 'What art thou 
 
 * more than anotherbelovedP'O thy face, thy ravifh- 
 ingface! indeed thouart ' the white and ruddy, the 
 
 * Standard-bearer amongft a myriad :' thy face, my 
 Wellbeloved, is like the face of the Son of God 5 
 every fmile is full of inexprefTible joy, *For God, 
 
 * thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of glad- 
 
 * nefs, above all thy fellows.' Is not this he, men and 
 angels, 'whofe vifage Was more marr-ed than any 
 
 * man's?* in whom the world faw no beauty, orde- 
 lirablenefs? Is not this he, wbofe face was fpitupon 
 by the filth and offscourings of men ? Verily, Well- 
 beloved, though thou art * the fame yefterday, to 
 
 * day, and for evermore;' yet appeareft thou far 
 changed from what thou appearedft on earth. O 
 but then thou didft ftrangely malk thy divine beau- 
 ty with the vail of mortality, which now thou haft 
 done away, that thy glory may ftiine forth in its 
 full fplendor before thy chofen ! O thy ftately ma- 
 jeftic head, only worthy to be 'crowned with glo- 
 
 * ry andhonour,' tobe exalted far aboveall creatures! 
 ftrange! this majeftic head, that was once befet 
 with a crown of thorns, is now furrounded with 
 the brightnefs, which carries in its bofom bound- 
 lefs joys. This was 'the joy that was fet before 
 
 * him.' O bleffed we, that have fuch an head I the 
 
 head 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 51 
 
 head of this golden world is oijine gold, O how 
 beautiful are the ornaments of thy head [ O thou 
 wouldft entangle all creatures for ever in the folds 
 of overcoming love ! how am I ravifhed with thine 
 eyes! heaven and glory dwells in every look; the 
 firft glance of them did ftrike heaven and love in- 
 to an eternal rapture: nothing can refill their o- 
 vercoming emanations of love. And, did thefe eyes 
 gufli forth tears, through bitter grief and forrow? 
 Could ever the lead fadnefs and darknefs enter in- 
 to fuch divine orbs of light and joy? thou haft o- 
 vercome me with thine eyes, my fair One. One 
 look of thee, and no more, would raviili ten thou- 
 fand worlds of men and angels. O the noon-day 
 light of thy countenance for ever and ever! and 
 who can tell the comelinefs of thy fragrant, beau- 
 tiful cheeks ? And what can be faid of thy rofy 
 lips ? how do they perfume this land with their 
 fragrant myrrh, that inceflantly drops from them? 
 
 what boundlefs ocean of grace is poured into 
 them! ^Therefore God hath blefled thee for ever- 
 ^ more.' Every kifs of tliem is an heaven of fwectnefs. 
 
 1 arp, filled and overcome with this mirrour of glo- 
 ry ! *The fmell of thine ointment,' afar off, did ra- 
 vijfh my heart \ but now I am more, ten thou- 
 fand times more, than raviihed I one drop of this 
 myrrh would fweeten ten thoufand oceans of all 
 imaginable bitternefs. And O thy princely hands, 
 fit to fway the fceptre of this ever -flourifhing king- 
 dom, delightful habitation ! can there be a more 
 blefled poilure? ^His left hand is under my head, 
 ' and his right hand doth embrace me.' Am not I 
 circled in the arms of unfearchable love? 'The e«" 
 ^ ternal God is my refuge, and underneath are ever- 
 ^ laftingarms.'Thefebleiredarms,thatwere ftretch- 
 ed upon the crofs for me, do embrace me fweetly, 
 
 G 2 for 
 
5z A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 for evermore. Whether thy love doth more ihine 
 forth in the firft, or latter pofture, cannot be told; 
 t>ut fure thy love in all its refplendency, pafleth all 
 created underftanding. O the glory, fweetnefs, 
 and excellency of thy belly ! O thy bowels of com- 
 pafTion! O what rivers of water do from thence 
 flow out inceflantly upon us ! And what is compa- 
 rable to thy (lately legs ? How glorious are thine 
 outgoings among us ! O my King and God, when 
 thou ^trodll upon the high places of the earth, its 
 
 * foundations were fhaken. How didft thou tram- 
 
 * pie the people in thine anger, and the kingdoms in 
 
 * thy furyPThoucameftlkippingover the mountains, 
 
 * leaping over the hills, for the falvation of thy peo- 
 ' pie.' Blefied men and angels, what can be con* 
 ceived, or exprefled of fuch a wonderful perfon? 
 O his (lately deportment! every part of him, fo to 
 fpeak, is an infinite mafs of beauty. What a beau- 
 ty then mud all thefe numberleis beauties, com- 
 pofed in one, be ? Is not 'thy countenance as Leba« 
 
 * non, excellent as the cedars?' Thy majedy is won- 
 derfully various, and every variety the height of 
 excellency. By fweet experience I may fay, 'Thy 
 ^ mouth is mod fweet:' the relicls of the imprel% 
 fion of one of thy love-kiiTes may (ill the foul with 
 exquifite joys, throughout endlefs ages. Suppofe a 
 creature filled with all poffible creature-fweetnefs, 
 one kifs of thy mod fweet mouth would fwallow 
 up all. O the words of thy mouth, palhng in 
 fweetnefs the honey diddling from the honey- 
 comb P thy voice, thy ravi(hing voice: eyen to 
 ftand without the gates of New Jerufalem, and 
 hear the found thereof, might wrap up a creature 
 in eternal ravi(hmcnt. And is itpoirible,my match- 
 iefs One, to attain the furthermod of thy infinite 
 perfedjons, though but one fimple excellency? 
 
 Let 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORYc 53 
 
 "Let me rather further and further into the ocean 
 of thy lovelinefs, through endlefs ages ; yet fhall 
 I ever be in the entry : neverthelefs will I pay thee 
 the tribute of praifes, and extol thee before men 
 and angels j and fpeak of thine excellency, while 
 my being remains. I praife thee, not becaufe I 
 am able to fhew forth thy worth fully; but ftrong 
 love doth conflrain me, that for ever I mufl be 
 expreffing, and for ever the conciufion muft be, 
 * Thou art altogether lovely;' for to thee alone 
 doth this epithet appertain, Youchiefeil of created 
 excellencies, can this agree to you? Are you no-., 
 thing but mafles of pure, elTentiar and unmixed 
 love ? Who but he, even he alone, is altogether 
 lovely? He is all loves, all fweetnefs, all ravifh- 
 ments: nothing but lovelinefs in him! his weak- 
 nefs, infirmity, poverty, contempt, crofles, loiTes, 
 pains and death, flafh forth the ravifhing refplen- 
 dencies of furpaffing love and fweetnefs. Heart 
 and love, and all is gone from me. O the fublime 
 thoughts of my elevated underftanding ! O this 
 frame ' this love ! this fweetnefs ! all are unutter- 
 able J all are inexpreffible ! 
 
 15. Even to /land bejide the Chief of ten thou- 
 fandy is a dignity inconceivably above the excel'" 
 lency of all creatures. 
 
 That 'we might be ever with thee, and behold 
 * thy glory,' was one of thy great petitions, in the 
 days of thy flefti ; thoufand, thoufand times blelf- 
 ed I, that ever this was alked! thou alkedll nobly, 
 and thy Father granted like a king. Can we have 
 more than to dwell in thy immediate prefence ? 
 any enjoyment of thee,furpafl*eth thatof the flower 
 of created fweetnefs: a fight of thee in a viiion 
 of the night, through a glafs, or any way, is ra- 
 vifliing, as I oft^n have fweetly experienced, in 
 
 the 
 
44 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 the days of my pilgrimage : *To touch the hem of 
 
 * thy garment,-- or to fee thee in thy infancy, was a 
 happinefs inexpreflible. What fhall we fay to our 
 lot, who are as near thee as our heart can defire ? 
 O this high, high, high dignity ! O beloved eftate ! 
 far above the heaven of heavens; nay, numberlefs 
 heavens fuperadded to one another i And am I in 
 thy immediate prefence ? even in the chambers of 
 pre fence with thee, O lovely One, who inhabited 
 eternity ! what honour is this ? what fhall I fay of 
 it? But thy ways are incomprehenfible. This is 
 the prerogative of the faints, this is it! 'What ihall 
 
 * be done unto th^ man, whom the king delighteth to 
 
 * honour?' Spake he not in good earneft, when he 
 told us of dignities, thrones, crowns, priefthoods, 
 and pofleflions of all things ? fhall I ever enough 
 wonder at the honour of the faints? This is the 
 dignity of the overcomers, to wear the laurel, the 
 badges of honour, the garlands of glory. How 
 cameft thou to all this, O (illy felf ? haft thou been 
 born to wear an immortal crown, to be overladen 
 within and without withfo greata weight of glory? 
 Thou appeareft indeed in the equipage of a king, 
 decked with majefty, glory and honour, arrayed 
 with wonderful excellency and comlinefs. Waft 
 thou no*t once, O thou filly I, a bafe worm, defiled 
 with the very iilth of hell? Howhaft thourobbed the^ 
 Almighty of his glory, difhonoured his excellency, 
 wronged his holinefs, trampled upon his moft pre-, 
 cious things, on his blood; done what thou couldffc- 
 to precipitate thyfelf into eternal perdition; for^ 
 ced the gates of that woful prifon, O undone foul, 
 to cover thyfelf with utter darknefs from the 
 charming beams of the Sun of righteoufnefs ? yet 
 am here, even here, furrounded with inexpref-^ 
 fible glory I many thoufands, lefs deferring, are 
 
 in 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. . sB 
 
 in the place of utter darknefs. O thy love ? thy 
 love! which paiTeth all underftanding! O thy free, 
 free grace ! *0 the height, and depth, and length, 
 
 * and breadth' of thy ways I myenjoyments are more 
 than free; hath he not brought me over my defer- 
 vings ? But nothing canftand in the way of infinite 
 love. Thou lovedil me, becaufe thou lovedft me j 
 and becaufe thou lovedft me, I became lovely in thy 
 fight. * Not unto us, not unto us be the glory :' 
 but unto Jehovah, and the Lamb be praife for 
 ever and ever. , 
 
 1 6. The nearnef<; of faints and angels to their 
 Creator^ and Redeemer y aft oniJJjeth them eternally. 
 
 What aftonifhing condefcenfion, to admit bits 
 of nothing fo near thee ! can this thy way be ever 
 enough admired ? It is ftrange thou fhouldft deign 
 creatures with either thy love or thy hatred ! * What 
 ' is man, that thou fhouldft vifit him ? that thou 
 
 * Ihouldft notice him, andbring himintojudgment?' 
 but more wonderful! haft thou not * crowned him 
 
 * with glory and honour?' Thou haft made him fit 
 down befide thyfelf ! he treadeth the lower world 
 under his feet, he walketh upon the high places of 
 the creation:, O thy bounty ! O thy condefcenfion ! 
 fhould I ftand fo near my Lord the King ? Since 
 free love will have it thus, and it is not his 
 way to create defires, and not fulfil them •, ftrong 
 love can take reft no where but in his naked em- 
 braces. On earth I was unfatisfied, oftentimes 
 complaining of diftance and abfence ; and when 
 I found thee, ' I would not let thee go,' but held 
 thee faft, until we entered into thofe glorious 
 manfions^: and how are my thoughts heightened, 
 by beholding thee face to face ? The nearer thee, 
 the higher efteem and reverence; none can have 
 low thoughts of thee, but they that know thee not. 
 
 l"]: No 
 
56 A CLIMPSE ot GLORY. 
 
 17. No knowledge^ no evidence comparable to the 
 nCG?2-da\' evidetice of glory. 
 
 The firft ray of thy infinite glory upon me dif- 
 covers infinite varieties of wonders ! Men and angels, 
 are we not all an affembly of eternal wonders ? and 
 all the product of the noon-day vifion of glory, not 
 of ignorance ? All the things of time, from the 
 greatefh to the fmalleft, are now feen to be won- 
 ders ; howbeit little of them was difcerned, and 
 that in a brutifli manner. Strange ! O Beloved, 
 thou art another manner o£ Chrift than wc fpake 
 ofj in the days of our mortality : thy very name 
 was fcarce conceived. How came I hither with fo 
 little conceptions ? Have I not begun to know, 
 in the very firft entry of eternity * my knowledge 
 on earth was of no evidence, in comparifon of 
 this noon-day vifion of glory? as the man looks 
 back on his infancy, as a mere brutifh ignorance -y 
 and the man awakened, on his bypaft dream ; fo 
 do I now, on my moft refined conceptions on earth. 
 O the clear and fharp apprehenfion of a glorified 
 capacity ! do I not behold every thing, as it is in 
 its own properand naked being ? All fhadowshave 
 fled away, what wonder, to think what we were, 
 and what we are ! O the infinite power of omni- 
 potent Jehovah ! w^hat a perfecting is this ! but 
 \\ hat cannot my Lord do } 
 
 18. To beivitnejjes of the glory ofjEUOYAU and 
 the Lamby is an inexpreffihle dignity. 
 
 And doft thou manifeft thyfelf, in fuch a man- 
 ner to us ? what is eflential eternity to beings of 
 yeifterday ? are we fit witneiTes of thy glory? O 
 infinite Je H o v a H, are we notbefore thee as nothing 
 and vanity? May not the greatnefs of thy glory, 
 if thou fliouldft let it forth to the full, confound, 
 even confound us tQ nothing? Its infinity no- 
 thing 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY- 57 
 
 thing can comprehend, but an infinite underftand^ 
 ing: the furthermoft -of all created glory is nothing 
 and vanity in thy prefence, though it might feem 
 fomeu'hat among its like. Dart forth the full ray a 
 of your glory, all you creatures,youfhallnot dazzle 
 thefe eyes which are fixed on a higher objefl. 
 
 19. iVhat he vianifejis to us., is a luonder; btit the 
 ivay of his mmiifejiing it, is a wonder of wonders. 
 
 Shall we not wonder again and again, and for 
 ever, at the way thou haft taken to manifeft fo 
 nearly and familiarly unto us, thy incomprehenfi- 
 ble glory ? haft thou not afTumed the nature of a 
 creature, that thou mighteft converfe the more In-^ 
 timatelyand condefcendingly with us? To enjoy 
 thee, in any v/ay, requires an infinite condefcen- 
 fion; the difproportion being infinite: but this, this 
 is the moft wonderful condefcenfion poflible! O 
 this is the moft excellent of all poflible ways! O the 
 wonderful foul-alluring glory that doth moft fweet- 
 ly dart upon us from the man, who is God ! O 
 eternally blefied I, who have fuch a Wellbeloved, 
 in whom is all fulnefs ! thou art a matchlefs one 
 indeed. We have done for ever with other be- 
 loveds, what wonder I am fo deeply in- love with 
 thee ? what wonder I fwim in flootls of eternal 
 fatisfa^lion, who enjoy thee fo familiarly? Can a 
 creature be more happy ? I am full, I am full, and 
 can defire no morel 
 
 20. To confider the change Chriji hath undergone, 
 is an eternally ravifloing confederation. 
 
 Is this he, who was born of the virgin Mary, in 
 a ftable, and laid in a manger? who for the moft 
 of his days was in a poor, obfcure, contemptible 
 condition; who was *a man of forrows, and ac- 
 quainted with grief;' of no corporal beauty in thef 
 eyes of the beholders; and fubjedto all the infirmi- 
 H ties 
 
58 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 ties of feeble mortals, except fin : who was defert- 
 ed of the outgoing of the fweetnefs and love of 
 God j nay, did drink from brim to bottom, the 
 bitter cup of his Father's wrath; who was appre- 
 hended in an ignominious manner; betrayed, de- 
 nied and forfaken of his own difciples ; violently 
 haled away to judgment, reviled, mocked, buf- 
 fetted, and fpitupon; accufed of blafphemy, trea- 
 fon, madnefs, and whatever hellifh heads could 
 devife; then fcourged, and fet forth to the deri- 
 fion and laughter of the rafcally multitude; then 
 condemned to the vile and fhameful death of the 
 crofs, for blafphemy and treafon ; and that by the 
 petition of the vaft multitudes gathered together 
 to the paflbver, who preferred a bafe robber before 
 him I The fentence was not fooner pronounced 
 than executed : for he was hanged betwixt two 
 thieves, in the fight of the multitude, expofed to the 
 infults of devils and their Haves, who beheld this 
 matchlefs one nailed to the accurfed tree, and bled 
 to death in great torment, and anguifh of fpirit: 
 while the fun, clothed in mourning for his Lord, 
 contrary to the courfe of nature, fympathifed with 
 the eclipfed Creator, and withdrew his beams from 
 thefe who had eclipfed the light of the whole cre- 
 ation. Thus did my Wellbeloved continue for a 
 long fpace, and gave up the ghoft in great torment 
 of body and fpirit; yea, was buried, continued un- 
 der the power of death for a time: and this, even 
 this is the fame. Behold, men and angels, behold 
 and wonder at the man, who is the wonder of 
 wonders, and whofe name is termed Wonderful! 
 Wellbeloved, thou appeareft to be far changed, 
 though thou be ever the fame ! thou only haft 
 done heroically, O mighty Captain of the Lord's 
 hofts: this was thy dcTign from eternity: ought- 
 
 efl 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 59 
 
 eft thou not firft to have fuiFered, and then to en- 
 ter into this incomprehenfible glory? Thou haft 
 gracioufly oA'ercome_,and fatisfied avenging juftice, 
 incenfed againft the childrenof thy eternal delights: 
 ' Having fpoiled principalities and powers, thou 
 
 * madeft a fhew of them openly, triumphing over 
 
 * them on the crofs : for though thou, being in the 
 
 * form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal 
 
 * with God; yet madeft thou thyfelf of no reputa- 
 
 * tion, and becameft obedient even unto the death: 
 
 * v/herefore God alfo hath highly exalted thee, and 
 
 * given thee a name above every name, that at the 
 ^ name of Jefus every knee fhould bow, in heaven, 
 
 * earth, and under the earth.' Waft thou not as 
 low as the grave? and yet thou haft 'afcended on 
 ' high, led captivity captive, and received gifts for 
 '^ men?' Art thou not he, 'wholiveftand waftdead? 
 
 * and behold, thou art alive for evermore 1' who waft 
 low and defpifedj and behold, thou art exalted 
 above all created heavens for ever! who didft 
 weep, and figh, and groan; and behold, thou art 
 furrounded with boundlefs joys for evermore ! who 
 reigneft vi(£toriouily, and waft in the form of a fer- 
 vant; and behold thou regineft in glorious majefty 
 for evermore ! Art thou not a wonderful One in- 
 deed! fliall men and angels ever enough admire 
 thee >? though every moment of eternity fhall be 
 filled with iidmiration of my raviftied heart. 
 
 21. God maijifefted in the fie jb for ever a myjiery. 
 
 And is duft and aflies for ever exalted to fuch an 
 incomprel^nfible pitch of glory? O duft, how ca- 
 meft thou hither? ftrange! that the Almighty hath 
 exalted thee above fun, moon, and ftars; and hath 
 brought thee into his immediate prefence, to car- 
 ry the leaft tin£lure of fupernatural heavenly glo- 
 ry upon thee, to become the temple of the Holy 
 H2 Ghoft! 
 
eo A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 Ghoft I But, men and angels, what are your con- 
 ceptions of this duft, to be the temple, wherein 
 the high and lofty One, the Almighty Jehovah, 
 the eternal confubftantial Son of God, doth per^ 
 fonally dwell, and with which he is perfonally u- 
 nited? Is not this a myftery? Is not this an infi- 
 nite abyfs, men and angels, intowhofe furthermoft 
 you (hall never be able to dive? 
 
 22. That Godfiould bring about the higheft ex- 
 citation of human nature, through maris horrid in^ 
 gratitude, an ocean of ivonders. 
 
 To think that thefe bodily eyes behold my Re- 
 deemer, might ailonifh ten thoufand worlds: are 
 we not all overwhelmed in aftonifhment ? is not 
 every one crying, "What hath God done ? O thy in- 
 comprehenfible ways! O thy irrefiftible power I 
 Othyunfearchablewifdom! O thy love, thybound- 
 lefs love! ' love that pafleth all underftanding ;* 
 ftrange ! hath the Almighty exalted thee, O man's 
 nature, unto this incomprehenfible dignity? it was 
 much that thou receivedft the chara6lers of divine 
 majefty and excellency; yet more to be admitted in- 
 to friendfhip and converfe with the great and dread- 
 ful Former of all. Ol are not fuch gradations of 
 wonder, like millions of worlds, placed above mil- 
 lions of worlds, and again, and again, and forever- 
 more? Is not man infinitely obliged to fuch a So- 
 vereign? Ifthe crawling worms be infinitely obliged 
 for their being, what ihall be faid of man, created 
 with fo noble a being, in fo noble a condition? 
 Was it poffibk he could ever have loved, feared, 
 praifed him enough? Was it poflibje a creature, 
 thus dealt with, could rebel? Yet ftrange! when 
 this dreadful prodigy did enter the creation; O 
 aftonifhing rebellion! monflrous ingratitude! from 
 thenceforth, what could be expefted, but that 
 
 "Dure 
 
A GLIIVTPSE OF GLORY. 61 
 
 pure vengeance, like an overflowing flood, (Kould 
 4eftroy head and tail, root and branch, with an 
 eternal deftru(flion ? Could any mercy have been 
 expected from heaven to earth, when earth had 
 denounced open enmity againit heaven ? What 
 Ihouldft thou have done, dread Sovereign of all 
 things, with bafe, monftrous and ingrate mankind, 
 Tjut make it wholly the butt of thy unmixed wrath? 
 "What are ever fo many worlds of men and an- 
 gels to thee, that thou fhouldft fpare them, if once 
 they dare to utter one word againft thee ? Shouldll 
 thou reduce to nothing what thou hail created, 
 wdiat haft thou loft, fmce thou couldft produce, 
 in this very moment, millions of millions of worlds? 
 Yea, and if produced, what are they, but as fo 
 manymilllonsoffhadows and nothings before thee? 
 O the condefcenfion ! the fweetnefs of thy na- 
 ture! O the boundlefs nature of thy grace! 'O the 
 
 * height, the depth, the length, the breadth of thy un- 
 
 * fearchable ways!' hail thou become friends with 
 man again ? entered into a treaty of peace and re- 
 conciliation with him ? held out the golden fcep- 
 tre, as a manifeftation of the thoughts of bound- 
 lefs love, that flamed in thy heart from all eterni- 
 ty ? erefting a glorious throne of free, altogether 
 free grace, upon the horrid apoftafy and rebellion 
 of ungrateful man ? Whp could have imagined 
 fuch a difpenfation as this ? Were you expe£ting 
 this, ye glorious angels, when ye beheld man back- 
 ilide fo monftroufly ? Were you thinking fo pro- 
 digious ingratitude would come to this ? Were you 
 not amazed at fuch a fecond covenant, after the 
 breaking of the fir ft ? Yea, are we not all in tlie 
 fame admiring frame ? O eternity I thou art not 
 fuflRcient to make the ImprelBon old, which God 
 hath euftamped on the minds of men and angels. 
 
 ' The 
 
^1, A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 The objedls are wonderful ! Our faculties are won- 
 derfully elevated ! what wonder, my heart is fix- 
 ed? O this frame of fpirit ! I fee, I fee that a world 
 of altogether free grace was the only defign of e- 
 ternity ! even that heaven fhould he filled for ever 
 with a fong, *To him that fitteth on the throne, 
 * and to the Lamb, for ever and ever,' Lord, what 
 haft thou done ? Not only haft thou become friends 
 v/ith man again; not only haft thou made him thine 
 everlafting minion, but thou haft alfo perfonally 
 affumed his nature, that thou mighteft draw him 
 nearer to thyfelf, and manifeft thy glory unto him, 
 in a more familiar, intimate, fweet and wonder- 
 ful way, than was poflible in the firft difpenfationi 
 Wonderful! did man caft off the image of his Ma* 
 ker ? and did his Maker take upon him man's i- 
 mage, to reftore all again? Didft thou, O my 
 God, affume perfonally our nature, even in its 
 loweft eftate, that thou mighteft weep, and figh, 
 and groan, and fprrow, and. die for undone man ? 
 Is not this love indeed! man had deftroyed him- 
 felf, but did our excellent Wellbeloved ftep in be- 
 twixt eternal wrath, and the miferable finner, and 
 all the billows of divine vengeance did he receive, 
 till divine /ury was pacified! No forrow, no (ham^, 
 no pain could terrify him: infinite love is invin- 
 cible. I will not fpare bafe man, faid offended Ma- 
 jefty, in the day he rebels againft me, as I have faid, 
 he muft die the death-; for the word hath gone 
 out of my m.outh. Be it fo, faith the Son of God, 
 here am I, a man ready to fuffer all forrow, grief, 
 and pain of foul and body, unto the very death : 
 hath man finned ? man fhall bear the punifliment. 
 I, even I will die the death; *facrifice and offer^ 
 
 * ings thou wilt not accept; but a body thou haft 
 
 * given me.' I will bear their grief; I vriU carry 
 
 their 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 6^ 
 
 their forrows. My Father, I am glad thou lay upon 
 me the iniquity of them all; they are thine and 
 mine from eternity: this was our tranfa£lionbe fore 
 all ages, that in the fulnefs of time, I fhouid lay- 
 down my life for thefe thou haft given me out of 
 the world; 'Therefore thou, O Father, doit love 
 
 * me, becaufe I lay down my life for my fheep.* 
 
 23. The relations betwixt God and us are ever^ 
 lajiing amazement. 
 
 Who can fearch into the depths of thy bound- 
 lefs love? Thouhaft *deliveredus from goingdown 
 
 * into the pit; thou haft found a ranfom:' this is a 
 difplay of infinite wifdom, the eternal wonder of 
 men and angels ! verily, thy loves are incompre- 
 henfible, matchlefs, boundlefs, and unchangeable; 
 which, though we fometimes doubted, in the days 
 of our abfence, yetall are now evident, as the noon- 
 day light; paft, prefent,andto come, prefent them- 
 ifelves for ever. O then, my happinefs overflows 
 its banks ! am not I overjoyed, as at the firft en- 
 try ? how familiarly and fweetly do I converfe 
 with thee, O excellent Wellbeloved? myriads of 
 ages appear not a moment in they prefence. This 
 difpenfation is an eternal wonder ! would not this 
 have been thought a horrid petition, before the 
 promulgation of the gofpel? 'O that thou wert as 
 
 * my brother, thatfucked thebreafts of my mother? 
 
 * when I fhouid find the without, I would kifs thee: 
 
 * his left handihouldbeundermyhead,andhis right 
 ' hand ftiould embrace me. I am my beloved's, and 
 
 * his defire is towards me.' Indeed our dignity be- 
 fore our fall was high and glorious: but, O this 
 difpenfation of love 1 Sirs, is not God our Brother, 
 our Kufttand, our Redeemer, our only Wellbelo- 
 ved? O our happinefs! what fhall we do through- 
 out eternity but wonder? ' God manifefted in 
 
 the 
 
64 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 < the flefh/ O flrange I Lord God Almighty, what 
 couldfl thou do more to creatures? 
 
 24. Meti and angels run them/elves in an eter^ 
 nal circle of beholding and admiring Godvifibly ma- 
 nifejled. 
 
 Shall I not behold and admire, admire and be- 
 hold, and flame and love, while this immortal Be- 
 ing remains ? The vail is drawn alide, and we be- 
 hold clearly the man,Chrift Jefus, filled with the 
 Godhead ! Indeed the earth is full of a divine glo- 
 ry, the heavens alfo in a more efpecial manner, faints 
 and angels wonderfully and eminently; yet all in 
 meafure : but glory dwells in this man above all 
 meafure! he is God equal with the Father! no 
 nearnefs to the Fountain of all glory, unto that 
 nearnefs of the human nature of our Wellbeloved 
 with the Godhead! O then the emanations of thy 
 Inexhauftible fulnefs! even thy glory, beauty and 
 fweetnefs, ihall overflow their banks for ever and 
 ever ! we are ever filled and over-filled with thy 
 fulnefs; yet there flill remains as much behind. 
 Infinite worlds of men and angels couldft thou fa- 
 tiate, and make to run over with thine overcoming 
 love and fweetnefs. ^Upon whom' may, and ^doth 
 * not thy light fhine ?' Thou art the Sun, we are 
 the ftars: w^hat fhould we be, didfl thou draw in 
 thy glory? where-ever thy glory is peculiarly mani- 
 fefted, there is heaven: Let me be any where, fo 
 be thou fhine upon me. They have the funny fide 
 of the world, who behold thy face in righteouf- 
 nefs : a world of all creature beauties and delights, 
 is a hell without thee ; I (hould count them a^mafs 
 of deformity, fhould they for one minute {land in 
 betwixt me and thy raviihing countenance. None 
 but Jehovah and the Lamb ! Had I had this fight 
 but for one moment on earth; would I in the ieaft 
 
 have 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 6^ 
 
 have regarded tlie gliftering vanities of time? *In 
 * thy light I fefe light-,' every thing appears as it is: 
 they are enlightened to the full, who dwell under 
 the beams of thy ravifhing countenance. Blefled 
 ones, what mull he be, whofe glory and beauty, 
 darting in upon us, doth beautify us all ! What were 
 we, if this fair One vrere notamongft us?- By thy 
 darting upon me, I am partaker of the divine na- 
 ture, even transformed from glory to glory. O thy 
 attraftive, lovely emanations ! I cannot, will not, 
 but follow thee, whitherfoever thou goeft, tho' 
 without the borders of this great all, or through the 
 lake that burneth with fire and brimftone ; thefe 
 then fhould be no more what they are, but worlds 
 of joy and delights. O thy glory, thy glory, thy 
 glory ! curfed monfters, who are under eternal ven- 
 geance, for ybur hatred to his excellency, had you a 
 glimpfe of this tranfcendenf glory, fhouid not your 
 mifery and torment be quite forgotten ? But ye are 
 banifhcd from his prefence and glory;- and there- 
 fore you are inutterably miferable. G my hap- 
 pinefs! *Is it not good to be here?' Wonderful! 
 was I ever loath to come here? My Lord is here,- 
 are not ' then all things here ?' Was I ever loath to 
 come here, becaufe filly harmlefs death did ftand 
 in the way? But what is it to pafs through ten 
 thoufand black deaths, ten thoufand ages of all ima- 
 ginable torment ? One hour here, will do more 
 than make up all. O mafly, real, fubftantial, en- 
 during glory ! am I not happy, eternally happy ! 
 happinefs is here in its full bloom and verdure : I 
 have thee in my arms, O Wellbeloved, and is it 
 pofTible I can be more blefled ? 
 
 25. T/je glorified only capable of underfla7iding 
 glory fully ^ mortality can conceive little. 
 
 By thy blood, and only by thy blood, have we 
 t entered 
 
(^6 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 entered tliefe oceans of unfpeakable liappinefs-; 
 through thee have we fuch full accefs to the Fa- 
 ther; thou art 'our wifdom, our righteoufnefs/ 
 all things. O perfect fecurlty for ever and ever ! 
 what wonder this could not enter the minds of mor- 
 tals? This is only to be conceived by manly capa- 
 cities. Before, we refembled thee in part, becaufe 
 we faw thee by faith, as through the glafs of thy 
 word, but in part: now we are capacious; now 
 thou fhineft upon us in full fplendor; whereby 
 thine image is fully impreffed upon us; we know 
 thee *face to face, as thou art,' without the be- 
 nefit of interpofing creatures, and ideas, extract- 
 ed from other things. O immediate vifion of 
 God! O clear difcoveries of infinite perfections ! 
 I fee, I fee the infinite One *face to face, as I am 
 ^ feen, and my life is preferved.' I am fully fati- 
 ated, ravifhed, overcome with thy lovely image! 
 what wonder I am like thee, who partake of thy 
 nature, the beams of thy excellency every where 
 darting upon me ! O this illumination ! O the high, 
 high pitch of glory ! O the everlafting fmiles of 
 my Lord's countenance! O the manifeftations of 
 more and more throughout eternity ! all the en- 
 joyments of eternity are as one moment: all ages 
 are as fwaliowed up in the infinite depths of 
 boundlefs excellencies. Creature-enjoyments are 
 empty, and may be received, but infinite love ra- 
 vifheth throughout eternity: when more ages are 
 pall than there are atoms in the creation, then 
 ihall I be, jufi: as I am now, ever fwimming and 
 diving in the depths of thy infinite perfections, 
 and never attaining the furthermofl. This is a 
 life I how fweet to dwell under the noon-day beams 
 of thy ravifliing countenance ? All darknefs and 
 ignorance are quite difpelled; ^ every thing is 
 
 known 
 
A GLIISIPSE OF GLORY. 67 
 
 known as It is in its own proper eflence : here wif- 
 dom flourilheth in its highefl region: my former 
 attainments are fwallowed up, like the light of a 
 candle befide the fun. O this light day of eter- 
 nity ! O eternity, thou art not fufficient, wherein 
 I may delineate what my elevated heart doth con- 
 ceive! all are inexpreflible : myfterjes are no nry- 
 fteries, and yet eternal myfteries ! how was I befet 
 with darknefs, and could not attain fuitable con- 
 ceptions of thee ? how was I vexed with low and 
 unbefeeming thoughts of thy ail-glorious Majefty? 
 whence deadnefs and unfitnefs of fpirit for wor- 
 iiiipping thee aright. Now I am enlightened with 
 the fuJl and immediate beams of thy glory: and 
 
 how great and precious are my thoughts of thee ! 
 Othis ravifhgd frame of fpirit ! how am I all inflamed 
 with divine love? I am rendered divine*, therefore 
 
 1 bend to thee with an incefl'ant and eternal pro- 
 penfity : holinefs before was in part, now the coper 
 itone is upon it. How beautiful and comely are 
 we become, through the blood of the Lamb ?. I fee, 
 Wellbeloved, thou canft wafli black hell fair and 
 white, till it become a lump of heaven and glory. 
 Sirs, are we not far changed? may not everyone 
 of us fay, I am not I ? Might we not miftake our- 
 felVeSj was fuch a thing compatible with glory ? 
 
 26. The beholding of God, hi his way of fiibfijl- 
 ingy and outgoings to creatures^ is endlefs ravifh^ 
 me fit. r 
 
 The wonderful myflery of thy being One In ef- 
 fence, yet Three in the way of fubfiftence, was on- 
 ly to be believed by mortals; and not to be un- 
 derftood demonftratively ; but now I behold, vath 
 a noon-day evidence, whafc I believed. Thou art 
 One, in the moil fimple manner ; and yet there 
 are Three, in the bleiTed Godhead i every oiie of 
 I 2 which 
 
68 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 which is God ; who are only diftinguifhed by pror 
 per ways of fubfiflence. I believed in the land of 
 darkneis, this, as all other myfteries, (hould be ful- 
 ly manifefted in the land of glory: now all, all is 
 accompliihed ? *My hope hath not made me afha- 
 
 * med: he hath fulfilled the defire of thofe that fear 
 
 * him.' D blefTed I, for evermore ! what a life is 
 this, thus to fwim in the oceans of delights! O 
 this enjoyment! O my heav-enly Father, firft per- 
 fon of this all adorable, eternal, co-eflential gene- 
 ration! O thou *brightnefs of the Father's glory, 
 
 * and exprefs character of his perfoni' O Holy 
 Ghoft, the eternal confpiration of love betwixt the 
 Father and the Son ! O ravifhing fights ! fhall I not 
 behold, with an eternal overcoming delight? What 
 is God? will take an eternity to anfwer, though we 
 behold thee as thou art ; one view of thy infinitely 
 amiable effence, and way of fubfiflence, would feal 
 up innumerable; worlds of men and angels in ever- 
 lading ravifhrnents. Can I exprefs what I behold? 
 Should I write new volumes through millions of 
 ages, until the creation were fdled, they fliould 
 contain nothing to that my heart is filled with : 
 fhould I write to all eternity new fongs of thine 
 immortal praifes, fhould I not be ever ^ beginning, 
 and never fully begun ? O fweet ! fweet fellowfhip 
 with the Father, Son, and Holy Gholl I O my Re- 
 deemer, do I not behold thee, 'the brightnefs of 
 
 * thy Father's glory, the exprefs character of his 
 f perfon,' his efficacy and his wifdqm, by which 
 he made all things ? 'The Lord pofTefTed thee in 
 f the beginning, ere ever the earth wasj even then 
 f thou waft by him, as om brought up with him^ 
 
 * and waft daily his delight, rejoicing always be- 
 f fore him;' immortal bleffings and praifes to thee. 
 P God the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, art 
 
 ' - thou 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. ,6^ 
 
 thou not lovely, excellent, full of all delights an4 
 fweetnefs, who haft begotten fuch a matchlefs, 
 fuper-excellent one, as Chrift Jefus, our excellent 
 Wellbeloved, our Redeemer, our Head, our Days- 
 man, our all in all! thy fubftantial image is lovely, 
 O my heavenly Father! O then thy lovelinefs! 
 Men and angels, you are but as fo many painted 
 accidental draughts of God's excellency; but 
 Chrift Jefus is the fubftantial image of God, his 
 very povrer, efficacy, and excellency, by which he 
 doth all things; his very felf. None but Chrift! 
 Is he the Father's darling? and is he not ours? Is 
 he his wifdom, joy, and delight ? and is he not ours 
 alfo ? O eternal ravifhments! God hath given to,. 
 and for us, the Son of his everlafting love and de- 
 lights ! fent he not his only Son and heir into a 
 bafe and inhuman world, that he might fave and 
 gather together the fons of his eternal choice ? O 
 blefted counfel from eternity, of the glorious Tri- 
 nity ! O happy we ! that ever free, free love bowed 
 and condefcended fo! what could Jehovah do 
 more for us, than he hath done ? hadft thou any 
 greater gift, than the only Son of thy love ? didft 
 thou give thy bofom-delight to be a propitiation 
 for us, the offscourings of all things ? Is not this 
 love infinitely tranfcending all finite capacities? 
 That thou vouchfafedft a being on us, was a great 
 bounty; but more, that thou createdft us after thy 
 lovely divine image; yet more, thou condefcendedlt 
 to enter into a covenant with us; and yet higher, 
 to be appointed thy everlafting minions! But 
 what ftiall we think, men and angels, hath he not 
 given unto us the Son of his everlafting delight? 
 This gift can never be enough admired and e- 
 (leemed: O Almighty Jehovah, thou giveft like 
 g King ! too great a gift indeed for us to receive, 
 
 but 
 
^o A GLI^tPSfi OF GLORY, 
 
 but not too great for thee to give. Nothing cari 
 be too great for thee; and this was the greateft 
 gift that thou couldft give: hadft thou gifted us 
 ten thoufand worlds of beauty, ftorcd with all ima- 
 ginable paradifes of pleafures, with innumerable 
 fair created heavens of fweetnefs, with infinite 
 legions of men and angels, fhould they not have 
 been efteemed rich and noble gifts? But all is juft 
 nothing to matchlefs Jefus. It is a fhame to lay 
 any thing in the balance with him; one r^y of 
 his Godhead would confound all poffible created 
 excellencies to nothing, O thy excellency! thy 
 excellency! am I not overjoyed, am I not overjoy- 
 ed, that I fhall extol thee through numbexlefsages? 
 Ye may hide yourfelves, men and angels; for all 
 your beauties and glory, what are you to him ? It 
 is aftonifhing condefcenfion, he admits you to 
 ftand belide him! can I but extol' thee before in- 
 numerable aflemblies of men and angels. My 
 heart is fixt, eternally fixt; fhall we not, as it 
 were, contend, who fhall extol thee moft ? And 
 faidft thou, Amen, my Wellbeloved, to the blelT- 
 ed, a thoufand times blefled bargain of the new co- 
 venant? Verily that love which thou manifeftedftin 
 the fulnefs of time, did fhow the love that flamed 
 in thy heart, before all ages : though thou waft in 
 ' the bofom of the Father,' ever delighting 
 him, and delighting in him; yet didft thou come 
 down to bafe earth, and converfedft familiarly 
 with filly, finful, frail man; and waft found to be 
 a man, that thou mighteft fave him, loft :jnd un-p- 
 done to the uttermoft. Men and angels, you are 
 all looking in with aftoniftiment: to behold God 
 perfonally, clothed with the human nature, is a 
 fight, we can never enough view and admire; 
 diQ mirrour, wherein we behold tl\e love of God 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 72 
 
 to creatures, in its full fplendor. Waft thou never 
 near and intimate enough with us, until thou be- 
 cameft *bone of our bone, and flelh of our fleflii^' 
 until thou becameft one with us,' who art one with 
 the Father? *For both he that fan^ifieth, .and 
 
 * they that are fan£lified, are all one: for which 
 
 * caufe thou art not afliamed to call us brethren I 
 O eflential love! art thou not here manifefted 
 tranfcttidently? that fentence w^as comely in thy 
 mouth, * Love your enemies.' Hail thou not 
 loved thy mortal enemies to the death? Were 
 we not heirs of wrath, born enemies againft thy 
 Highnefs ? but, in defpite of our enmity, thou didft 
 love with an everlafting love. Nothingcan ftand in 
 the way of infinite redeeming love. No matter 
 what I have been, "iince I am lovely in thy fight : 
 it is wonderful lovelinefs, to become the objecft of 
 thy eternal love ! and this only will I glory in. The 
 more vile and loathfome I have been, the more 
 doth the lovelinefs, noblenefs, and freenefs of thy 
 love appear, which will neither be budded, nor 
 hired. Soyereignty fhines forth in all thy actions, 
 
 * Who fhall give thee? and it fhall be recompenfed, 
 ' Not unto us, not unto us, but unto him that fit- 
 ' teth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, be 
 ' glory for ever and ever.' O blefled Spirit of grace, 
 the eternal afpiration of love, and outgoing, of 
 the Father and the Son, thou great Jehovah, 
 bleiled for evermore, how' fw^eet a co-operation 
 haftnhou in this glorious work of redemption! 
 this tranfcendent manifeftation of altogether-free 
 grace ! how fweet haft thou been unto us, in the 
 days of our pilgrimage ? how didft thou convince, 
 convert, enlighten, and comfort? we fliould have 
 perilhed in our journey to this goodly land, hadii: 
 thou n'ot ftrengtiiened ui in our inward man. And 
 
 waft 
 
-f2 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 -Waft thou fo fweet in the days of our finning ? ; 
 Art thou not now fweet, Infinitely more than fweet ? \ 
 O the full, inceffant, eternal flowings of the Spirit ! 
 of love ! this fouth-wind breathes ftrongly, cau- \ 
 fing the fpices of the higher paradife to exhale a , 
 rayifliing fragrancy everywhere: how, in every 
 high-tide, nothing but ravifhing perfumes ? no , 
 Ivinds, but the breathings of the Holy Spirit. O ; 
 what rivers, oceans, worlds of confolaiion! one i 
 drop of this falling upon the heart, appeared hea- ' 
 ven itfelf ; but this is more than heaven ! every 
 drop of this boundlefs ocean of fwectnefs, I am i 
 entered for ever into, would ravifti ten thoufand ■ 
 worlds of men and angels. This could not be J 
 conceived by mortals, unlefs in a childifh mranner j { 
 the firil-fruits furpafled their apprehenfions, and ■ 
 yet had no proportion confiderable v/ith the har- 
 veft : none can apprehend this, except they be ex- i 
 perienced therein ; and none can be capable of \ 
 this experience, but thofe who are raifed to this i 
 wonderful pitch of glory. Thefe floods of fweet- \ 
 nefs would have undone us, in a moment, had we ^ 
 entered them in our frail mortal eftate. O miracu- I 
 lous elevation of glory, which can bear fuchfweet-^ ; 
 nefs ! are we not as fo many trophies and monu- ! 
 ments of thy tranfcendant power, in its high vie- -; 
 tory ? much of thine excellency was to be feen in ^ 
 thy kingdom of nature ; much more in thy king- i 
 dom of grace, but moft in this Of glory: here fhine 
 forth thy infinite excellencies, irt their noOri-day 
 fplendor. j 
 
 517. Nothing but rivers,- oceam cf joy, dvei-jlovj' \ 
 Emmanuel' s land. 
 
 O joy inexpreflible, and altogether gloriousi i 
 now, now I find to the full, by fweet, fweet ex- * 
 perience, that ^in thyprefence there isfulnefs of \ 
 
 'joy : 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 73 
 
 * joy, and at thy right hand are pleafures for ever- 
 ' more !* in the days of my pilgrimage, *thou putft 
 
 * more joy and gladnefs into my heart, than iii 
 
 * the time when worldly enjoyments abounded in 
 
 * worldlings:* then havfe I been fo ravifhed with 
 the glimpfes of thy countenance, that earthly joys 
 could take no place; fo that I could not but ima- 
 gine myfeif in heaven already ; thinking that the 
 vintage had come in place of the firft fruits: Now, 
 
 now! I am in thy immediate prefence. Thy 
 fweetnefs, O thy ravifhing fweetnefs! the floods, 
 oceans, worlds of eternal ravifhing delights trea- 
 fured up at thy right hand, wherein I am entered 
 and fwim for ever and ever! thy land, O Emma- 
 nuel, overflows with pleafures. Never, never did 
 
 1 know what joy was, until now. Now I feel, 
 
 * light hath been fown for the righteous, and joy 
 ^ for the upright in heart.' Joy is come to its May- 
 blooming vigour. O the rivers of pleafures, that 
 fweetly run through all the faculties of the foul 
 and body ! O the full gales of the Spirit of confo- 
 lation ! am I not almoft joy itfelf ? are thefe the 
 joys, that were fo much fpoken, and written of, 
 on the other (ide of the water ? Surely, earth's 
 Idiorn hath come wonderfully fhort f thy vi^ord was 
 written to children, and therefore did exprefs all 
 in a manner fuited to chrldifli capacities'; but no- 
 thing low and childifh here! O mafl!y, folid, fub- 
 ftantial, enduring joys ! O fublime, high, maniy 
 frame! none to the joy of my Lord ! heretofore i 
 was fometimes filled with joy ; but now I am en- 
 tered into joy itfelf. I live and dwell in joy I no- 
 thing but joy for evermore ! thou haft brought 
 me into thefe glorious manfions of glory: how" 
 fhall we for ever be glad, and rejoice in thee ! ' As 
 * the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, fo 
 
 K ' art 
 
;4 A GLIIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 * art thou among the alTembly of men and angels.' 
 Ofurpaffing delights, *in fitting under thy fliadow !' j 
 the fweetnefs of thy fruits, the fragrancy of thy! 
 perfume, no tongue can exprefs ! they who come ; 
 under the covert of thy wings, never defire to re-j 
 move from thence. Sirs, is not this a life of un-' 
 mixed joy and fweetnefs, to fit under the boughs \ 
 of this Tree of life ? Is it not good to be here ? 
 
 * Have iiot the lines fallen unto us in pleafant | 
 
 * places? Have we not a goodly heritage?' andj 
 after fuch a world of woe and tribulation, to en- i 
 ter over head and ears, in thefe fuper-abundant : 
 joys f O fweet difpenfation I firft to be afflicl:ed,j 
 and then comforted; to weep, and then to rejoice j \ 
 to run, arid then to reft! O high tide of over-' 
 flowing joys I which hath fwallowed up all for-' 
 mer griefs and forrows. The iirft fight of thy ; 
 ravifhing countenance, O my God, made me, as • 
 it were, forget that ever I was on earth ! this land ] 
 hath a fweet-fmelling countenance : pain and fad- 1 
 riefs fliould be converted here into joy and delight. . 
 Here is an eternal fpring: *For the winter is paft, 
 
 * the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on 
 
 ^ the earth, the time of the finging of birds is come, ' 
 
 * and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.' 
 Now we have everlafting joys for forrow, the oil of; 
 gladnefs for the fpirit of heavinefs. We exceed- \ 
 ingly rejoice with Jerufalem, who have loved her; ■ 
 *' we fuck, and fatiate ourfelves with the breaftsof . 
 her confolation: we milk and delight ourfelves [ 
 with the abundance of her glory: for the Lord i 
 extendeth grace to her, like a river. Our eyes do , 
 fee this, our hearts do rejoice, and our bones do 
 flourifh like an herb. He hath made us an ever- ■ 
 iafting excellency, a joy of many generations: fing, ' 
 O heavetis^ for the Lord hath done it 5 fliout, ye ' 
 
 lower i 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 7^ 
 
 lower parts of the earth; break forth into fmg- 
 ing, ye mountains j for the Lord Jehovah is my 
 ftrength and my fong, he alfo Is become my falva- 
 tion : therefore with joy will I draw water out of 
 the wells of falvation." Cry aloud, and fliout, O 
 ye inhabitants of the higher city; let your joys 
 found throughout the whole creation. O Sirs, is 
 not our lot far changed? Nothing on earth was 
 heard amongft us, but the confufed noife of war- 
 riors, the fighs and groans of men in an agony. 
 Now the heavens of heavens are filled with the 
 joyful melody of heroic conquerors: we fowed in 
 tears for a moment; and now reap in joy for ever- 
 more I *Thou haft made us glad inconceivably 
 
 * above the days thpu hadft afflicted us : thou halt 
 
 * arifcn, and thine enemies are fcattered, and all 
 ' thy haters are fled before thee; as fmoke is driven 
 ' away before the wind, fo are they evanifhed be- 
 ' fore thy terrible prefence: but all the righteous 
 
 * are glad, and they rejoice before thee; yea, they 
 
 * exceedingly rejoice. ^ 
 
 28. This land of joys isjilledwith ruijied debtors. 
 
 Glory, glory, glory to the purchaser of this e.- 
 verlafting bleflednefs ! let the crown flourifh on 
 his head throughout all ages. O my happinefs, 
 who (hall ever praife thee 1 and was I elected be- 
 fore all ages, to be the everlafting beholder, and 
 extoller of thy infinity glory? Hadft thou fuch 
 wonderful thoughts of love to me, when I was 
 not ? Were I in the place of my deferving, fhould 
 I not have been juft now blafpheming thine all- 
 glorious and exalted name ? O thy free, free love ! 
 O the unfearchable riches of thy grace 1 who chofc 
 abominable me, out of the bafe and hellifh mafs 
 of mankind, to be a veflel of glory and honour, 
 in the high hall of glory. Lord, what haft thou 
 K 2 dpnei* 
 
76 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, 
 
 done? O wonderful bargain of the new covenant? 
 O the infinite depths of all wifdom, power and 
 excellency, to be feen in this great falvation! O 
 the contrivance! O the carrying on! O the cope- 
 ftone thereof! flrange ! how halt thou brought me 
 hither? I fee thy counfels cannot in the leafh be 
 fruftrate by all the power of creatures. When I 
 was a wretched, loll creature, 'lying in my blood 
 
 * and no eye pitying rne ; then didfl thou, in thy 
 
 * bygoing, call ^ look of love on me ;' then didft 
 thou fay unto nie, Live: and that time became a time 
 of love. Free love was the rule thou walkedft by, 
 not my defervings, or williragnefs. Had I been left 
 to my hellifh will, I fhould forever have deftroy- 
 ed myfelf : but tliou fweetly and gently, ere ever I 
 was aware, didft rayifh heart and all from me; fo 
 that my will could not but ftoqp to thy overcom- 
 ing lovelinefs. When I was following after the 
 monftrous imaginations of my evil heart, dpbauch- 
 jng my loves and joys on creature-enjoyments, 
 defpifmg the only excellent things, then didft thou 
 difcover thy irrefiftible lovelinefs unto me : which 
 bowed, transformed, and enamoured all the facul- 
 ties of my foul ; fq that I could not but yield, moft 
 ■willingly yield: gently but efficacioufly did the in- 
 fluences of thy Spirit work on the powers of my 
 foul j fo that I clofed with thee on tl^ine own 
 terms, as freely as I had been abfolute fovereign 
 of myfelf; and yet as infallibly as I had been no 
 intellectual agent. Verily thou, thou alone art 
 the abfolute Sovereign of all things. O thy won^ 
 derful way of working ! who can trace thee in all 
 thy proceedings? 
 
 29. The glorifiedy refledling 67i the way tothe king- 
 dom, fee it to be an inconceivable draught of divine 
 wifdom.. 
 
 Q 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, 77 
 
 O piercing joys and fweetnefs, that ever I hear- 
 fily and fincerely received thee, on thy own terms ! 
 how well haft thou kept what I have committed 
 unto thee, and prefented it fpotlefs and glorious 
 before the Father ? Now I behold all thy promifes 
 completely accomplifhed. Thou haft ever held me 
 in thine hand, through all the dangerous wilder- 
 nefs I have overpaft; 'Thou haft guided me by 
 * thy counfel,' and at laft 'brought me to glory.* 
 How hath thy ftrength been feen in weaknefs ? 
 How many temptations have I overcome? How 
 manycroftes have I wreftled through? How many 
 floods have I overpaft? How many boifterous 
 ftorms have I fet my face againft? How have I 
 efcaped through all the afTaults of the devil, the 
 world, and the flefh ? And yet my Lord hath fet 
 me fairly above all hazards and difficulties ! my 
 feet, for ever ft and now within the glorious land 
 of Emmanuel's blefled conqueft. All the united 
 ftrength of blefled faints and angels could not 
 have brought me hither. Sirs, ft\all we not be 
 telling to one another, throughout eternity, what 
 God hath done for us in time? that eternity may 
 be filled with a fong to Jehovah, and the Lamb. 
 Who fhould exalt, and love, and fear, and obey, 
 and ferve thee, if not we ? Didft thou love us 
 from eternity ? And fliall we not praife thee to 
 eternity. And can we but extol thee ? not 
 fo much becaufe thou art good to us, as becaufe 
 thou art good in thyfelf. But, O how is my heart 
 inflamed, to think how thy love from eternity brake 
 forth in time ! how didft thou fhew forth the afts 
 of thy free fovereign love, in that thou hadft writ- 
 ten my name for eternal life! How excellent have 
 all exigencies, and crofs difpenfations confpired 
 to my welfare? Now I fee^ *A11 thii>gs work to- 
 
 ' gether 
 
^ A GLIIVIPSE OF GLORY, 
 
 f getlier for the good of thofe that love thee.' The 
 faddeft, and moft crofs junctures of providence 
 have been the beft: when thou feemedft to be 
 fmiting, thou waft healing ! when thou appearedft 
 to be deftroying, thou waft making up ! fhall I not 
 for ever declare thy wonderful ways ? happy 1, 
 who fhall ever have eternity before me ! thy ways 
 to me in time, are the matter of an eternal fong \ 
 all exigencies of time did fo correfpond together, 
 as every one hath proven a ftep to this inexpref- 
 iible glory. Free redeeming love hath been writ- 
 ten on all the paffages of my pilgrimage ! and moft 
 in the laft watery when I began to fmk, thou 
 heldeft me up in thy arms, thuu putft my head in 
 thybofom, and faidft, ^^Be of good cheer, my love, 
 thy fms are forgiven thee ; fear not, my dove, but 
 rejoice exceedingly; for thy God, thy Head, thy 
 Lord, thy Hufband, thy Saviour is here, holding 
 thee in his arms. Have I bought thee fo dearly^ 
 fufFered fo many griefs, and woes, and pains; yea, 
 death itfelf for- thee ? carried thee through the ha- 
 zardous wildernefs, fo circumfpe£lly, and tender- 
 ly; and will I let thee perifti now? Never fear, my 
 fair one; am t not willing? am I not able? have 
 not I overcome death and hell ? I have dried up 
 this river with the foles of my feet; nothing re- 
 mains for thee to do, but to enter in, and poflefs.** 
 
 30. The felloivJJjip' betivixt Chrifi and every one 
 cf hisy as intimate andfamiliar^ as if he ha4 biit one* 
 
 And hath not the found of thy welcome, on this 
 fide of the water, an immortal permanency on my 
 heart? The impreftion is indelible : in my firft 
 landing, on the fhore of this fv/eet land, didft not 
 thou run, -and fall on my neck, and embrace and' 
 kifs me ? faying, "Welcome a thoufand times, 
 with all my fouj^ ^0 this purehafed pofTelBon: O 
 
 my 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 79 
 
 -my fair one, it ravifheth my heart to behold thee 
 here ! with defire have I defired thine intimate fel- 
 lowfhip, and could not reft, till I had brought thee 
 hither, that ftrong loves might be fatiate vi^ith full 
 and mutual enjoyment. And now (hall thefe arms 
 be exercifed in embracing; we (hall for ever be 
 twiftcd in the neareft connexion of love, and fwim 
 in the boundlefs ocean of delights. 'Haft thou 
 ^ been faithful over a few things? and Ihall I not 
 
 * make thee ruler over all things.'* Enter thou into 
 
 * the joy of thy Lord, thy love.' Seeft thou not the 
 treafures of all joys and bleftednefs, I have laid up 
 for thee, even for thee, my lovely one ? I had not for- 
 gotten thee, while I was on earth; and no wonder, 
 fmce from eternity I loved thee. What are thy 
 thoughts of fuch great preparations? is not this a 
 ravifhing place? how is it ftored with all manner 
 of delights, fuitable tothyhigheft capacity? doth 
 not thy fight (hew, that thy imaginations of thefe 
 on earth was nothing? Lo, all this is the fruit of 
 my fufFerlngs and death : and now, how fhall I en- 
 tertain thee, fince thou haft come hither ? Thou 
 longedft in thy pilgrimage, for the naked and im- 
 mediate enjoyment of me: and now enjoy me, as 
 thy heart can defire, 'Thou art mine, and I am 
 ' thine:' we eternally 'feed among the lilies.' I 
 will fatiate thee with my choiceft love-dainties, 
 and fill thee to the full, with my eternal over- 
 coming fweetnefs. Thefe viftorious brows do I 
 adorn with this mafly diadem of glory: with thefe 
 fair and refplendent robes of righteoufnefs do I 
 array thee, fo that all the fpetlators fhall admire 
 thy majefty and glory. Thy excellency on earth 
 was obfcured, by the vail of corruption and mor- 
 tality: now have I removed all thy infirmities, 
 healed all thy difeafes, raifed up thy faculties un- 
 to 
 
8o A GLIMPSE of GLORt. 
 
 to fuch a wonderful pitch, as that thou art fit ft<r 
 -converfing with me face to face.. Anddidft thou, 
 my delight, defire nothing more than the imme- 
 diate and full enjoyment of me ? didft thou defpife 
 the world, in its mofl fmiling condition, in com- 
 parifon of my matchlefs excellency, looking on 
 all pains, fufferings and difficulties, for my name's 
 fake, as delightful ; making my glory and exalta* 
 tion thy chief joy and aim? And (hall I not deck 
 thee with glorious majefly and honour? This, this 
 is the man, O my friends, whom I have honoured, 
 and will honour; for he is worthy, *Becaufe he 
 ' fet his love upon me; therefore have I delivered 
 
 * him : I have fet him on high, becaufe he hath 
 
 * known my great name.' This is the man, O my 
 Father, who hath been with me, in my tempta- 
 tions, who hath glorified me on earth, and done 
 great things for me ; even this is the man, who 
 hath kept the word of my patienc^; who hath 
 known, that all things, whatfoever thou haft gi- 
 ven me, are of thee ; for I gave unto him the words 
 which thou gaveft me, and he hath received them j 
 and did know affuredly, that I came out from 
 thee, and believed that thou didft fend me. How 
 great a friend was he to me on earth? 'When I 
 ' was hungry, he gave me meat; when thirfty, he 
 
 * gave me drink; when a ftranger, he took me in; 
 ' when naked, he clothed me ; when fick and 
 ' in prifon, he vifited me.* Verily, in my eyes 
 he is worthy of eternal glory. Whatever thou haft- 
 been, in my fight thou art worthy of eternal glo- 
 ry and renown. Heroically done! thy fufferings 
 
 ^ and actions for my name's fake, I heartily acknow- 
 ledge excellent fervice: receive then thefe enrich- 
 ing palms of victory into thy valiant hands, as an 
 everlafting fign of thy conqueft qyq: the devil, the 
 
 world. 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. Si 
 
 world, and the ffefli: and let thy majeftic head be 
 graced with thefe laurels of triumph, while thine 
 enemies (hall for ever lie under thy feet. All that 
 thou beholdefl are thine; for they are mine, and 
 I am thine : and now thy happinefs fuperabounds, 
 and overflows its banks. Now do I reft in my 
 love to thee, and thou doft reft in thy love to me ; 
 I rejoice over thee; yea, I exceedingly rejoice 
 with fmging." How ihall we ever dwell in thefe 
 everlafting love embraces? how fliall we be filled 
 with love throughout eternity?. 
 
 3 1 . Vijible things^ a moji imperfeEl reprejenta' 
 tion of invijible. 
 
 O inexpreffible ravifhments 6f love ! O moft ho- 
 ly, fweet and condefcending nature of my Well- 
 beloved I Every hour of eternity is like the firft 
 hour: thy love is green and blooming through 
 never ending ages. Is ilot this a fweet life, O in- 
 habitants? this foil overflows with milk and ho- 
 ney. Have we not undergone an advantageous 
 tranfportation? the outfields of this land wonder- 
 fully excel the lower world ! Indeed the very earth 
 is full of thy glory: what paffing fweet delight 
 have I found in meditating on thy works of the 
 lower world ? how did every thing I heard, or faw, 
 (hew forth thy eternal power and Godhead? But, 
 O the difference betwixt heaven and earth, could 
 never enter within my conceptions on earth ! O 
 glorious world! ihould we, in the ftate of morta- 
 lity, have ftrained our conceptions to the higheft, 
 and imagined all the glory our eyes could then be- 
 hold, augmented and perfected more ftages higher 
 than there are atoms in the creation; yet, would 
 fuch a v/orld have been a deformed mafs to thee. 
 Lower exceUency, gradually perfecled, will never 
 rittain unto that excellency which is eflentially of 
 L an 
 
82 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. J 
 
 an higher degree. I thought, in my chiklhootl, ] 
 that the lower world might fomewhat refemble ' 
 the higher; howbeit, I knew the difference was \ 
 inconceivable, and that here fliould be no ebbings '■ 
 or flowings, bloomings or fadings, or what could ■ 
 imply the leaft privative imperfection: but now I 
 fee they have no likenefs to one another, either in J 
 whole or in part; even as to the fmalleft external \ 
 xefemblance. No beauties, no comelinefs, no joys," ^ 
 no delights here ; if we fpeak according to earth's, j 
 dialed; yet, here are all things in an high and j 
 eminent manner. O my God, how incomprehen- ' 
 fible art thou in thy works? how ravifhing in that J 
 reflex of thy glory, which fhall endure for ever ? j 
 Thou ilialt for ever rejoice in thy works ; every ■ 
 work of thine is a depth, a ravifhing wonder to : 
 my elevated capacity ! might not the mediate en- 
 joyment of thee, through thy creatures, render a ^ 
 creature eternally happy? *How excellent is thy , 
 
 * name in all the earth? who hath fet thy glory . 
 
 * above the heavens.' What wonders are written ^ 
 in thofe heavens of heavens ? the choice mafter- 
 piece of thee, *who art perfect in knowledge, and , 
 < excellent in working.* This is a world ftored ' 
 with all manner of riches, the inhabitants here ^ 
 inherit all things. 
 
 32. All excellency^fplritual or corporaly on earthy , 
 is augmented in glory, by myriads offiages. 
 
 We knew on earth by the word, that when the \ 
 clay-houfe *of our tabernacle fhould be diflblved,* ^ 
 we were to receive a building of God, *an houfe ^ 
 
 * not made with hands, eternal in the heavens ;* i 
 for in that we did groan, notdefiring to be uncloth- | 
 
 ■ed, but clothed upon with our houfe from hea- ; 
 ven; *that mortality might be fwallo wed up of life/ »i 
 And now, every one of us^ in our own kind, ap- -: 
 
 pears 
 
 i 
 1 
 
A GLIIvIPSE OF GLORY. 83 
 
 pears the perfed:ion of beauty! whofe very clay- 
 tabernacles are now conformed to his glorious 
 body, and whofe fouls are made perfe£t in holi- 
 iiefs ! And did our bodies, when terreflrial, fo de- 
 grade? how doth the celeftial, united to an ele- 
 vated foul, perfect with wonderful excellency ? 
 Did our vile clubbifli bodies impede the fublime 
 operations of our heaven-born fpirits? how do 
 thefe glorious bodies perfect perfeclied fouls, in 
 all their outgoings? If, 'when fown in corrup- 
 ' tion,' they rendered us frail and contemptible, 
 in many things like the beafts; how excellent, 
 glorious, and majeftic are we now, when vilenef^ 
 and corruption is fwallowed up of glory ? Yea, if 
 it might have been faid of our fouls, when dark- 
 ened with mortality and finning, they were in 
 their operation quick*, what are they now, when 
 exalted to fuch a fupernatural high pitch of ex- 
 cellency? Did we behold, by faith, a raviftiing 
 fulnefs and beauty in thy face ; what do we now 
 behold, when made fo capacious and divine? 
 Were our bodies, when animal, fuch ftupendous 
 pieces of thy unfearchable wifdom and power, as 
 every one of us was amazed, and faid, 'I am fear- 
 ' fiilly and wonderfully made!' how excellent and 
 curious are thefe heavenly bodies, 'conformed to 
 ' the glorious body of the Son of God?' Did our 
 wifdom (hine, in our mortal faces? what majefty 
 and glory dwells in every caft of our eye now? 
 Were the potfherds of the earth fo vigourous, 
 ftrong, and valiant, that many of us, through 
 faith, excelled in thefe perfections, which brutifh 
 men were only pleafed with, whereby *we fub- 
 ' dued kingdoms, (topped the mouths of lions, 
 ' quenched the violence of the fire, efcaped the 
 * edge of the fword, waxed valiant in fight, turn- 
 L 2 ' ed 
 
$4 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 * ed to flight the armies of the aliens?* O now, 
 our wonderful ftrength and vigour, when our 
 very corporal parts become fpiritual, and of a di- 
 vine nature ! Had fome of us hearts, in our dull 
 earthly condition, 'enlarged as thefand on the fea- 
 
 * {hore ?' how capacious are our hearts now, when 
 widened above the dimenfions of many worlds?, 
 what is earth to heaven? what is darknefs to light? 
 what is childhood to manly eftate ? O high, high 
 capacity of glory! O fuperexcellent and only 
 glory in its blooming ! O the ravifhing franie, that 
 w^e are for ever in! are we not the felf fame per- 
 fons we were on earth? and yet we are not the 
 fame ! every one of us is like our alHovely and 
 Wellbeloved! whom we eternally behold, with 
 our bodily eyes, according to our proper mea- 
 fure; every one of us is at the higheft pitch of 
 created perfe(fi:ion : this is a wonderful transfor- 
 mation indeed ! O fun, fun of the lower world, I 
 can look thee out of countenance, and dazzle thee 
 with every caft of mine eyes ! Is this, fometime 
 poor, frail, defpicable 1 ! Surely this is 1 1 the felf- 
 iame I, who was fo filly in mine own eyes, and 
 the eyes of all the beholders ; wonderful I am not I 
 crufhed under fuch an exceeding vi^eight of glory? 
 But glory, and only glory, can fuftain itfelf. Thy 
 eternal power an4 Godhead is manifefted upon 
 us, in a tranfcendent manner ; thou haft gone be- 
 yond, by almoft infinite degrees, the limits of na- 
 ture: the natural world is quite abolilhed, w-hat 
 now is natural and agreeable to created beings, 
 before was miraculous and naturally impoflible. 
 
 33. The higheft manifejiations of God in time, 
 are hut mere emblems of the noon-day manifeflation. 
 
 The moil fignal fortafte of this glory on earth, 
 
 was thy transfiguration, O Wellbeloved; in the 
 
 ' davs 
 
A GLIMPSE or GLORY, 85 
 
 days of thy mortality, on the holy mount, *when 
 ' thy face llione as the fun^ and thy raiment was 
 
 * as the light j' fo that mortal beholders were a- 
 mazed, and confounded: fuch an unfuitablenef^ 
 there is betwixt mortality and immortality ! weak? 
 heads would not be able to bear one draught of 
 this celeftial wine. And was thy face fo majeftic 
 and glorious, in the days of thy mortality and for- 
 row? is it not more than majeftic and beautiful, 
 now in the days of thy joy and exaltation, when 
 
 * thou haft feen all the travel of thy foul, and art 
 ^ fatisfied?* More lovelinefs is to be feen in every 
 view of thy divine countenance, than in infinite 
 numbers of excellent, beautiful worlds. One fight 
 of thee, and no more, may fet ever fo many my- 
 riads of men and angels in the burning flames of 
 immortal loves ! Much was fpoken, in time, of 
 thy a£ts, and glory, and majefty; but lo, the 
 thoufand thoufandth part hath not been told ! in- 
 deed thou art a Beloved, *more than another be- 
 
 * loved.' All joys, that I ever took thee for my 
 all and only one I that ever I cried heartily. Amen, 
 to the blefled bargain of the new covenant, and 
 renounced my vanities, and came to thee ! that 
 ever I fubjefted myfelf to the obedience of all thy 
 commandments ! that ever I preferred a holy, hea^ 
 venly, mortified walking, in time, to the fulfilling 
 my vain fleflily inclinations ! that ever *I efteemed 
 
 * the reproaches of Chrifl: greater riches than the 
 ' pleafures of fin for a feafon !' Now I clearly be- 
 hold that 'I have chofen the good part, that fhall 
 •- not be taken from me.* O happy I! that ever I 
 fold all, and bought this matchlefs pearl of inva- 
 luable price ! O my riches, my riches! fince I have 
 thee, O Wellbeloved, what can I have more? 
 ilrange ! wall thou defpifed by bafe worldlings ? 
 
 i3ut 
 
8d A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 But they knew thee not ; thy ravifhing lovelinefs 
 was hid from their blinded ey-es; which, if they 
 had feen, how (hould the whole race of mankind 
 have run after thee ? Men and angels, all beauty, 
 all lovelinefs, all excellencies are here to be feen. 
 Much is to be feen in the vifible fabric of this 
 great creation; but no manifeftation of glory to 
 this ! who can defire more, than to (land befide 
 thee ? O flower and only beauty of heaven, what 
 are all created heavens ! thou art only heaven thy?-, 
 felf. No wonder, Mary Magdalene, you inordi- 
 nately defired fuch an armful, as the dead body of 
 this lovely Lord Jefus; fince you knew it was, tho* 
 a lump of clay, the body of tlie man, who is God, 
 infinitely above the vaKie of innumerable, glori- 
 ous created heavens. What a fweet armful now, 
 when exalted to fuch an high pitch of glory? 
 
 34. The faints are every ivay like the Wellbelov^ 
 ed; fine e full love mufl have full fimilitude. 
 
 Love defires the neareft fimilitude and conjunc- 
 tion: as thou becameft like us, afluming our na- 
 ture, fo hafl thou made us like thee, both in fpi- 
 rit and body. We are in every part transformed 
 into thy lovely image : whatever before was ter- 
 reftrial, is now heavenly and divine. Thefe ta- 
 bernacles were 'fown in corruption, difhonour, 
 
 * and weaknefs: now they are raifed in incorrup- 
 
 * tion, glory, and power. They were fown natural 
 
 * bodies ; they are raifed fpiritual : for as once 
 
 * we bare the image of the earthly Adam, fo now 
 
 * we bear the image of the heavenly.' O thy vi- 
 vifying Spirit, that raifed thee from the dead ! by 
 whom thou haft made us incapable of any the 
 leaft change tending to corruption! And what 
 though it were not fo ? here is the Tree of life, 
 whofe very leaves are medicines for mortality. 
 
 Then 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. S7 
 
 Thou art the light and life of the higher houfe^ 
 thy fweet, Hvely influences can make dead clay 
 live eternally. O thy fweet fhadowl thy pleafant 
 fruit! thy ravifhing perfume, filling all with im^ 
 mortal vivacity! is it pofTible any can die bender 
 thee, O Fountain of life ? What wonder I am fo 
 lively, who have the beams of life ever darting 
 upon me? The inhabitants here cannot fay, They 
 are lick. Here is perfect fecurity: our iniquities 
 are blotted out, and quite abolifhed. O excel- 
 lent life of God, in its perfection ! rendering, not 
 only the fpirit, but alfo the body, every vein, 
 every artery, every fmew, aftive with' immortal 
 vigour; for all is filled, and overfilled with joy. 
 O my beloved ! thou art excellently termed, the 
 Prince of life, the Refurreflion and the life. 
 Verily, thou waft in good earneft when thou cri - 
 edft, *He that believeth on me, out of his belly 
 
 * fhall flow rivers of living waters.' O the power 
 and ftrength of immortality ! we are become 
 mighty, we have the ftrength of an unicorn ; the 
 Lord Jehovah is become our ftrength. We 
 will walk upon the high places of the univerfe. 
 
 * He hath given power to them that were faint, 
 
 * and to them who had no might, he increafed 
 
 * ftrength.' What was the ftrength of clay to 
 heavenly vigour? The difproportion betwixt the 
 excellency of the terreftrial and celeftial cannot 
 be told: and no wonder we are fo lively and 
 ftrong, fince our earthly part is become heavenly 
 and glorious: flefh and blood is done away, as in- 
 compatible with fuch heavenly majefty. Thefe 
 bodies, though fubftantially the fame, yet are they 
 quite other, as to the qualities, which are hea- 
 venly, fpiritual, and divine. Naked beings, con- 
 fidcred as fuch, are endowed with no excellency: 
 
 It 
 
§g A GLIMPSE OF GLORt. 
 
 it is only by fuperinduced modifications tKey are 
 rendered intrinfically more or lefs excellent, or 
 bafe. What wonder we are thus ? whofe effences 
 are clothed over, and perfected, without and with- 
 in, with fuperexcellent perfedlions, merely hea- 
 venly and divine. O the comelinefs and beauty 
 wherewith foul and body is adorned! O what 
 beauty, when two excellent beauties are united 
 in one ! O fweet union ! O pleafant ravifhing fel- 
 lowfhip! In the days of mortality, the confort 
 betwixt them was, in a great part, jarring, and 
 unpleafant ; the one did obfcure the excellent 
 cy of the other : but now the foul in the body, 
 is like the fun fhining in its proper fphere 5 or 
 like the light darting through a perfpicuous body, 
 adorned with various modifying beauties, where- 
 by the rays are variouily perfe^led, in their mo- 
 dified outgoings: all the properties, perfections, 
 faculties, and actions of foul and body, are modi- 
 fied and perfe61:ed by their fubftantial conne61:ion. 
 Indeed, my Lord, we have gained wonderfully by 
 lofing our firft excellency, which was excellent in 
 itfelf, glorious and heavenly, in compariton of the 
 finful condition, into which we precipitated our- 
 felves headlong; but earthly and bafe, in compa- 
 rifon of this. Who would have imagined that an 
 earthly animal creature, fhould have been exalted 
 to the ftate of angels? how filly is man, in an 
 earthly ftate? how excellent in an heavenly? and 
 all by the power and virtue of the Man, who is in- 
 finitely more than a man. 
 
 35. Complete blejjednefs is the complete enjoyment 
 of God, every ivay, mediately and immediately. 
 
 We are bleffed, and more than blefled, who en- 
 joy thee every way: we drink abundantly, both 
 out of the fountain and ftreams, at once being fa- 
 
 tiated 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 89 
 
 tiated with the reflex and direct emanations of thy 
 eternal fweetnefs. Even thou thyfelf art in an in- 
 comprehenfible way deHghted with the refleflions 
 of thy glory, wherewith this beautiful all, but e- 
 fpecially thy fpoufe, is adorned. Art thou not en- 
 amoured with thy ravilhing image imprinted on 
 her? fo that thou criell out, ^Thou haft ravifhed 
 
 * my heart, my fifter, my fpoufe, thou haft ravifli- 
 
 * ed my heart with one of thine eyes, with one 
 ' chain of thy neck: thou artall fair, my love, there 
 
 * is no fpot in thee.' The love of complacency 
 arifeth from fimilitude : O then, fhew thy love to 
 us ; our love to thee, and one another ! we are 
 become altogether fair, by wafhing ourfelves 
 in thy moft precious blood. What can be our 
 exercife through eternity, but fweet embracing? 
 O our ravifhing fweet entertainments of love, a- 
 mong thefe refrefhing mountains of rofes and 
 fpices ! O what compellations [ what love-kifles I 
 O the overcoming perfume of the vaft mountains 
 of myrrh, and hills of frankincenfe ! O the fmell 
 of his Lebanon-garments ! O his fragrant oint- 
 ments! O his foul-overcoming emanations! every 
 hour here is heaven, and more than heaven. What 
 joy to fee Chrift, and all his members together, 
 in the royal palace of glory ? Are we not all ga- 
 thered up to thefe heavenly paftures ? and none 
 is wanting. We all longed to be here, fought to 
 be here, prayed to be here, ran to be here, groan- 
 ed and wept to be here-, and behold, we are all 
 here for evermore ! We helped and comforted one 
 another in our journey hither; and behold, we are 
 here for evermore! Satan and the world, our 
 corruptions, yea, and oftentimes ourfelves, ftrove 
 to hinder our courfe hither; and yet we are here 
 for evermore I now we are perfonally all *come to 
 
 M * mount 
 
96. A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 * mount Zion, and unto th6 city of the living 
 
 * God, the heavenly Jerufalem; and unto an in- 
 
 * numerable company of angels, to the general 
 
 * aiTcmbly of the church of the firfl-born, which 
 ^ are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of 
 
 * all, and to the fpirits of juft men made perfecl; 
 
 * and to Jefus, the Mediator of the new covenant •, 
 
 * to the blood of fprinkling, that fpeaketh better 
 
 * things than that of Abel.' O fweet converfe ! O 
 excellent fellowfhip ! O the frame of my heart! 
 O the high motions of joy and love! O eternity! 
 is it poflible thou canft prove wearifome? Ten 
 thoufand ages feem not one hour i who can fet 
 forth the fwectnefs of thy land, O Emmanuel ? Is 
 it not an houfe, an orchard, a city, a kingdom, a 
 world, k commonwealth of a moft comely order ? 
 
 * How good, and how pleafant is it, for them to 
 
 * dwell together in unity?* It is as the everlafting 
 dwellings of the Spirit, that dwells on thefe ever- 
 lafting mountains of Zion j for *here hath the Lord 
 
 * commanded the blefling, even life for evermore. 
 
 36. Chriji is the everlafting king, prieji, andpro^ 
 fhet of his people. 
 
 Friends of the Bridegroom, are you not over- 
 joyed, becaufe of the Bridegroom's voice ! No 
 wonder it was faid of him, 'Never man fpake like 
 
 * this man.* How doth he ravifh us with his 
 fweet com^ellations of love ? *Our fouls fail us not 
 
 * when he fpeaks; mortality is fwallowed up of 
 
 * life.' Sirs, is not our Wellbeioved and we in 
 thefe green paftures together? O his ravifhing 
 fmiles! O his looks of love towards us! O his 
 voice, his voice, I am inflamed! is he not faying, 
 in the boundlefs joys of his Spirit, 'Father, behold 
 
 * me, and the children whom thou haft given me,' 
 are for ever ia the moft intimate fellowfhip with 
 
 one 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, gt 
 
 one another, here in thefe higheft ma^ifions, which 
 I have prepared, wherein we might be fatiated 
 with loves, throughout eternity; according to thy 
 promife, 'I do fee the travel of my foul, and am 
 ' fatisfied; fox thou haft divided me a fpoil with 
 
 * the great, and I divide a portion with the ftrong ; 
 
 * becaufe I poured out my foul unto death.* We 
 all reap the fruits of our groans and tears, afflic- 
 tions and labours : my chofen are comforted, and 
 I am comforted. All the children of our ever- 
 lafting love are here, ^beholding my glory, which 
 
 * thou haft given me ; for thou doft glorify me 
 ^ with thine own felf, even with the glory I had 
 ' with thee before the world was.' Now the cope- 
 ftone is put upon our everlafting contrivance of 
 free- redeeming grace: thofe whom, from eternity 
 we chofe for our minions, have I effeflually called 
 in to me in time ; and caufed them willingly and 
 finccrely to cry. Amen, to the bargain of the new 
 covenant; and. I have brought them through a 
 world of temptations, fnares, affli£iions, and all 
 imaginable impediments, into this heaven of ever- 
 lafting blellednefs; as from eternity I loved them, 
 fo to eternity will I enjoy them : as I made them 
 iharers of my fufFerings and forrow; fo have I 
 made them partakers of my glory and joy: as I 
 haVe entered into the oceans of boundlefs joys; fo 
 have I made them to enter alfo. The defires of 
 my foul are fully accompliftied : my fair one's joys 
 are full: as their afflictions were my affli£lions; 
 their forrows my forrows; fo their joys are my 
 joys: for ^we are one, and they are one in us, 
 
 * even as we are one: for I have given them the 
 
 * glory which thou haft given me: I in them, and 
 
 * thou in me; whence they are made perfeCl in 
 ^ one. As thpu haft loved me, fo do I love them, 
 
 M 2 ^^nd 
 
$a A GLIMPSE ©f GLORY. 
 
 f and they eternally abide in my love : and Tkou 
 
 * haft loved them; for they have loved me/ in de« 
 fpite of all oppolition, in a vain world. Behold, 
 my Father, how fair, and beautiful, and lovely, 
 and fweet I have made my fpoufe ! fhe is all de- 
 {irable and comely; no fpot, no blemifh is to be 
 found in her. Offended majefty hath nothing to 
 fay, I have redeemed her, I have wafhed her in 
 my own blood. Here I ftand an high prieft for e- 
 ver, after the order of Melchizedek, as a monu- 
 ment that juflice is pacified, and all is in fweet 
 terms: as thou lookeit upon me with infinite love 
 and delight, and art well pleafed with all my fuf- 
 ferings and adlings for thy glory, and on her be- 
 half; fo art thou well pleafed with her. Since of 
 thine own good pleafure, from eternity, thou ac- 
 ceptedft of the bargain, vengeance hath nothing to 
 exadl: ^I w^s wounded for my chofens tranfgref- 
 
 * fionsyl was bruifedfor their iniquities;' and in my 
 eyes they are worthy to walk in glorious robes, 
 here with me, before the throne. They kept their 
 garments clean in the midft of a filthy and pollut-^ 
 cd world: they accounted all the glory and exceU 
 lency of time, but drofs and dung, unto my gtory 
 and exaltation; and looked on all afflidljons and 
 difficulties, as eafy, for my name's fake : they fub- 
 jefled themfelves to the univerfal obedience of all 
 jny commandments : *They fought the good fight, 
 
 * they finifbed their courfe, they kept the faith.' 
 O how heroically have they done, for the crown of 
 life, which for ever adorns their vi£lorious heads ! 
 as thou,Oratl>er, *haft fet me down on thy throne, 
 
 * fo have I given unto them to fit down on my 
 
 * throne;' for I have glorified and exalted them, 
 as thou haft highly glorified and exalted me: and 
 ;ipw we are for ever exalted above all oux enemies i 
 
 thou 
 
A GLIIVIPSE OF GLORY. 93 
 
 thou haft made them our everkfting 'footftool, 
 * death and hell are c^ft into the lake that burneth 
 
 * with fire and brimftone.' Our joys are full, our 
 glory perfecled, our happinefs boundlefs, our 
 praiies inceflant for ever and ever. f 
 
 37. Jn ajlonijhment y that the high and lofty One 
 JJjoiild lo-ok on creatures. 
 
 Men and angels, are we not all amazed and con- 
 founded, with this infinite love of Jetus? What 
 are we to him, that he (hould caft one look, ei- 
 ther of love or hatred, upon us ? What are our 
 thoughts ? O the wonderful frame of my ravifhed 
 heart! he loves us, he delights in us, his eyes are 
 fixed upon us, his heart is opened to us, his arms 
 are ftretched forth to us, his voice is of us, and 
 to us : who but we ! O my Lord, what haft thou 
 done? O love of Jefus! I will extol thee again 
 and again, and for ever I will exalt thy name. 
 Blefled I, who have fuch a glorious aflembly to 
 help me, with an high, eternal note of praife I O 
 this is life! O more than joy! more than happi- 
 nefs! more than full fatisfaclion ! 
 
 38. Earth and heaven quite oppofite things. 
 Yea, furely they are lovely, who are arraye d 
 
 with his comelinefs; and what doth the fpoufe 
 want, that the Bridegroom hath to give ? O then 
 (he is endowed with all poflible excellency 1 this 
 is an aflembly of kings, and priefts, every one is a 
 noble, magnificent and royal perfon; all are chil- 
 dren to the King of kings, all are princes of the 
 blood-royal of -heaven; all are pofleflbrs of all 
 things. Here is the fldwer and perfe<fl:ion of all 
 beauties connected together. This is the company 
 God hath chofen, and with which for ever he will 
 dwell. * Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praif- 
 
 * ed, in the city of our Go^, in the mountain of 
 
 « his 
 
94 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 * hl^ holinefs. Beautiful for fituation, the joy of 
 ' ail nations, is mount Zion: how compaO:ly is it 
 
 * built together? It lieth fourfquare. No temple 
 
 * here; for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, 
 
 * is the temple thereof.* None needs teach an» 
 other; we are all filled with thy fulnefs! *We 
 
 * behold thee, face to face/ No more mediate en- 
 joyment. Shadows have fled away. Now, and 
 never until now, are we lifted up above ordi-r 
 nances: *Prophefies have failed; tongues have 
 
 * ceafed, knowledge hath vaniflied away: we knew 
 
 * in part, and prophefied in part ; but that which 
 
 * is perfect is come, and that which was in part 
 ' is done away. "When I was a child, I fpake as 
 
 * a child, underftood as a child, and thought as a 
 
 * child; but when I became a man, I put away 
 
 * childifh things : for now I fee face to face ; but, 
 
 * in my childhood, I faw through a glafs darkly : 
 
 * now I know, even as alfo I am known.' And 
 what wonder? fmce our minds are illuminated 
 by the rays of thy tranfcendent glory. No need 
 of created light, thou art become all and in all un- 
 to us. We wonderfully enlighten one another, 
 men and angels; but all is nothing to the infinite 
 light. O the glory of Jehovah, which ever 
 fhall be admired, and never comprehended! how 
 nearly and fweetly is it communicated unto us 
 through the Day's-man, Chrifl Jefus ? And how 
 richly is thy city ftored, O Emmanuel ! here are 
 all manner of things, new and old, which thou 
 haft prepared for thy friends. Were they fools, 
 who forfook ail they pofleffed on earth, to become 
 citizens here? Here is the abundance of all good 
 things, all joys, all delights, all beauties; all are 
 here, in a moft eminent and fuperabundant man*? 
 ner: nothing like imperfeQion here; no darknefs, 
 
 the 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 9^- 
 
 the Sun is ever in his meridian, the light of his 
 countenance is ever lifted up upon us; for ever 
 doth he look upon us, in a fweet, fmiling, lov- 
 ing manner; for *his anger is turned away, and 
 
 * he comforteth us.' O joyful, O white, O blef- 
 fed, O radiant day of endlefs eternity ! *This is the 
 
 * day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice 
 
 * and be glad in it:' even this is the day which hath 
 taken its birth from his infinitely amiable counte- 
 nance. Othefe rivers ofconfolations, that make glad 
 the city of God ! O the eternal emanations of all 
 fulnefs, flowing out from the throne of God, andof 
 the Lamb ! no mixture of creature-imperfe^lions, 
 all things proceed immediately from the fountain! 
 O my God, how was I tormented with thirft in 
 the wildernefs ? I was ever full of wants, and de- 
 fires ; but O now ! now I am drilnk, ravifhed, filled 
 and fatiated with the eternal overflowings of thy 
 furpaffing fweetnefs, which run over this vaft mul- 
 titude of men and angels, like a mighty inunda- 
 tion. In the days of our vanity, *we fat by the rivers 
 ' of Babylon, and wept;' when we thought on the 
 fweet life the inhabitants of this higher houfe, 
 this higher Jerufalem had, we could not but groan 
 forth. When {hall the night be gone, and the 
 fhadows evanifhed ? When fhall time be out of the 
 way, that I may enter into the *pure river of the 
 
 * water of life,' and fatiate myfelf with all the 
 fulnefs of God? 'My foul thirfteth for God, the 
 
 * living God ; when fhall I come to appear before 
 
 * God ? How long (hall I dwell in a dry and 
 
 * parched wildernefs, wherein there is no water? 
 
 * Wo is itie, that I fojourn fo long in Mefech ; 
 5 for my flays are confumed like fmoke, and my 
 ' bones are burnt as an hearth; by reafon of the 
 ' voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my 
 
 . 'Ikin.: 
 
p5 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 * fkin. My days are like a fhadow that declineth, 
 « and I am withered like grafs.' But O, now is the 
 joyful and white fide of providence turned up! my 
 youth is renewed like the eagle's: I fwim in the 
 ocean of life. Who can tell what ravifhing folace 
 is under the branches of the Tree of life? Divine 
 vengeance cannot dart through : yet I behold ful- 
 ly thy countenance, O Jehovah! we arethyfer- 
 vants, ever ferving thee, and beholding thy face;, 
 having thy name written on our foreheads. I 
 went mourning to the grave, becaufe of my un- 
 iitnefs for ferving thee on earth: but Ol now. I 
 ferve thee in as heavenly and divine a manner, 
 as I would: I am become altogether like thee! I 
 am filled with thy glory and thy beauty: no need' 
 to alk, 'Shew me thy glory;' thy face inceflantly 
 and eternally do I behold, and live* 
 
 39. Nothing in glcry, but fongs to JehovaH 
 and the Lamb. 
 
 •This is Zioti, the perfeftion of beauty, the joy 
 
 * of the whole world:' this is the city which God 
 hath made, even which he hath made in a peculiar 
 manner. O what glory ! O what majefty I O what 
 joy! O what bleflednefs! "As we have heard, fa 
 have we feen, in the city of the Lord of hoftsj 
 God hath eftablifhed it for ever. The Lordour 
 God doth fave us this day, as the flock of his 
 people; for we are the ftones of a crown lifted 
 up as an enlign upon his land: for how great is 
 his goodnefs, and how great is his beauty ! Sing, 
 O daughter of Zion, fhout, O Ifrael, be glad and 
 rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerufa- 
 iem: for the Lord thy God, in the midft of thee, 
 is mighty; he hath faved thee, aiid rejoiceth over 
 thee with joy; he refls in his love, he joyeth over 
 thee with Cnging; he hath healed our backflidings, 
 
 h? 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 97 
 
 he hath loved us freely; far his anger is turned 
 away, and he comforteth lis. He is as the dew 
 Unto us, we grow as the lily, and call forth our 
 roots as Lebanon. He hath made us, and the places 
 round about his holy hill a blefling, and caufeth 
 the fhowers come down in their feafon; even 
 fhowers of blefling for evermore. And the tree 
 of the field doth yield her fruit, our land doth 
 yield her increafe ; and we are fate in our laiid, and 
 do kn5w the Lord. Behold, he hath brought us 
 from all countries, and* gathered us from the 
 coafts of the earth: for the Lord hath redeemed 
 Jacob, and ranfomed him from the hand of him 
 that was ftronger than he; therefore are we come 
 toj and fing in the height of Zion; and flow to- 
 gether to the goodnefs of the Lord, for wheat, and 
 for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the 
 flock, and of the herd : and our foul is as a water- 
 ed garden: and we fliall not forrow any more at 
 all: for behold, the Lord hath created a new hea- 
 ven, and a new earth, and the former is riot re- 
 membered, nor doth eome into rriirid. Our gates 
 are open continually, they fhall not be ihiit day 
 nor night; for brafs we have gold, and for iron 
 we have filver, and for wood brafs, and for ftoneS 
 iron. Violence is no more heard in our landj 
 wafl:ing nor defl:ruclion within our borders ; but 
 we call our walls falvatioft, and our gates praife; 
 The fun fhall no miore go down, neither fhall the 
 moon withdraw herfelf ; for the Lord is unto us 
 an everlafl:ing light, and the days of our mourn- 
 ing are ended. We are all righteous, \ve inherit 
 the land for ever: we are the branch of his plant- 
 ing, the work of his hands, that he may be glo- 
 rified. Our light doth break forth as the morn- 
 ing, and our health fpringeth forth fpeedily: and 
 N ' Our 
 
^8 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 our rigKteoufnefs doth go before us, and the glo*, 
 ry of the Lord is our rereward. We are fave4 
 of the Lord with an everlafting falvation; we 
 ihall not be aihamed, nor confounded, world with- 
 out end. O Lord, thou art my God, I will ex- 
 alt thee, I will praife thy name ; for thou haft done 
 wonderful things : . thy counfels of old are faith- 
 fulnefs and truth; for thou haft been a ftrength 
 to the poor, a ftrength to the needy in his diftrefs ) 
 a refuge from the ftorm, a {hadow from the heat: 
 thou haft brought down the noife of devils and 
 their flaves, as heat in a dry place: thou haft fwal- 
 lowed up death in vi£lory, and wiped away tears 
 from all faces. Lo, this is our God, we have 
 waited for him, he hath faved us j we will be glad 
 and rejoice in his falvation: he extendeth peace 
 to us like a river, and our glory is like a flowing 
 llream. Our heart rejoiceth, our bones flourifti 
 like an herb : and the hand of the Lord is known 
 towards his fervants, and his indignation towards 
 his enemies; for he hath puniflied the world for 
 their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; he 
 hath eaufed the haughtinefs of the proud to ceafe, 
 he hath laid low the pride of the terrible, and 
 broke the ftaff of the wicked, and the fceptre 
 of the rulers. Hallelujah, falvation, and glory, 
 and honour, and power unto the Lord out God : 
 true and righteous arc his judgments; for he 
 hath judged all his enemies; and the glory bf a- 
 venging juftiee is for ever difplayed. Let Ifrael 
 rejoice in him thait made him: let the children 
 of Zion be joyful in their King; for the Lord ta- 
 keth pleafure in his people: he hath beautified 
 the meek with falvation. Praife the Lord, O Je- 
 iufalem; praife thy God, O Zion; for he hath 
 ftrengthened for ever the bars of thy gatesj he hath 
 
 blefled 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 99 
 
 blefled thy children within thee; he maketh peace 
 within thy borders, and filleth thee with the fineft 
 of the wheat: the Lord hath chofen tliee for his 
 reft, here will he for ever dwell j for he hath de- 
 firedit/' 
 
 40. The happinefs of the faints fuperabtmdant^ 
 Jince they have all manner of enjoyments. 
 
 Are we not more than blefled? United happin 
 nefs hath the greater force. O the fweet fellow- 
 (hip of blefled men and angels ! all manner of en- 
 joyments are here ! all our natural propenfities are 
 fully fatisfied, and we are every way filled with 
 God; as our fellowfhip w-ith him was interrupted^ 
 imperfedl, and at a dil^ance on earth; fo our con- 
 verfe with creatures was of fmall profit: vanity 
 (as to us) was poured out on all creature-enjoy- 
 ments; fince our faculties were, in a great part, 
 vitiated, was not our fellowfhip on earth often- 
 times for the worfe, as well as for the better ? for 
 that our converfe favoured ftrongly of earth, dif- 
 fering little from that of worldlings. But, is not 
 this a wonderful change ! We look like an affem- 
 bly of kings, and priefts indeed- Are we not all 
 one, in mind, in love, in joy! for we have the 
 mind of Chrift. All of us refemble advantageouf- 
 iy that perfect, and only pattern of holinefs, that 
 infinite world of ravifhing beauty, and boundlefs 
 ocean of overcoming fweetnefs that only delight, 
 love, fatisfaftion, wonder, and all, of men and an- 
 gels. I am like thee, Q my Wellbeloved ! I am 
 like thee, O joy! fuperabounding joy!, this one 
 thought bears in its bpfom, ten thoufand heavens. 
 O Sirs, is not his glory, his excellency, his fweet- 
 nefs diffufed among us? We are one in Chrifl:; 
 and therefore one among ourfelves, being united 
 by th^ Spirit of love. Thou art the head, we the 
 N 2 members^ 
 
joo A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, 
 
 members, all treafures of excellency arc commu- 
 nicated from thee unto us, as from the root to the 
 branches, which are the fame tree. We are one 
 with thee J for both *he that fandifieth, and they 
 
 * that are fan£tified, are one.* Are you not excel- 
 lent then, O ye angels ? were ye not tranfcend- 
 ently excellent, and only delightful, O ye excellent 
 ones of the earth, when encompafled about with 
 innumerable infirmities ? and are you not now (q 
 many mafles of excellency and deljght? If, when 
 clothed with mortality, you Were of fubiime and 
 princely fpirits; what are you now, when *morta- 
 
 • lity is fwallowed up of life ?* Was our cpnverfe 
 fweet in the valley of tears and forrows? and is it 
 not more than pleafant in this paradife of joys and 
 delights? Was our lamenting p^r diftance from 
 God to one another fweet? what jravifhments in 
 our mutual congratulations of thefe pyerflowing 
 delights, and happinefs, in the immediate prefence 
 of Jehovah and the Lamb? what a golden life 
 is this ? As this full enjoyment of thee, my God, 
 doth fwallow up all other enjoyments; fo doth it 
 perfeft them alfo. Until our love to thee was per- 
 fefted, never did we love one another perfectly. 
 The more thou art loved, the more of thy image. 
 Thou art the centre of all my faculties; all my 
 love to faints and angels terminates in thee; thou 
 haft clothed them with they lovelinefs, and they 
 are become lovely : yea, though they were not, yet 
 fmce they are the obje<£]:s of thy love; therefore 
 ■will I love them : but becaufe thou haft loved them, 
 therefore haft thou made them wonderfully lovely; 
 and therefore how are we all kindled together in- 
 to an eternal flame ! O what a wonderful fym- 
 pathy! as we fufFered in one another's affli£l:ions; 
 fo do we rejoice in one another's joy. O this fuper- 
 
 abundant 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORy. lo? 
 
 abundant joy and happlnefs ! fince all our joy and 
 happinefs, men and angels, are mine; even me 
 they affe6l ; I am as filled with them : the happi- 
 nefs of thoufands, and myriads of thoufands, are 
 abridged into one happinefs. And how difcover- 
 ing is the light of thy glory? I know every one of 
 you in particular, as by name, and what was your 
 lot on earth. When our converfe is more joyful, 
 fhail not our fellowfliip now be far more excel- 
 lent? The faculties are great, the objefts are great, 
 and great is eternity, which w^ have ever before 
 us in our fellowlhip : we are not confined, as on 
 earth, to days, hours, and years; but fiiall fpeak 
 to one another of his infinite excellencies again 
 and again, and more and more, and for ever fpeak: 
 and what new delights, fince earth's childifh dia- 
 Icifl is done away ! Words, fentences, orations, and 
 volumes were as dark fhadows, of little or no fig- 
 nification : but O the profound idiom of Emma- 
 nuel's country ! every word is like a talent, repre-f 
 fenting more than ten thoufand excellent volumes 
 in earth's language. How admirably do mortality 
 and immortality differ in all things ! Cry out then 
 his matchlefs praifes; fhall we not contend, who 
 (hall fpeak moft excellently of his glory? fhall we 
 not be for ever recounting his vyronderful goodnefs 
 to us, in time and eternity ? O ravifhing fellow- 
 fhip with men and angels! O more than ravifh- 
 ing voice of the Son of God! were it not the pre- 
 rogative of glory, that one enjoyment cannot di- 
 vert from another, I fliould for ever fhut all my 
 faculties againll you, O fellow-creatures; that 
 they might only be filled with Jefus my only 
 Wellbeloved. Whatever I enjoy, flill I enjoy thee 
 perfectly and fully: with whomfoever I converfe, 
 continually I am with thee. Thou art the be- 
 ginning. 
 
102 A GLIIVIPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 ginning, middle, and end of all. O the eternal 
 high tides of joys in my heart ! nothing can fepa^ 
 rate me in the ieaft, from this immediate enjoy- 
 ment of thee. The members are not hindered 
 from receiving influences from the head, becaufe 
 of their mutual commerce among themfelves; re- 
 flex rays hinder not the direcfl:; the enjoyment of 
 the thing, included eminently, hinders not the en- 
 joyment of that which includes. I enjoy thee; 
 and therefore I enjoy all things: and my enjoy- 
 ment of creatures, is no new enjoyment j but an- 
 other manner of enjoying of thee; like the be- 
 holding the light of the fun darting from the moon : 
 every one of us reflects the beauty wherewith 
 thou adornefl us. 
 
 41. All the attributes of God contribute to our 
 eter?ial blejjednefsy but his iinchangeablenefs is the 
 crown of all. 
 
 How do all fmile with a ravifiiing countenance, 
 whether w^e view in time on earth, thefe prefent 
 enjoyments, or their flourilhing throughout eter-^ 
 nity? the conlideration of God's wonderful pro- 
 vidences in time, will fill the thoughts with end-e 
 lefs admiration. And am I not ravifhed in look- 
 ing back into infinite perfections, before all ages? 
 Here there is ever a further; but it is according to 
 finite conception, to look upon thee, as paft, pre- 
 fent, and to come. Thou art eminently all things, 
 yet not formally, and in their own proper nature : 
 we change every moment, and have flill new act- 
 ings, becaufe we are finite beings; but with thee 
 there is no variablenefs, nor fhadow of turning. 
 Whatever thou doft, from eternity thou doft it: 
 thy actings have neither beginning, middle, nor 
 ending; which are but one fimple aiSt, the fame 
 with thyfelf, though virtually and equivalently it 
 
 contain^- 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 103 
 
 contains in its bofom innumerable a£lions; even 
 as thy eternal exiftence, innumerable days, years 
 and ages. Who can admire enough thy fimplici* 
 ty? All thy excellencies are but one excellency, 
 equivalent unto infinite worlds of excellencies. O 
 what a blefled life have we^ men and angels, in 
 dwelling in God, the almighty, all fufficient Je- 
 hovah! in whom is contained infinite varieties 
 of all joys, all pleafures, all fweetnefs, all content* 
 ment, all beauties, all glories, in a tranfcendent, 
 eminent, and moft perfecffc manner. O happy 1 1 
 who have fuch an infinite One, boundlefs One, in 
 all perfections, to be my portion! O thou art in- 
 finite, eternal, unchangeable, in thy wifdom, 
 power, holinefs, juftice, goodnefs and truth. Ever-^ 
 lading ravifhments! he, who loveth us, is un- 
 changeable 5 he, in whom we truft, is the Rock 
 of ages, whofe goings forth have been from eter* 
 nity. O then ! thy fmiles are everlafting. Our 
 happinefs is eternal; it is joy upon joy, to confi- 
 der, this life can have no period: it hath neither 
 middle, progrefs, nor ending; but ihall ever be a 
 beginning, and fhall be ever, ever alike far from 
 the period of my joys and happinefs; ever in this 
 fanie raviftied unfpeakable frame of divine love 
 and joy, I am juft now into ! Shall it ever be high 
 tide? O more than happinefs! it overflows its 
 banks: it is much I bear this joy! O my joys ? 
 my joys, you are of an immortal duration ! O my 
 excellent Welibeloved, now haft thou with eter- 
 nity crowned all my happinefs ! to think ever to 
 be disjoined from thee, would imbitter all the 
 prefent fweetnefs: the greater the enjoyment, the 
 greater the lofs. Temporary enjoyments nothing 
 aiFe^ me: what will end, will be as if it had not 
 been. Ever fo many ages are nothing in the minds 
 
 of 
 
164 A GLIIVIPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 of elevated creatures: only brutes are takeri with 
 time. Nothing is real and fubftantial, but what 
 is enduring. Nothing vain and empty how: all 
 things here (hall be ever in the felf-fame ftate we 
 are now in. So are all things in hell alfo. The 
 fafhion of this world (hall never pafs away: all are 
 now folid and enduring: vanity is for ever banish- 
 ed out of the univerfe; all things fhall be for ever 
 as they are. O my joys! though you were low, 
 yet the thoughts of your eternal permanency may 
 caufe you fwell over your banks. O glory, glo- 
 ry! how mafly art thou? Not a thing gliftering 
 now, and anon evanifhed. O the more enduring 
 fubftance ! the kingdom immoveable : thefe ever- 
 lafting arms incircle us eternally! For *the Lord 
 
 * fhall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, to all 
 ' generations. We that truft in the Lord, are like 
 
 * mount Zion, that cannot be removed, but a- 
 ' bideth for ever: the glory of the Lord fliall en- 
 
 * dure for ever; he fhall rejoice in all his works. 
 
 * The children of thy fervants fhall continue, and 
 
 * their feed fliall be eftabliihed before thee : with 
 
 * long life doft thou fatisfy them, and fheweftthem 
 
 * thy falvation. Thou art the ftrength of their 
 
 * heart, and their portion for ever.' O real, foHd, 
 fubftantial, enduring portion ! indeed, thou art 
 the Rock of ages. All the innumerable ages paft, 
 prefent, and to come, do roll upon thee as their 
 foundation. *Thy years are throughout all gene^ 
 
 * rations; of old didft thou lay the foundations of 
 
 * the earth j and the heavens were the work of thine 
 
 * hands; they did perifh, but thou fhalt endure; 
 
 * yea, all of them waxed old, like a garment; as a 
 ^ vefture thou changedft them, and they were 
 
 * changed: but thou art the fame, and thy years 
 
 * fhall have no end.' O my tranfcendent happinefs 
 
 fhall 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY.- roj 
 
 fhall have no end! O life and marrow of joys! I 
 fhall be ever with thee, O moft lovely Wellbelov- 
 ed ! fome tranfient glimpfes of thy lovellnefs up- 
 on my foul, were an heaven upon earth: but 0» 
 the permanent and full outgoings of thy beauty, 
 fweetnefs, and all excellencies, and more than ten 
 thoufand heavens of happinefs ! I am here dwel- 
 ling within the boundlefs circle of eternity! O 
 fweet for evermore ! only becaufe of my fweeteft 
 Wellbeloved, whom I fully and eternally enjoy! 
 what good would my life do unto me, were I not 
 to enjoy him throughout eternal ages? Not, that 
 I account it not an invaluable happinefs, to re- 
 ceive one love-kifs, and no more, from thy fweeteft 
 mouth: fhouldnot its wonderful impreffion leave 
 a glorious ravifhing fweetnefs, throughout an end- 
 lefs eternity? One fight of thy only excellent 
 beauty, one fmell of thy ravifhing fragrant gar- 
 ments, one love-fmile of thy overcoming lovely 
 face, tranfcendently excels the height of all crea- 
 ture-enjoyments. Any thing of thee, my match- 
 lefs One, is of incomparable excellency: thy very 
 frowns are inconceivably fweet, becaufe thine. 
 
 42. That we are altogether Chriji'sy and not our 
 oiiAW," is our only hapfinefs. 
 
 Thy kingdom, O Emmanuel, is an everlafting 
 kingdom; the fceptre of glory doft thou fway to 
 all generations. Indeed, when time and days came 
 to a period, and thou hadft put down all rule, and 
 all authority and power, thou deliveredft up the 
 commifllon of governing the church, and (in part) 
 bringing the world back to thy Father; and art 
 fubjeft as Days-man betwixt God and creatures, 
 that God may only fill thelfaculties of men and an- 
 gels, with his uncreated fweetnefs: yet, as Days- 
 man^ thoii art for ever King, Prieftj and Prpphet 
 O of 
 
io6 A GLIMPSE of GLORY, 
 
 of thy chofen-, the eternal Head of men and an* 
 gels; 'the firft born among many brethren, having 
 * the pre-eminence in all things*,' thou art the 
 great Lord Mediator, the crowned King of Zion, 
 'for ever and ever: we are under thee fo many 
 crowned kings in Zion; but thou art exalted above 
 all J upon the throne of thy father David dofl thou 
 fitj and "of thy kingdom there fhall be no end. 
 The Lord hath laid help upon one that is mighty, 
 he hath exalted one chofen out of the people 5 he 
 hath made him his firft born, higher than the kings 
 of the earth: his mercy doth he keep for him, for 
 ever-, and his covenant ftandeth faft with him: 
 his feed alfo hath he made to eiidure for ever, and 
 his children, as the days of heaven : all kings fall 
 down before him: all nations ferve him. There 
 is an handful of corn in the earth, on the top of 
 the mountains; the fruit thereof doth ftiake like 
 Lebanon : and they of the city do flourifh like the 
 grafs of the earth." O Plant of Renown, men 
 and angels are as fo many branches ingrafted in 
 thee eternally! or elfe we fliould in a moment 
 wither J to all eternity we ftand in need of a Days- 
 man, we are not able eternally to ftand on our 
 own legs : neither are we able to behold God fo 
 fully and familiarly, as in the face of Emmanuel, 
 the white and the ruddy! and what amazing dig- 
 nity, men and angels, for us to reign over all, as 
 co-heirs with this eftential Heir of all things? Do 
 I reign with thee, O King of kings? wonderful! 
 thou haft given me 'power over the nations, and I 
 
 * do rule them with a rod of iron-, as the veflels 
 
 * of a potter are they broken in fhivers;' even as 
 he received of his Father ! What were earthly 
 kingdoms and principalities, but evaniftiing va- 
 pours, night-dreams and vanities? What were 
 
 the 
 
A GLIMPSE 0^ GLORY. jay 
 
 the heroes of the earth, but bits of half-dead clay, 
 breathing for a few hours, days and years, at the 
 moft, and then returned to duft again ? No wonder 
 he loaded the bafeil of men with the greateft por- 
 tion of thick clay J fuch ^ dunghill was a fit por- 
 tion for dunghill wo|-ms : no wonder he gave fo 
 little of earth to his chofen; fuch gifts are below 
 fublime, heavenly and divine fpirits. Sir?, have 
 we not been ordained for far better, and more ex- 
 cellent things than earth's fdly glory ? It v/as not 
 our Father's will that we fliould be troubled with, 
 many nothings: much clay would have clogged 
 us, in our way. He knew befl what was for us, 
 "\vho cut us fhort of creature-enjoyments. What 
 have we loft, who have received gold for clay, 
 diamonds for common ftones, folid fatisfaftion 
 for vexing vanities, heaven for earth, eternity for 
 time, all things for nothing? All glory to him, 
 that fits upon the throne, and to the Lamb. Let 
 the crown eternally flourifh on the head of the 
 purchafer of fuch fuperabundant happinefs. O 
 the great things we have efcaped! O the great 
 things we have attained ! And were thefe joys 
 purchafed by forrow ? this golden life, by an ac- 
 curfed and cruel death? this glory, by (hame and 
 contempt ? this reft^^ by labour and wreftling ? 
 this exaltation, by lowlinefs and fubmiiTion? O 
 the price, the price ! every fight of the man, who 
 is God, would overvalue, and over-buy ten thou^ 
 fand excellent worlds. O my happinefs ! art thou 
 not of infinite value, tjho' thou wert not, in the 
 thoufandth part, what thou art? *What can we 
 
 * render unto the Lord for his wonderful good- 
 
 * nefs?' -what can we, thy eternally infolvcnt 
 debtors, do but cry aloud thy excellency? And 
 the more we praife thee, the more our obligation 
 
 O 2 grow^ 
 
io8 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. i 
 
 grows upon our hand. O let us ever, in this man- ^ 
 ner, run ourfelves into thy debt. No greater li- \ 
 berty, no higher prerogative, than to be eternaliy | 
 obliged debtors to thy free grace, redeeming, ex- i 
 alting grace. O then! ihall I not praife thee, my 
 Redeemer, my exalter? ihall not boundlefs eter- ; 
 nity be filled with thy praifes? Is my happinefs, ^ 
 life immortal? and fhall not my praifing be im- j 
 mortal alfo.'' O this high, high praifing frame! ; 
 Nothing but ravifliing hallelujahs throughout e- : 
 ternity. O Sirs, is not this frame altogether inex- ^ 
 prefTible, wholly inconceivable? < 
 
 ' 43. The manifeftations of Gody in time^ nothing to ■ 
 that of eternity; and that of eternity, nothing to \ 
 ivhat- divelh hidden in himfelf \ 
 
 Even t)it fmall breathings of thefe full gales of J 
 the Spirit, that blows ftrongly in this higher regi- ' 
 on, falling down upon the land of grace, filled my j 
 heart with fuch furpaffing fweetnefs, that I could j 
 3iot but cry out, 'Lord, my heart is fixed, my heart j 
 * is fixed, I will fing praife unto thee.' O let all \ 
 creatures, in all places of thy dominion, fing forth I 
 thy excellencies. Let me behold thy narne fet on I 
 high, and the defires of my foul are accompiilhed. | 
 I am ravilhed, I am ravifhed with thy furpaffing < 
 fweetnefs, thy overcoming lovelinefs ! Is not this \ 
 heaven, even glory come down to grace's region ? .j 
 Or, what can glory be more? But now, now I ■ 
 clearly find thefe ha\^e been but the firfh fruits; 
 fome drops falling of}' from this boundlefs ocean ;j \ 
 and no wonder little feemed exceeding great to a i 
 little child; then I could not be capable of glory, ' 
 in the perfe£lion and bloom thereof. The ground, ; 
 fufficient to bear a tree, in its firft arifing through ; 
 the earth, would not be able to bear theleaft branch '\ 
 when it attained its maturity. Yet the remem- ; 
 
 brance '\ 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 109 
 
 brancc of thy ways to me, in my childhood, is 
 full of pleafmg delight. How thou haft brought 
 thy fons to glory, is an eternal wonder. O to think 
 of the wonderful difcoveries of thyfdf to weak 
 mortals « whence thou didft ihew, that thou couldR 
 manifeft thine excellency by weaknefs and emp- 
 tinefs. Did I not fometimes, even when a block- 
 ifh mortal, live rather by fight, than faith? O the 
 ftrange difcoveries of thine infinite beauty! trom 
 whence arofe high flaming love, then zeai for fet- 
 ting thee on high, far above all. Continually were 
 thy praifes in my mouth; I dedred that all 1 
 thought, fpake, or did, might tend to thy glory, 
 ' for whom are all things.' How tormented was 
 I, to fee fo few on earth, for extolhng thee! to 
 fee almpft all minding their own things, and very 
 few thine. How grieved was I, that my neart was 
 fo fiiallow, and my facukies fo unfit for glorifying 
 thee 1 Therefore did I long to be here, for nothing 
 more than to praife thee aright, before this glori- 
 ous affembly of men and angels. How oft have 1 
 been crying out, O to be an inftrument of his fu- 
 perexcellent glory! Let me be eternally confound- 
 ed, (abftraa from finning,) if thereby his excel- 
 lency may be manifefted. What are all creature^ 
 to him? Let him be exalted, let him^e praifed, 
 though we all fliould be abafed for evermore. O 
 the inexpreffiblefweetnefs my foul finds in prailmg 
 thee! in the bofom of this divine exercife is con- 
 tained a great reward. It is both the work and the 
 wages; it is happinefs to extol thee; it is only 
 hell not to be for thy glory. O praife him, tor ever 
 praife him all his works. It is a light thing that 
 ihou alone fhauldft praife him, O filly I],^ whe^i 
 fliall I Hand among the innumerable aflembly ot 
 praifers? and tclh -^nd hear told over thine adt?. 
 
MO A GLIIvlPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 and glory, and wifdom, and infinite excellencies ■ 
 
 for ever and ever ! verily all thy promifes are Yea, ' 
 
 and Amen, to thofe who put their truft in thee. | 
 
 Thou haft given unto me all the defires of my \ 
 
 heart: now, O now, I am in the land of praifes, 1 
 
 in the midft of you, O glorious creatures, who ' 
 
 for ever fmg forth hallelujahs, to him that fits up^ ^ 
 
 on the throne, and to the Lamb ! it was only the : 
 
 weaknefs of mortality which caufed fmall ftirrings . 
 
 ■appear high and mighty overflowings. O glory, ■ 
 
 glory! thou art indeed fubftantial and mafiy. Since ! 
 
 glory cannot fully delineate thy excellency, I be- ', 
 
 hold thy amiable countenance to the full, O God of ; 
 glory ; and O theri the enlargement of my heart ! O 
 
 then the wonderful fiames of love! nothing was ; 
 
 known, was felt, until now: I have heard fome i 
 
 rumour of thee ; but nov/ I behold and perceive, ; 
 
 that all pofiibie creatures, exalted to the higheft ' 
 
 pitch of excellency, can never be able to praife thee - 
 to the full: even becaufe of this I will praife thee, 
 that thou art infinitely above all praifes. We^t 
 thou not infinite, thou fliouldft not be the eternal 
 
 objeO: of my praifes: created enjoyments cannot ; 
 
 fatiate for ever. How am I overjoyed, that thou ■ 
 
 haft thus fitted me for fetting thee on high! how I 
 
 am I lifted up in my capacity, almoft infinite de- ' 
 
 grees above the higheft pitch of mortality! Sirs, ] 
 
 this is another manner of praifing than was to be \ 
 
 found within mortality's tents: our Congs can only . 
 
 be learned by thefe who have attained the height | 
 
 of wifiigm; even who are ^filled with ajl the ful- \ 
 
 ^ nefs of God.' What are finite things in the way \ 
 of our conceptions? We are paft from the low 
 
 conceptions of mortals: earth's putrid idiom, in i 
 
 its higheft ftrain, compofed and divided by all pof- • 
 
 fible ways, or pourtrayed down in as many books I 
 
 as ^ 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. iii 
 
 as would fill the creation, would not exprefs, In 
 the thoufandth part, fo much of the excellency of 
 our never enough exalted One, as one fentence of 
 this fong of glory. "What is exprefled by dull 
 foundj or turned out in black and white, is not 
 now worth our notice; yet, had I no other way 
 of exprefling thy excellency before men and an- 
 gels, I ihould for ever and ever be writing fongs 
 of thy matchlefs praifes, that all the beholders 
 might in fome meafure, conjecffcure the high 
 thoughts of my heart. Were there oceans of ink 
 greater than ten thoufand worlds, and paper and 
 pens conformable thereunto, I (hould foon exhauft 
 them, in writing new fongs of thy matchlefs 
 praifes : and yet the thoughts of my elevated heart 
 fhould not in the leaft be diminifhed; but (hould 
 be like an eternal fountain, ever inditing new 
 matter, ever fending forth new ftreams of praifes. 
 What wonder? I am filled v/ith thine image; I 
 behold thee face to face, and therefore fee more 
 and more of thee to all eternity. Ever, ever fhall 
 I have new difcoveries : and yet for ever fhall I 
 have the fame; 'for I behold thee as thou art.' 
 What wonder that we are in fuch an high praif- 
 ing frame ? O blefled ones ! who, being framed fo 
 capacious, to receive the full emanations of his 
 infinite glory and fweetnefs, (land continually in 
 his immediate fellowlhip. Are we not raviflied 
 in praifing? It is the only happinefs to be thus 
 exercifed: the only mifery, to have the faculties 
 exercifed in other things. There is no monfter 
 comparable to a creature carelefs of thy glory ! 
 You abominable prodigies of nature, who will 
 not extol your Creator, Preferver, and Benefactor; 
 can words exprefs your defperate ftate? fhould 
 you not praife him, eternally praife him? He is 
 
 the 
 
iia A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 the Potter, you are the clay; he is the abfohate 
 Sovereign, you his eternal dependent vaflals : all 
 that you are, and have, is of him: if you are mi- 
 ferable, it is only ofyourfelves: nothing proceeds 
 from him, but that v\fhich is good. He is a pure 
 mafs of holinefs, excellency, and deilrablenefs. O 
 curfed ! O defperate ! O aflonifhing frame ! to 
 have the heart hardened againft: the original of all 
 joys and bleflednefs. A thoufand times happy I, 
 who am thus! thus conformed unto the divine 
 nature. O this fweet, fweet frame of heart ! I am 
 altogether inclined to praife : this is the land of 
 praifes; the whole aflembly refounds with praifes. 
 O my blefled ears ! which are eternally filled with 
 the melodious raptures of Emmanuel's ravilhing 
 v/orld. Can forrows poffibly enter here ? All is 
 filled with fuperabounding joys: everywhere thy 
 beauty is fully manifefted. Let us dive deep, and 
 look, and look again, ever fhall we find new mat- 
 ter for love-fongs. Doth not a fweet willing con- 
 ftraint lie upon us to praife thee ? Inundations of 
 all goodnefs do flow out from thee, O inexhauft- 
 ible ocean of all excellency: and muft they not 
 inceiTantly run back to thee again ? Yea, who can 
 but extol thee, O all-fufficient Jehovah? be- 
 caufe thou art eflentially beautiful and excellent. 
 What though little of thy goodnefs were let forth 
 on creatures ? the manifeftation of thy goodnefs 
 to creatures adds juft nothing to thee: whether 
 thou createft or doil not create one creature, or a 
 world, or millions of worlds, all is the fame to thee. 
 Thou art infinitely above the praifes, or the blaf- 
 phemies of creatures : thy glory is unchange- 
 able; before all ages did thine infinite perfections 
 fhine foifth, in the fame infinite fplendor; fo that 
 in the fulnefs of time^ when it pleaf^d thee to 
 
 (hew 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, u^ 
 
 few forth thy glory, in the produ<5):Ion and a- 
 .dorning of finite beings, nothing in the lead was 
 added to thy boundlefs excellency j thy creating 
 was the manifeltation of what was from eternity; 
 not the bringing forth of what was not at all; as 
 when the fun fhould dart forth his light, which 
 before he kept within himfelf ; or a box of preci- 
 ous ointment, when broken^ exhales a perfume, 
 which before lay hidden. 
 
 And what haft thou manifefted on creatures, 
 to that which thou mightft, if fo it had pleafed 
 thy fovereign will ? What is this world exiftent, 
 but as if a vafl: ocean fhould let forth one drop, 
 when it might pour forth millions of millions of 
 fhowers for ever and ever? What is this handful 
 of creatures, unto thefe vaft numberlefs armies, 
 eminently contained within the compafs of thine 
 infinite power ? whence thy dominion over things 
 that are not created is greater, than over things 
 that are: from all eternity hadft thou the fove- 
 reign difpofition of all poflible beings, and they 
 are for ever at thy nod. Hadft thou never deter- 
 mined to create any creature^ thy power and fove- 
 reignty would ever have fliined forth in as full a 
 fplendor, in order to thefe felf-fame creatures ex- 
 iftent, as now it doth: to refl:rain a being from 
 exifting, or to caufe it exift, are alike afts of in- 
 finite fovereignty. Men and angels, ihall we not 
 extol the incoraprehenfible excellency of our God? 
 What can we contribute even to his declarative 
 glory? Are we any thing, to the infinite armies 
 in the womb of his omnipotency? and yet hath 
 he appointed us the only founders forth of his 
 pralfes, the only fpeftators throughout all ages. 
 P how inconceivable are thy ways? haft thou 
 ^hofen th^fe few out from ajiiong innumerable 
 P armiep 
 
114 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. ; 
 
 armies of excellent creatures, contained witlnii ' 
 the bofom of thine excellency? mightft thou not ; 
 have numberlefs worlds of men and angels juil \ 
 now fervjng thee, and not one of us exifting? 'i 
 How is abfolute Sovereignty, and free grace to be 
 feen every where ? Creation is an a£l of free grace i 
 and goOdnefs. Othou whole handy- work of God v \ 
 how oughteft thou to praife thy fovereigri Lord? ; 
 You fun, moon, arid ftars, for ever exalt him, who ; 
 conferred upon you an everlafting being, pafling ; 
 by infinite numbers of others 5 and only you hatH j 
 he chofen, as never ending monuments of his ; 
 tranfcehdent excellency. Thou earth, with thy ; 
 various beauties, praife thy bountiful Creator, who ; 
 hath appointed thee an eternal monument of his ' 
 juftlce and mercy, pafling by innunierable pofTible i 
 ones. O ye glorious arid majeftic heavens, fing^ 
 forth the high praifes of your Almighty Former j 
 tho' ye are the chief and principal part of this vail 
 all, what are ye to thefe innumerable poflible hea- j 
 vens, which Jehovah could produce? Thoui 
 v/hole creation, tho' thou art exa6t in number, .i 
 weight and meafure, what art thou to what the 1 
 iricomprehenfible' Jehovah can efFe£l:? What; 
 are you, O aU ye creatures? you are infinitely 
 every way within the limits of his infinite power: i 
 yea, though it were not fo, one blaft of his no-; 
 llirls could confound you to nothing in a moment, j 
 Caft down your glory before him, all creatures, \ 
 acknowledge your eternal Sovereign: toll not] 
 eternity refound with his incefiant praifes? fhall' 
 not this great all be ever in a rejoicing, praifingl 
 found? fliair not the earth clap its hands, the; 
 heavens leap for joy before him, who hath fonned | 
 them eternal monuments of his fuperexcellenti 
 glory ? this is the only world God hath been pleaf- i 
 - " ^ ed.i 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 115 
 
 cd to make ; from eternity to eternity there is no 
 other; neither fhall this undergo changes any 
 more: howfweeta favour doth the Almighty fmell? 
 pronouncing, that the vicifTitudes *of day and 
 
 * night, feed-time and harveft, winter and fum- 
 
 * mer, fhall for ever ceafej* a;nd that an eternal 
 fp ring-tide, an endlefs fummer, an incefTanit har- 
 veft fhall remain. This is the golden world; all 
 things have a fmilling countenance: wickednefs 
 fhall triumph no more. It was but ^for a mo- 
 
 * ment they opened their eyes, and behold they 
 
 * are not: but the righteous are in everlafting re- 
 
 * m.embrance.' Thoti lower world, how art thou 
 loofed from that bitter fervitude to the filth and 
 ofF-fcourings of all things? being tho ftage of 
 horrid rebellion againft thy great Former; the 
 place where created enjoyments were preferred 
 before that fulnefs of all fweetnefs in the all fuf- 
 ficent Jehovah* Our eyes behold what we be- 
 lieved, and hoped for: O glorious *new heavens 
 
 * and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs 1' 
 are we not now mafters of all? through the heir 
 of all things, we inherit all things. All things 
 before were ours in title, now they are ours in 
 full pofleflionj for our minority is expired. 
 
 44. y^Ii the promifes are in part fulfilled in time^ 
 and fully in eternity. 
 
 Your folly is even manifefted to yourfelves, cur- 
 fed worldlings, who imagined us fools, who laid 
 our hope and confidence on the great promifes of 
 the Almighty: lo, all that ever he promifed unto 
 us, he hath performed to the full, and more than 
 to the full. Lo, we inherit heaven and earth, and 
 all things, and * delight ourfelves in abundance of 
 
 * peace.' Wc behold the floods of honey and but- 
 ter, 'and heap up gold as the duft: yea, the Al- 
 
 P 2 ' niighty 
 
ii6 A GLIMPSE OB GLORY. 
 
 * mighty is our defence, and we have plenty of fi^* 
 
 * ver;' our eye is clear, as the noon-day, we fhine 
 forth, and are as the morning: our flelh is frefher 
 than a child's, and we return unto the days of our 
 youth. *The Lord is our keeper, the Lord is our 
 
 * fhade, on our right hand : the fun doth not fmite 
 
 * by day, nor the moon by night. And the Lord 
 
 * preferveth our going out, and our coming in, 
 
 * from this time forth and for evermore. Behold, 
 
 * we eat, curfed- wretches, but ye are hungry:' be- 
 
 * hold we drink, but ye are thirfty : behold we re- 
 
 * joice and triumph, but ye forrow and are a^ 
 
 * fhamed. Lo, he that fitteth upon the throne, 
 
 * hath made all things new; and the former things 
 
 * {hall not come into mind. Behold, a new heaven 
 
 * and a new earth! for the firft heaven, and the. 
 ^ firfl earth are pafled away; and there is no more 
 ' fea. Behold, the tabernacle o-f God is with 
 
 * men, and he doth dwell with us, and we are his 
 ' people, and he is our God: and he hath wiped 
 
 * away all tears from our eyes :* and there is no 
 more death, nor forrows, nor cries, nor pains> for 
 
 * the former things are paffed away.' Vile wretch-* 
 es, though your everlafting dungeon be fituate 
 within the verge of that dunghiU you adored here- 
 tofore ; yet fhall you never fet your head within 
 this glorious fabric, but fhall abide for ever, m 
 utter darknefs: ye poflefled the earth for a mo- 
 ment, and carried yourfelves, as if all had been 
 yours, bearing down the excellent ones of the 
 earth: but now we have you under our feet for 
 evermore. Now it is manifeft, who were the 
 true heirs of the earth: now it is clear, who were 
 really excellent. What think ye now of your 
 pleafures of fin for a feafon? Have ye not built 
 your houfe, as a moth, and a booth that the keep. 
 
 sr 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. rry 
 
 et maketh? As drought and heat confume the 
 fnow water; fo hath the grave confumed yoUp- 
 Your triumphing hath been fhort, and your joy 
 but for a moment. Though your excellency might 
 feem to mount up to the heavens, and your heads 
 reach unto the clouds; yet are you periflied for 
 ever, like your own dung; you are fled away, as 
 a dream, and are not found; all darknefs is hid in 
 your fecret place$, a fire not blown hath confumed 
 you. Your ftrength is hunger bitten, and deftruc- 
 tion is ever at your fide, it doth devour the 
 ftrength of your fkin ; even the firft-born of death 
 doth devour your ftrength: brimftone is fcattered 
 upon your habitation, your root is dried up be- 
 neath, and above your ftrength is cut off: you 
 are driven from light into darknefs, and chafed 
 out of the world: for 'God is jealous, and re- 
 
 * vengeth, the Lord revengeth, and is furious, and 
 
 * will not at all acquit the wicked: the mountains 
 
 * quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth 
 
 * is burnt at his prefence; yea, the world and all 
 
 * thatdwelleth therein: with an overflowing flood 
 
 * doth he make an utter end of the wicked; and 
 
 * darknefs doth for ever purfue his enemies. The 
 *. Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are 
 
 * over all his works : he hath fulfilled the defire of 
 
 * them that fear him, he hath heard their cry, and 
 
 * faved them. All thy works ftiall praife thee, O 
 < Lord, and all thy faints ftiall blefs thee.' Thou 
 haft delivered us from our enemies. We have 
 fled unto thee, and under thjs ftiadow of thy wings 
 we ever rejoice. *Thou haft led us unto to the 
 
 * land of uprightnefs;' and as for the head of 
 thofe that compafled us about, the mifchief of 
 their own lips hath covered them; burning coals 
 have fallen upon them, they are caft into the fire, 
 
 into 
 
ii8 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 Into deep pits, that they rife not again. But the 
 lighteous give thanks unto thee; the upright for 
 ever dwell in thy prefence: many a time have the 
 wicked affli6led us from our youth, yet have they 
 not prevailed: but all that hated us are confounded, 
 and turned back, and are as the grafs on the houfe 
 tops, that withereth before it be grown up. When 
 the wicked did fpring as the grafs, and all the 
 workers of iniquity did flourifh, it was that they 
 might be deftroycd for ever. The Lord is a fun 
 and fhield ; he hath given grace and glory •, no 
 good thing hath he with-holden from thofe that 
 walked uprightly. Blefled is the man that trufted 
 in thee ! we trufted in thee, and were delivered, 
 for thou haft confidered our trouble, thou haft 
 known our foul in adverfity, and haft not ihut us 
 up into the hand of the enemy: thou haft fet our 
 -feet in a large place. We were in trouble, our 
 eye was confumed with grief; yea, our foul and 
 our belly : our ftrength failed, becaufe of our ini- 
 quity, and our bones were confumed: we were 
 a reproach to our enemies, a derifion to a fana- 
 tic world. But we trufted in thee, O Lord^ we 
 faid. Thou art our God; and lo, thou haft de- 
 livered us for ever, from the hand of all our ene- 
 mies; thou haft made thy face to fhine, in its full 
 fplendor, eternally upon us; thou haft faved us, 
 for thy mercy's fake. O how great is thy good- 
 nefs, which thou haft wrought for them that truft- 
 ed in thee, before the fons of men ! O love the 
 Lord, all ye his faints; for the Lord preferveth 
 the faithful, and plenteoufly rewardeth the proud 
 doer: his anger endureth but a moment; in his 
 favour is life. Weeping may endure for a night, 
 but joy cometh in the morning. Surely goodnefs 
 and mercy ftiall follow ug, ^11 the days of our life, 
 
 and 
 
A GLIMPSE or GLORY. n^ 
 
 and we will dwell in the houfe of the Lord for 
 ever. 
 
 45 . Jli the attributes of Je h O v a H , efpecially hit 
 jitftice and fQveretgnty^ 'are feen evidently in ths 
 damnation vf the wicked. 
 
 All joys ! how doth the glory of mercy and fpot- 
 lefs juftice iliine forth before the eyes of all? with- 
 in the limits of time, feme fmall forerunners there 
 were, of what we now moft evidently behold. 
 Hovv' didft thou drown almoft a whole generation, 
 for their iniquity? How didft thou make thine 
 earth to devour and fwaliow up thy rebellious 
 blafphemers? Yea, in all ages thou broughteft 
 down fignal ftrokes of thy difpleafure on a vile 
 world; burning up their cities, deftroying their 
 fields, and making their curfed carcafes to be like 
 dung upon the earth: fo that thy moft impious 
 enemies could not but fay, ^Verily there is a God 
 * that judgeth in the earth,' And every ftroke of 
 thy vengeance was mercy to thy chofen; for, how 
 often haft thou compelled thy fworn enemies to 
 come bending unto thy people ? Such were fmall 
 fkirmiflies, and partial victories over parties of thy 
 foes. Since earth, by thine appointment, was 
 the place where every one was to z6k his part, in 
 order to eternity; and the wicked to fill up their 
 cup of wrath againft this eternal day of wrath; is 
 not hell a part of our heaven ? is not the difplay- 
 ing of the banner of juftice, matter of eternal ex- 
 altation ? By the horrid rebellion of wicked men 
 and devils, thou appearedft to be robbed of that 
 honour and glory, due to thee, from all thy crea- 
 tures. How doth thy excellency for ever break 
 out from under the clouds which feemed to dark- 
 en it heretofore ? Thy vile enemies, through thy 
 long-fufFering, did pafs on in their rebellion, fome 
 
 time 
 
S20 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 time unpunlfhed : nay, in their abominable ways_» 
 through thy wonderful providence, they profper^ 
 ed, they lived, they became old; yea, were mighty 
 in power: *Their feed was eftabliihed in their 
 
 * fight, and their offspring before their eyes : their 
 
 * houfes were fafe from fear, neither was the rod 
 
 * of God upon them; they fpent their days in 
 
 * wealth, and in a moment went down to the grave. 
 
 * Yea, one event happened to all: he deftroyed 
 
 * the perfect and the wicked; when the fcourge 
 ^ flew fuddenly, he did laugh at the trial of the 
 ^ innocent. In the place of judgment wickednefs 
 
 * dv/elt: yea, there were juft men, to v/hom it 
 ' happen-ed according to the v/ork of the wicked ^ 
 
 * again. There were wicked men, unto whom it 
 
 * happened^accordmg to the work of the righte- 
 ^ ous. No man knew either love, or hatred, by 
 ' all that was before him. The wicked were buri- 
 ' ed, who had come and gone from the place of 
 
 * the holy.' O golden year of jubilee! wherein 
 every thing is reduced to its proper order; every 
 man rewarded according to his work: the mofi 
 hidden things of darknefs are laid open: the in* 
 nocency of the righteous, and the perverfenefs o£ 
 the wicked, are laid open, before all. All things 
 are in a right order now. No more fhall be fe^r^ 
 exalted folly, or debafed wifdom: the hiftrioniQ. 
 fancies of riches, and titular honours, are quite 
 done away; fools Ihallno more rule over the wife. 
 Heroic fpirits eternally polTefs the ftate of princes; 
 and flavifli fpirits are bound in everlafting chains 
 of darknefs. How doth the equity of thy proceed- 
 ings appear? O righteous God! what tho' mon- 
 flrous reprobates roar out their horrid blafphe- 
 mies againft thy fpotlefs holinefs? ^ Thou art of 
 
 * purer eyes, th^n to behold iniquity;' and wilt 
 
 not 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 121 
 
 not at all acquit the guilty. What joy! to be- 
 hold trutli vindicated from all the horrid afper* 
 (ions of hellifh monfters. I am overjoyed, in hear- 
 ing the everlafting howlings of the haters of the 
 Almighty; what a pleafant melody are they in 
 mine ears? O eternal hallelujahs to Jehovah 
 and the Lamb! O fweet, fweet ! my heart is 
 fatisfied. We committed our caufe to thee, who 
 judged righteoufly; and behold, thou haft fully 
 pleaded our caufe 5 and flialt make the fmoke of 
 their torment for ever and ever to afcend in our 
 fight: *For righteous art thou, O Lord, and jult 
 
 * in all thy ways.* Curfed creatures, your con- 
 fciences tell you the equity of Jehovah's ways. 
 Are you not the creatures that banifhed God out 
 of your thoughts ? and it is moft equitable that 
 you are banifhed eternally from the ' prefence of 
 
 * God, and from the glory of his power;* being 
 given up to a reprobate mind, hardened againit 
 your great Former and Preferver : are you not all 
 moft worthy of divine vengeance, who hate your 
 Creator, and preferred your bafe felves before him ; 
 who in the midft of his bounty, when he gave, you 
 abundance of created enjoyments, contemned and 
 abhorred him ? who are fo defperately mad againft 
 that infinite original of all goodnefs, that though he 
 (hould remove from you his juft puniftiments, and 
 reftore unto you your former enjoyments; yet 
 you would ftand out ungratefully againft him ? O 
 horrid beyond conception ! that which might be 
 known of God was manifefted unto you ;, *For 
 
 * the invifible things of him from the creation of 
 
 * the world were clearly feen, being underftood 
 ' by the things which were made, even his eter- 
 ' nal power and Godhead : fo that you are with- 
 ^ out excufe; becaufe that when you knew God, 
 
 Q^ 'you 
 
122 A GLIMPSfi OF GLORt. 
 
 * you glorified him not as God, neither wer6 
 "^ thitnkful j but became vain in your imaginations, 
 
 * and your foolifti heart was darkened ; profeffiug 
 ^ yourfeh^es to be wife, ye became fools, and wor- 
 '^ {hipped, ferved and loved the creature, more 
 
 * than the Creator, who is blefled for ever Amen.' 
 Even your oWn felvesbeing judges, vile wretches, 
 is not your lot fuitable to your abominable nature, 
 •which fhewed itfelf, in your way of walking in 
 time ? The characters of a Deity were fo written 
 on your heart, that it was impoffible to cancel 
 them? yet ye facrilegioufly ftrove to eradicate 
 fuch noble draughts, written by the finger of God: 
 and banifhed from your minds the thoughts of 
 his mercies, or judgements: felf, and felf only 
 was the ultimate centre of all your defigns and 
 projects: whence you preferred the enjoyment 
 of creatures, before that of the all-fufficient Cre- 
 ator; efteeming it a more defirable lot, to live e- 
 iernally in the midft of earthly riches, honours, 
 and pleafures, than in an immediate fellowfhip 
 with God. 
 
 And is it not moil juft that he remove thefe en- 
 joyments you bafely placed in his room? Your 
 own glory was more foiight after by you than his ; 
 and fhould not he confound, and put to fhame the 
 nothing beings you adored, and fet above him? 
 What fhould he otherwife do unto you, mon- 
 ftrous wretches ! Should he reftore the enjoyments 
 which you ufed againft him ? Should he cut you 
 off to nothing, who have defired to be his eter- 
 iial enemies, and would have eflential eternity de- 
 ilroyed? Did you not defire to fee his caufe and 
 peeple debafed? and is it not moft juft that you 
 be fpedlacles of Ihame and vilenefs, throughout 
 eternity? Would you be above the Moll High? 
 
 and 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 123 
 
 and fhould ye not lie under his feet, while his 
 glory remains? Are you ftated enemies againft 
 him! and may not your adverfary ufe his power 
 againft you, and trade you under his feet, as you 
 would do to him, if your power did anfwer your 
 monftrous, abominable will? Do you curfe him, 
 and want a relenting heart to acknowledge your 
 jnadnefs? and are you fo dreadfully hardened 
 againft him, that ye would defpife and blafpheme 
 mercy, even mercy offered unto you? and is it 
 not moft juft that you continue for ever in that 
 moft terrible condition? No wonder your con- 
 fciences gnaw you fo fearfully ; you cannot but 
 Jdc dreadfully affrighted at your monftrous felves 9 
 God in his equity having fo wonderfully fharp- 
 ened your faculties, as that ypu are abje to un- 
 derftand your own wipkednefs mpft clearly and 
 fully. Your wickednefs, in time, was in its bud, 
 now it is at its height; the fmell of hell was upon 
 you even then, but now you are fo many black 
 lumps of death and hell, caft into the lake of fire. 
 You were not afraid to fpeak irreverently of him; 
 now you directly (O rnonftrous madnefs!) curfe 
 him to his very face. The fentence is now fully 
 accomplift^ed, *To him that hath fliall be given; 
 
 * and from him that ha^h not, fhall be taken a- 
 
 * way, even that which he hath.' Pid you hate 
 the lovely image of God? and is it not moft juft, 
 that the remainders thereof, which you had on 
 earth, be quite aboliftied? Some lovelinefs, fome 
 excellency you were endpwed wi,th, through the 
 Creator's bounty: now you are ftript of all, and 
 are nothing but vile lumps of deformity. Your 
 torments on earth might have raifed compaflion 
 in the hearts of fellow creatures, but now your 
 malice and defc^rmity is fo moiaftrous, that yo\i 
 
 Q a canno't 
 
124 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. j 
 
 cannot become objects of compaflion: no, the be- -\ 
 holding of the fmoke of your torment is a plea- i 
 fure. O my God, *thou art holy in all thy ways, ^ 
 
 * and righteous in all thy works :' thou art not ^ 
 the caufe of their everlafling ruin, though they ' 
 tlafphemoufly father it upon thee. Curfed wretch- \ 
 es, who hath turned your hearts againfl God? 
 hath he turned them againfl himfelf ? This is re- 
 pugnant. Or, was he obliged to hinder your re- \ 
 bellion, or to turn your minds again towards him, ' 
 when you fought againft him with all yourftrengthj, \ 
 foul, and mind? i 
 
 46. Sovereignty is the Jirfi mover of all things, I 
 
 How glorioufly doth thine abfolute fovereignty ; 
 
 {hine forth ip all thy ways? *Thou art worthy, O \ 
 
 * Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; \ 
 
 * for thou haft created all things, and for thy ' 
 
 * pleafure they are and were created.* Becaufe \ 
 fo it pleafed thee, will abundantly anfwer all ^ 
 queftions concerning thy proceedings. Why are ; 
 we here, fuch aiid fuch by name? *Becaufe fo it i 
 ? pleafed thee.' We that are praifing thee, might 
 have been thine eternal blafphemers; and thofe \ 
 who are curling thee, might have been , thine e- ' 
 ternal praifers: but abfolute fovereignty would \ 
 have it otherwife. That all things are thus, is , 
 becaufe of thy fi^ee will: thefe creatures might \ 
 have been in another ftate; or others in their i 
 room, or none at all; if fo it had pleafed thee, j 
 All the external lots, in time, the molt contingent ; 
 things, were eternal draughts of abfolute fove- I 
 reignty. Is not the eternal refound of our endlefs ; 
 fcrigs, *Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thee, 
 
 * O abfolute Sovereign of all things, be the glory ; 
 
 * for everP Wicked men and devils have mightily \ 
 endeavoured to obfcure the glory of thy abfolute , 
 
 fovereignty, ; 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 125 
 
 foyereignty, by afcrlbing undetermined and ab- 
 folute fovereignty to intelle6lual agents, over their 
 actions: ftupid madnefs! are not all things at thy 
 difpofal ? 'Whatever pleafed thee, thou haft done, 
 
 * in heaven and on earth: the hearts of men are 
 
 * in thine hands, as the rivers of waters, thou 
 
 * turneft them vi^hitherfoever thou M^ilt. Thou re- 
 
 * moveft the mountains, and they know it notj' 
 thou overturned: them in thine anger j thoutakeft 
 away the heart of the chief of the people of the 
 earth; they grope in the dark without light. 
 Though thou art not the caufe of fuch a moniter 
 as fin; yet fm could never have entered within 
 thy creation, without thine infinite counfel; its 
 exiftence, or non exiftence, was at thy difpofing; 
 for *thou wilt have mercy on whom thou wilt 
 have mercy; and whom thou wilt thou hardeneft.* 
 Haft thou not power over the fame lump, O great 
 Potter, to make of it any vefTel thou pleafeft, ei- 
 ther of honour, or of difhonour? Mayft thou not 
 do, in thine own things, M^hat thou wilt? Blaf- 
 phemous mifcreants, your blafphemies redound 
 to his glory; for this were you created, that his 
 abfolute fovereignty might be clearly manifefted 
 over you, the 'veflels of wrath, fitted to deftruc- 
 *tion:* and that fovereignty is caft in juftice- 
 mould; fo that ye moft defervedly undergo eter- 
 nal wratk: he fhall have eternal glory over you, 
 O haters of his glory! thefe beings of yours are fo 
 many ever-ftanding monuments of his ravifhing 
 perfedions. ' O the depths of the riches, both of 
 
 * thy wifdom and knowledge! how unfearchable 
 
 * arethyjudgments, and thy ways paft finding out? 
 
 * For who hath known thy mind? or who hath 
 
 * been thy counfellor? For of thee, and through 
 
 * thee, and to thee are all things/ Here is my 
 
 heart 
 
125 A GLIMPSE OF GLORT. 
 
 heart fatisfied, fince the difputers of thy ways are 
 eternally confounded. Rore out now your blaf- 
 phemies, vile creatures-, you are indeed in your 
 enemies hand, divine juflice hath overtaken you: 
 every billovv^ of vengeance that runs over foul and 
 body, might dafh to nothing ten thoufand worlds. 
 But he holds you up with one hand, and dalhes 
 on with the other j ftrong influences, for fuftain- 
 ing a being, are ever fhowered down upon you. 
 Why ftrive you againft him, filly bits of nothings? 
 For *he gives not account of any of his matters:' 
 far be it from him, that he fhould do wickedly; 
 for the work of a man is rewarded unto him. 
 For 'he layeth not upon m^n more than right, 
 
 * that he fhould enter into judgment with him.' 
 Can a creature be more juft than God? can a 
 creature be nuore pure than his Maker? Behold, 
 
 * he putteth no truft in his fervants, and his angels 
 
 * he chargeth with folly : behold, he taketh away, 
 ^ and none can hinder. Who may fay unto him, 
 ' What doft thou? Can we by fearching find out 
 
 * God ? can we find out the Almighty unto per- 
 
 * fe^lion ?' Shall creatures fhape thee out, accord- 
 ing to their finite conceptions? fhall tjiey pre- 
 fume to be able to comprehend thy ways? art 
 thou not altogether wonderful in thy working, O 
 Infinite? What can comprehend infinite excel- 
 lency, except an infinite underftanding? Shall 
 we not be ever diving further and further, and e- 
 ver a beginning to dive ? Wert thou, and thy go- 
 ings out from eternity, comprehenfible by us, then 
 wert thou not God, the infinity Jehovah? thou 
 dwelled in light, which no man can approach un- 
 to; thou art he, whom no man hath fecn, or can 
 fee. Can we (loop low enough before thy throne? 
 What are beings of yefterday to thee? u'hat are 
 
 ever 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 127 
 
 ever fo many worlds before thee ? Shall empty- 
 nothings quarrel at what they cannot comprehend ? 
 
 * Thy thoughts are not as our thoughts, neither 
 
 * are thy ways as our ways. Who hath directed 
 
 * thy Spirit, or being thy counfellor, hath taught 
 
 * thee ? Who inftrufted thee, and taught thee in 
 
 * the path of judgment? Behold, all creatures are 
 ^ before thee as nothing, lefs than nothing and 
 
 * vanity.' O boundlefs ocean of all perfeftions ? 
 we are for ever fwallowed up in thine infinite 
 fulnefs. O fuperabundancy of all happinefs and 
 joys! O more than perfeft fatisfaclion, in the 
 full accomplifhment of all defires I O more than 
 fweetnefs, furpafling all fweetnefs ! O heaven ! O 
 glory? how maffy, folid, real, fubftantial, and 
 enduring art thou ; O only life ! O marrow, flow- 
 er and vigour of all lives ! O life of beholding, 
 pralfing, rejoicing, wondering! O life of ravifh- 
 ments! O life of living! O life of lives! 
 
 47. y^ Ivor Id of free redeeming grace y is the mojl 
 excellent ivorld poffible. 
 
 What fpeak we, men and angels, of the limits 
 of divine power ? what talk we of his manifefting 
 his excellency in one, or many, or innumerable 
 worlds? Is it not manifefted to the uttermoft ? 
 The production of ever fo many armies of crea- 
 tures can add nothing thereto, fince the manifeft- 
 ation of God- in the flefh is the principal dcfign 
 of eternity; and all other manifeftations are in or- 
 der to this. There ftands one among us all, who 
 IS the firft-born of every creature exiftent, or pof- 
 fible ; here is the man, in whom is vifibly to be 
 feen, fuch glory, majefty, lovelinefs, fweetnefs, 
 compafllon, mercy, juftice, wifdom, and all trea- 
 fures of excellency, in fuch an incomprehenlible, 
 tranfcendcnt, eminent Jind fuperabundaiit manner, 
 
 as 
 
128 A GLIIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 as all the beholders are overwhelmed in a (co. of 
 delightful ravifhments for evermore. Couldfl: 
 thou, O my God, manifeft thyfelf more clearly, 
 familiarly, fweetly, condefcendingly? Away vi^ith 
 other worlds, though they were ; this is the only 
 one, fince my all-lovely Wellbeloved dwells here. 
 Thy beauty, my fair One, darts round about thee, 
 and fills this world with furpaffing glory j yea, 
 were this world myriads of myriads of times great- 
 er than it is, one ray of thy countenance, one 
 glance of thine eye would enhghten, and adorn 
 it all. What tho* we could view and comprehend 
 at once, thoufands of thoufands of created para- 
 difes of beauty; one fight of thy God-like vifage 
 would fwallow up all. Angels, had you fuch a 
 fweet manifeftation ©f divine beauty in the be- 
 ginning, as now? Is not our heaven now two 
 heavens? fince the efiential image of God ftand- 
 eth here, cloathed with the human nature, as our 
 
 * everlafting King, Priell and Prophet, the great 
 
 * Lord Mediator of the new covenant,' the bound- 
 lefs treafure of all fulnefs, out of which we fhall 
 all be fi:lled and fatiated for evermore. Are we 
 not, as it were, conftrained betwixt Handing aloof, 
 and drawing near ? Thefe who behold thee, what 
 can they think of themfelves ? Yet, who can fee, 
 and take reft until they be folded in thy ravifhing 
 embraces? Verily thou art both the fhame and 
 glory of creatures; created excellency is exalted 
 in thee, to the higheft pitch; and all created ex- 
 cellency is beautified and obfcured before thee. 
 This is the Man, men and angels, by whom all 
 things in heaven and in earth do flourifh and 
 bloom: this is the Tree of life, the great Vine of 
 glory, into which we are all ingrafted, as fo 
 many boughs and twigs; all the glory of his Fa- 
 ther'.^ 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 17^ 
 
 tlier's houfe hangs upon himj the offspring and 
 the iffue, as fo many chips and pieces, darting 
 out from him. This is he, in whom we have been 
 ordained to this bleffednefs from eternity : this is 
 he, who was promifed to the people, under the 
 firft difpenfation of the gofpel, who was held forth 
 by types and fhadows unto them. This is he, by 
 whom the carnal and beggarly elements of the 
 world were deftroyed; the clear, evident gofpel- 
 difpenfation was brought in; the hand-writing of 
 the law cancelled; the vail betwixt Jew and Gen- 
 tile was rent afunder; the nations were ingrafted 
 into the old flock of the peculiar people; the ab^ 
 flrufe fecrets of eternity were opened ; the king^ 
 doms were Ihaken, the princes of the earth were 
 fet up, and pulled down; the church was prefer- 
 ved, and flourifhed, in defpite of all the world. 
 This is the Man, who 'wounded the heads over 
 
 * many countries; who trode the wine prefs along, 
 
 * and trampled the people in his fury, until all his 
 
 * rairtient was ftained with blood. This is he, 
 
 * whofe name is called Wonderful, Counfellor^ 
 
 * the almighty God, the everlafting Father, the 
 
 * Prince of peace : of the increafe of whofe go-^ 
 
 * vemment and peace there is no end. This is the 
 ' Stone cut out without hands,* wlwch fmote all 
 the power, ftrength and might of kingdoms, na-^ 
 tions, and languages: and lo, all principalities, 
 and thrones, and powers, and dominions are bro- 
 ken to pieces together, and become like the chaff 
 of the fummer threfhing-floor, which the wind 
 hath carried away. And behold, this Stone, which 
 hath fmitten to nothing all tranfitory glory, i^ 
 become 'exceeding great, and filleth all in all.' 
 This is he, whom nothing could overcome; he 
 .entered the lifU with death and hell, and gave 
 
 R tbem 
 
130 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 them an eternal foil: fo tliat they He under hh 
 feet, and the feet of his chofen, for ever and evef. 
 Could ten thoufand deaths overcome him ? Were 
 not devils and wicked men fools, who imagined 
 they could hind him with any ties ? What would 
 chains- greater than many worlds? what would 
 infinite numbers of mountains of brafs, be to hold 
 him downy that he rife not again ? How did this 
 
 * Lion df the tribe of Judah,* roufe himfelf from 
 the ileep of death, like a mighty man after wine; 
 and make heaven and earth, and all to quake? 
 Who bujt the *Stand^rd beairer among ten thou-* 
 
 * fand ? who but the Prince of the kings o^f the 
 
 * earth? who but the mighty Captain of the Lord's 
 
 * hofls,' could have done fo valiantly ? Thou only 
 hall done heroically, O Weilbeloved. You little 
 heroes of time, your magnanimity and heroie 
 a6ls evanifh here : even though you had done all 
 you did, in your own (Irength, and not by hisr 
 what though you *fubdued kingdoms, wrought 
 
 * righteoufnefs, ftopped the tnotths of lions, 
 
 * quenched the violence of fire, through weak- 
 
 * nefs became (Irong, put to fiight the armies o£ 
 
 * the aliens?' All thefe wefe done through faith 
 in him. Yet what have ye done? Could you have 
 trodden the wine-prefs alone, and drunk the cup of 
 the wrath of the Almighty, from brim to bottom ? 
 Could you have ftood in the gap,, when infinite, 
 eternal vengeance, like a mighty flood, was rufli- 
 ing in upon rebellious mankind? Who elfe could 
 have turned back the mighty current of fuch floods 
 t)f wrath, and pacified ofi^endedMaj eft y, bringing 
 rebels to ftoop, and be received into mercy and 
 favour again? Wh^ij^lfe could have giv^n hell 
 fuch a bloV, as it fhall never be able to rife 5 and 
 taifed men and angels to fuch a pitc'liy as that they 
 
 fhaU 
 
A- GLIMPSE OF GLORY, 131 
 
 (hall never fall? Who but he could h^vc ledeap"' 
 tivity captive, 'and purchafed gifts for men, even 
 
 * for the rebellious ?' Who elfe Could have open- 
 ed the gates of this celeftial paradife, fhut upon 
 bafe, ingrate maii-, anc? exalted him, by thoufands 
 of ftages, to more glory and excellency, than that 
 from which he fell ? Thou art all in all, thou art 
 unrivardj O Weljbeloved ! no more comparifons 
 betwixt thee and greatures. Hide yourfelves, and 
 he confounded, all lower excellencies: be ye filent, 
 all creatures, when he begins to fpeak ; cover your 
 faces, all you little glories and beautieSj, when he 
 doth fliew his face 5 you are nothing, you are va- 
 nity, compared ^o him: he is all things. Verily, 
 
 * in hin\ ^wells aU fulnefs/ X^^ou art not, O hea- 
 ven of heavens, worthy to be a footftool for hi§ 
 glorious feet. Infinite worlds, erev^ed above one 
 another, were low for him to tread upon. Whai^ 
 are you, men and angels, that you ihould thus 
 ftand befide him? that you ihould fet your head 
 within that wojld in which h^ is pleafed to dwell ? 
 i)id he not wonderfully condefcend, that you 
 might excel in glory your original creation? 
 What is our ftrength and beauty ? on whofe legs 
 do we Hand? are we able, for one moment, to 
 perfevere in our integrity without him ? (hould we 
 hot all become Reformed, and fall a finning, did. 
 he draw into hinifelf wh^t he darts forth? How 
 is this payadife of God planted with goodly trees^y 
 bloflbmiing and flouriiliing with an eternal ver- 
 dure ? But, did they not receive fap and life, and^ 
 all from this golden branch of t^he ftem of Jefle, 
 how in a moment Ihould their golden blofibms 
 wither, their fruit fall off, their leaves decay, and 
 their root dry up? It is ten heavens of joy, O 
 We^lbel.oved^ to know that thy love is un change- 
 
 R 2, able 
 
r32 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 jable, and that thefe who are united to thee by 
 faith in time, and immediate beholders of thee 
 in eternity, (hair never be disjoined from thee, 
 but fhall ever remain clofe locked in the arms of 
 eternal love. What are your thoughts, O ye 
 ranfomed ones, of this aftoni(hing difpenfation ? 
 what an inconceivable tranfport is this to think 
 that any of the curfed ftock of mankind ihould 
 be adopted co-heirs with the eflential Heir of all 
 things! *Of him are we in Chrift Jefus, who of 
 * God is made unto us wifdom, righteoufnefs, 
 ^ fanO:ification, redemption,* and all. A thoufand 
 times blefled counfel of eternity! that chofe us in 
 him 'before the foundation of the world; having 
 predeftinated us unto the adoption of children 
 by Jefus Chrift unto himfelf, according to the 
 good pleafure of his will, to the praife of the 
 glory of his grace; wherein he hath made us 
 accepted in the beloved: having made known 
 unto us the myftery of his will, according to his 
 good pleafure, which he had purpofed in him- 
 felf; that in the difpenfation of the fulnefs of 
 time, he might gather together in one all things 
 in Chrift, both which are in heaven, and which 
 are on earth.' It was not thy purpofe, dread So^ 
 vereign, that any (hould inherit glory, through 
 their own obedience: a world of working was but 
 for a time, that this of altogether free grace might 
 ihine forth more glorioufly. Free grace V. banner is 
 the only pavilion we ftiould for ever abide under. 
 How greatly did the devil befool himfelf, in endea- 
 vouring to obfcure the glory of his Maker, by the 
 rebellion of man ? was he not herein an inftru- 
 ment in the hand of the great Sovereign, whereby 
 he made way for his chief and only purpofe? what 
 ift]0'4ld our bleffcdnefs have been, to what now it 
 
 is. 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 135 
 
 h, if we had wanted thee, Emmanuel, the ^man 
 
 * of God's right hand, the very breath of our no- 
 
 * ftrils ?' our eternal fongs Ihould not have been fo 
 melodious; the praifes of free redeeming grace 
 fhould not have been heard here : glory to the 
 Xamb that was flain, and lives for ever, fhould 
 never have been fung. No worlds to this world ! 
 no happinefs to this happinefs! this is the flower 
 and top of all poflible difpenfations ! here is a con- 
 fluence of innumerable providences, that (hall 
 never be comprehended. ' Many, O Lord my God, 
 ' are thy wonderful works, which thou haft done; 
 
 * and thy thoughts, which are to us ward, they 
 ^ cannot be reckoned up in order to thee.' How 
 evidently do I now fee, that thy love pafleth all 
 underftanding; tlmt thy ways are innumerable; 
 and thy thouglits unfearchable ? Mine eyes are 
 eternally fixed upon thee, O flower of all beauty 
 andlovelinefs; thou art the centre whereto all de- 
 firablenefs and excellency betakes itfelf: in be- 
 holding thee, I behold all things. Art thou not 
 love, difcovered to the full ? mercy manifefted in 
 its highefl perfeftion? judgment and righteouf- 
 nefs vifibly in its full fplendor? What have we, 
 which is not in thee ? and what can creatures 
 want, which is not in thee ? Shall we not, O en- 
 joyers, be fatiated, beautified, raviflied, blefled, 
 for evermore, with that infinite fulnefs of all ex- 
 cellency which dwells in him? We behold to the 
 full, Hhy glory, as the glory of the only begotten 
 
 * of the Fath-er, full of grace and truth; and of 
 
 * thy fulnefs have we all received, and grace for 
 ' grace.* We have received thy teftimony, have 
 fet to our feal that God is true; that thou who.n; 
 he fent into the world, fpeakell the thipgs of God: 
 for *he giveth not the Spirit by meafure unto 
 
 'thee.' 
 
134 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 * thee.' O how great is the myflery of godlinefs ( 
 
 * God manifefted in the flelh, juflified in the 
 
 * Spirit, feen of angels, preached unto the G^n- 
 
 * tiles, believed on in the world, received up into 
 ' glory.* If this was wonderful in time, is it not 
 ten thoufand times more fo now, when the bright 
 day of eternity hath broken up ? If a fight of this, 
 by faith, was ravifhing, am I not now pafled all 
 the limits of fuch motions? O this frame I O 
 glory, glory! thou art maffy indeed? 
 
 48. The work offalv^tioUy is a never enough ad- 
 mired draught; a?id all drawn through the channel 
 of exigencies. 
 
 Immortality, glory, praife, and dominion to the 
 Highefl, that ever it pleafed him, thus to commu- 
 nicate himfelf to men and angels ; that ever he 
 purpofed in himfelf to give unto us the eternal 
 Son of his delights, as our everlafting Days-man> 
 Redeemer, Hulband, Head, Lord, and all things. 
 To have enjoyed thee according to the firft dif- 
 penfation, had been unfpeakable happinefs ; but 
 to be chofen in Chrift, is overflowing happinefs .1 
 O ! were we predeftinated to be conformed to 
 the image of thy Son, which, in time, was be- 
 gun, and now is perfected ? Any tindture of thee, 
 O Wellbeloved, any perfume of thy garments, is 
 furpaffmg glorious and excellent, O then, a 
 thoufand times bleiTed I ! who am clothed with 
 the robes of thy righteoufnefs, the garments of 
 thy beauty j who am fatiated with thy likenefs, 
 filled with thy fweetnefs, adorned with thy love-^ 
 linefe, decked with thy ravifhing graces. I am 
 Jike thee ! I am like thee ! here is all my happi-? 
 nefs. This, thy ravifhing image, was begun in 
 pie, in time; and now thou hail brought it to the 
 high bloom and perf?<^ion. What exceeding 
 
 joys ! 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 135 
 
 joys 1 to think how thou had made me grow up, 
 from my childhood, to this manly conftitutlon ? 
 how haft thou been making me grow up, until 
 thou tranfplantedft me from thy lower garden of 
 gr?.ce, to thy higher paradife of glory ! Once I 
 was a fmall fhrub, fcarce difcernible from the bafe 
 thorns and briars that overgrew the earth : but 
 now I am, through thine infinite excellency, a 
 mighty and flourifhing cedar in this higher Le- 
 banon. Strange I how thou haft brought me to 
 this glorious condition ; and ftill from lefler to 
 greater, until I have arrived at perfe^iion. Is it 
 not moft evident, that * the path of the juft is as 
 
 * the (hining light, that ftiineth more and more 
 
 * until the perfe<ft day ?* Though our beginning 
 Was fmall, yet our latter end is greatly increafed: 
 our beginning was full of ignorance and infirmity^ 
 now our age is clearer than the noon-day. We 
 fhine forth as the morning j thou haft ' brought 
 
 * forth our righteoufnefs as the light, and our 
 
 * judgment as the noon-day.' And thus hath 
 been thy way, in all thy proceedings. How fmall 
 was thy church in the beginning ? how few in 
 number among the. numerous multitude of man- 
 kind ? Yet, how didft thou increafc and multi- 
 ply her, as the fand in the fea-lhore, in defpite 
 of devils and wicked men ? And appearedft thou 
 not, O Wellbeloved, as a ' fmall ftone cut out 
 < without hands ?* and yet haft become great, 
 and filled all. Thou fhewedft thyfelf, at thy firft 
 manifeftation in the flefti, unto the fons of men, 
 
 * in the form of a fervant i* fo that thou waft of 
 no reputation in the eyes of a ftupid world, who 
 are only affe(n:ed with external ftiews : how didft 
 thou make thy gofpel to go through the world, 
 wthout any earthly pomp or obfervation ? fo that 
 
 the 
 
13(5 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 the wife men of the world, for a long time, did 
 little notice it ; yet did thy name break forth be-? 
 fore all nations : the whole world fpake of thy 
 glory. It had been a light thing, that thou fhouldit 
 only have ' raifed up the tribes of Jacob :' but 
 thy God did alfo give thee for a light unto the 
 Gentries, that thou mightefl be his ' falvation un- 
 
 * to the ends of the earth.' When darknefs did 
 cover the earth, and grofs darknefs the people, 
 thou filledft them with thy glory, and madeft the 
 place of thy feet glorious ; for the Lord fent the 
 y rod of thy ftrength out of Zion, and caufed 
 ' thee to rule in the midil of thine enemies ; he 
 
 * made thy people willing in the day of thy power; 
 
 * and at thy right hand did ftrike through kings 
 
 * in the day of his wrath ; thou judgedft among 
 
 * the Heathen y thou filledft the places with the 
 
 * dead bodies ; thou woundedft the heads over 
 ^ many countries.' How vain hath the judgment 
 of worldlings proven, who defpifed the feeds of 
 glory, fown in the hearts of the chofen ? they 
 confidered not the noon-day brightnefs fucceed- 
 ing the dawning ; fools I were only delighted with 
 what filled the external fenfes : tranfitory glory 
 was a dying blaze. It is gone, eternally gone ! 
 the baftard's portion did flourifh, and feem to e- 
 clipfe the children's for a moment *, becaufe it 
 was then the baftard's harveft, but the children's 
 feed-time : becaufe thou wpuldft fhew, that thou 
 €0uldft lead thy chofen, in their weak and child- 
 ifli eftate into this kingdom, through fighting, and 
 wreftling, and great oppofition of all kinds : 
 whereby our eternal fong is drawn up higher, in 
 exalting thy wonderful providence, in bringing 
 us to glory. What aftonifhing things do I be- 
 hpld, aDncerning my pilgrimage, which' then I 
 
 ' could 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 137 
 
 could not perceive ! O time, time ! thou fillefl: e- 
 ternity with admiration. Wonderful! thou 
 brouglitefl us n.ot hither at the firft produiftion 
 of our beings: and was an inch of time a prelude 
 to eternity? did a moments fighting ufher in an 
 eternal triumphing ? a life of faith, a life of be- 
 holding? a fmall intercourfe by letters and love- 
 tokens, an eternal, full and naked enjoyment? O 
 wonderful! O fweet difpenfation ! O pleafant 
 confpiration of diverfe providences, and all link- 
 ed together in the moft comely order! what an 
 excellent conne<Elion between time and eternity? 
 what joy, to be vie^^ing them both at once, and 
 comparing them together? It is wonderful! to 
 confider the diiFerence betwixt the workings of 
 thy Spirit upon me now, and then ! was it not 
 the day-ftar, that arofe then in my heart? by 
 which all is now fully illuminated. I am placed 
 tinder the full rays of thy glory. How is this 
 being of mkie filled with thy divine nature ? AU 
 is perfected ! O my elevated faculties ! all my ac- 
 complifhments in time, are fo perfefted, that they 
 are fwallowed up : and fo may be faid to be done 
 away, as a fmall drop, by the approach of a vali 
 ocean. What higher happinefs, than tlius to re- 
 femble thee, O fulnefs of all happinefs! O ever 
 flourifhing eftate of joys! every moment is a 
 golden life, every day is ten thoufand heavens of 
 Bleflednefs. 
 
 49. Our blejfednefsy is one eternal a B of marrying^ 
 feafiing^ triumphing^ folacing in the bed of love. 
 
 This is the day of our King's Efpoufals, and 
 the day of the gladnefs of his heart: this is the 
 day we longed, prayed, fighed, weeped, and 
 wre(lled for: and may not every minute obliter- 
 ate millions of millions of ages of forrow and tor- 
 
^38 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 meriting labour? This is the day wherein it is 
 ever morn, ever noon-day, but never a declining 
 ihade. You forrovi'-s, you griefs, you labours, 
 you cannot enter this thrice blefTed day of eter- 
 nity ! it is our marriage-day, the day of the glad- ' 
 nefs of our hearts. No nights, weeks, months, 
 or ages; all is after the fame, eternity is but one 
 day; the day of the great confummation of the 
 match, betwixt our glorious Bridegroom and us. 
 In time we were betrothed unto him, by the me- 
 diation of his ambafladors, and there pafied love- ^ 
 tokens, sfs a feal of the willingnefs of parties; and 
 fuch were fufficient until the full accomplifhment. 
 Now, O now ! are we met together, in this ma- 
 jeftic marriage-hall of glory, prepared for the fo- 
 lemnizing of this eternal marriage. All are now 
 in the marriage-robes. Attendants of the Bride- 
 groom, you are majeflically arrayed, as it well 
 becomes the minifters of fo magnificent a Prince. 
 O ! how doth the Father of the Prince, the Bride- 
 groom, appear in his glory and majefty? what 
 wonderful manifeftationa of Jehovah are here? 
 and how is the Bridegroom adorned? O my Head 
 and Hufband ! how haft thou arrayed thyfelf in - 
 thy royal and gorgeous apparel? thou appeareft 
 indeed like a prince in his marriage-day! O but 
 thy raiment is far changed! thou haft caften 
 from thee the bafe garb of mortality, which in a 
 great part obfeured thy matchlefs glory and love- 
 iinefs, and haft decked thyfelf with ravifliing di- 
 vine majefty and lovelinefs, as with a garment. 
 Thou foughteft and wooedft thy bride in a low 
 and contemptible equipage; thou madeft it known 
 that thou couldft draw hearts to thee, in the moft 
 low and defpicable condition : it would not have 
 h^cn fo wonderful; if thou hadft allu/ed, and gain- 
 ed \ 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY 139 
 
 cd confent, appearing in thy royal and majeftic 
 eftate. But here is the wonder! yet, no wonder, 
 fince lownefs, weaknefs, fhame and contempt^ 
 cannot but change their nature, and become ex- 
 altation, vigour, glory and renown, if once thou 
 affiime them. But now, thou art altogether glori- 
 oufly arrayed, fuitable to the perfon and the day. 
 O the beauty! O the ravifliing perfume of thine 
 
 * apparel ! all thy garments fmell of myrrh, aloes 
 
 * andcaflia,out of the ivory palaces,* whereby they 
 have made thee glad. The very perfume of his 
 raiment is two heavens ! what fwectnefs then, to 
 (land within the place filled with fuch ravifliing 
 fragrancy? But O! to be ever thus, in an eternal 
 a£l of marrying, efpoufing, embracing, kifllng, 
 and fiill communications of love, is ten thoufand 
 lives of fatisfa6tion, ten thoufand worlds of per- 
 feft blellednefs, all beaten into one mafs. Whp 
 but Chrift, and us ! how hath he arrayed us, ac- 
 cording to his grandeur and excellency? all is 
 embroidered with gold and gems ; ev^ry diamond, 
 every ruby, every fapphire tranfcehds by in- 
 numerable degrees, the fun of the lower world, 
 (hining in his Itrength. And doth i\ot this great 
 all appear in joyful apparel, as befitting the efpou- 
 fals of fo glorious a couple? All things dance, all 
 things found forth melodioufly our wedding-fong f 
 what a life is this? ever to be marrying!, ever 
 to be at the marriage-feafl ! ever to be entering 
 the bed of love ! this feafl is furniflied with all 
 delights, it rayiflies every moment, and through- 
 put all eternity! O what vapety! O what effi- 
 cacy in every delicate ! every one doth for ever 
 fatiate; and yet delights are ever renewed! this 
 land is nothing but a table furniflied with all a- 
 bunfiance of fruits always. All milk;^ all fpices. 
 
E40 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 all delights, every where fuperabound eternally. 
 And in what a ravifhing manner art thou ever in- 
 viting? *Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abun- 
 * daritly, G beloved:' drink, and drink again, and 
 for ever drink. This is a day of gladnefs and re- 
 joicing*, this is the day of the accomplifhment of 
 aU our defires. The pomp of this day is glorious 
 Indeed! verily, my God, thou haft made us as 
 happy as can be ! this difpenfation tranfcends in- 
 conceivably all others! this delight and love is 
 ever blooming and green ! O this fweet and de- 
 lightful bed of love ! one fight and fmell of it, afar 
 off, is ravifhing. How is it all ftrewed over with 
 ever flourifhing and ever blooming rofes and Hlies ? 
 with infinite kinds of odoriferous and beautiful 
 flowers, of infinite virtues ? all my faculties arc 
 £lled, and over-filled with all manner of delights 
 and fweetnefs! is not this wine of glory, O en 
 joyers, of wpnderf^l efficacy? who can endure to 
 pull the cup from thp mouth? and yet every 
 draught doth fatiate to the full. And is it not 
 endowed with all poffible virtues? do not its fpirits 
 fill all the faculties and powers with an immortal 
 vigour ? an unfpeakable fweetnefs, and furpaffmg 
 joys? great things haft thou prepared, G Well- 
 beloVed, far above all our conceptions ! what fhall 
 be my never-ending exercife, but to be fatiated 
 and raviihed with thine uncreated fweetnefs ? If 
 my clofing with thee, though abfent, was furpaf- 
 fmg joyful, how ihall I now rejoice, and exult, in 
 folemnizing the bargain, in fatiating myfelf for 
 ever with fully manifefted loves, in this bed of 
 love ? the wooing time feemed fmall and incon- 
 fiderable; O the marriage is wonderfully glorious 
 and excellent! How little didabafe world efteem 
 thy great call? when thou fenteft thine ambaff^- 
 
 dors 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 141 
 
 dors to call them unto this everlafting fupper; hov/ 
 did they .flight fuch an aftonifhing difpenfation, as 
 a well invented fancy; and turned themfelves 
 wholly to their earthly enjoyments, as being the 
 only real things, which afFeifled their brutifh 
 minds ? Do you not now fee your defperate mad- 
 nefs, O vile worldlings ? is not your apprehenfion 
 wonderfully changed? did you flight the fweet 
 invitations of the Almighty, to fuch boundlefs 
 happinefs ? Well, you fhall never tafte it, through 
 all eternity. You have gotten your choice, a mo- 
 mentary enjoyment of earth have you received: 
 this boundlefs joy you never cared fer. If you 
 have done wifely, rejoice therein throughout eter- 
 nity. O happy I! that ever I gave up my name 
 among the number of thine efpoufed ones! ^that 
 * ever thou inclinedft my heart to take thee,' for 
 my Lord, Head and Hufband! O blefled choice! 
 a thoufand times blefTed choice? had I known in 
 time how happy a bargain I had made, fhould I 
 not have been overjoyed unto the death ? and was 
 there fuch a difficulty, to get the children of men 
 to fay. Amen, to fuch an advantagious bargain ? 
 didft thou knock, and knock again, O Wellbelov- 
 cdi at the doors of our hearts, before we would 
 heartily accept? didft thou argue, befeech, threat- 
 en, and 'weep for a confent? who would have 
 thought but one furious invitation had been 
 enough for all mankind! O blockifli mortality! 
 O ftupid brutifli madnefs! thou haft not caufe 
 here to exalt thyfelf, O empty felf, which didft 
 defpife, and overlook, fo much, this glorious 
 match: which refufedft thefe glorious offers? 
 di^ft thou not play faft and loofe with Jefus, as 
 with all others? When he faw he could not pre- 
 vail with thee, more than others? (all mankind 
 
 being 
 
142 A GLIMPSE or GLORT. 
 
 being alike in their original,) he put in his hand 
 by the hole of the door, and then caufed thy bow- 
 els to be moved for him: he filled thine heart, 
 ere ever thou waft aware, with his overcoming 
 love and fweetnefs: thou waft hearing the found 
 of this gofpel in a dead and natural way, but he 
 breathed upon all thy faculties, andfaid unto thee. 
 Live; and thou didft arife from the dead, and didft 
 hear, and fee wonders in the gofpel, which blind 
 ftupid worldlings could never perceive. Had he 
 fuffered thee to follow tliy nat^iral inclinations, 
 thou hadft marched on, to endlefs deftru£tion, 
 contrary to all his loving invitations.. Nay, but 
 fii¥:e from eternity he had chofen thee, of his 
 own good pleafure, out of the mafs of mankind, 
 he could not but manifeft his love to thee, in 
 time, in a fpecial manner; and therefore he paft 
 from intreaty to ravifhmcnts, and drew thee with 
 fuch ftrong cords of love, that thou couldft not 
 but yield. O my holy One, no creature can re- 
 fift thy overcoming beauty: when thou darteft 
 forth thy love, all is fet in a flame; hell and death 
 €ould not refift thee. Ever haft thou been draw- 
 ing finners up to heaven after thee, unto this 
 great marriage; and now we are all within the 
 bed of love. Love ! nothing but ravifhing love I 
 O what looks of love ! nothing but kifies, but eter^ 
 pal embraces^! men and angels, is it pofllble that 
 we can be more happy? what can creatures have 
 more? is there any one more fweet and lovely 
 than the Chief often thoufands? can there be any 
 greater and nearer fellowfhip with him than this? 
 He is our friend, our moft intimate friend; we 
 fpeak with him face to face. Nay, he is our bro- 
 ther, near of blood unto us ; we will kifs, eternally 
 kifs, and (hall not be afhamed. Nay, he is our huf- 
 
 band. 
 
A GLIIVIPSE OF GLORY. 143 
 
 band, one with us, as he is one with the father, 
 one in nature, fpirit, mind, and afFed:ions : He is 
 ours, and we are his. O yhat great communi- 
 cations of love fhall we eternally be filled with I 
 Are you not chanting forth marriage fongs, O 
 yc angels? are ye not for ever inventing love- 
 longs of your matchlefs Bridegroom, O ye faints? 
 O thou whole creation of God, art thou not in a 
 fmiling exulting pofture ? And is not all this glo- 
 ry and bleflednefs the objedl of your grief and 
 forrow, vile mifcreants? are you gnafliing your 
 teeth through torment, and forrow, and envy, 
 when the whole creation claps its hands, for ex- 
 ceeding joy? Is it not moftjuft? that you are the 
 curfe and the derifion of all? you judged yourfelves 
 unworthy of this boundlefs happinefs, and are you 
 not juilly jQiut out from this joyful marriage-fup- 
 per of the Lamb? no more crying, Come unto 
 the marriage ; all is pail and done, nothing to do ; 
 all things continue in this very condition in which 
 they are. O now! who but Jehovah and the 
 Lamb ? who but the Lamb and his fpoufe ? who 
 are now mafters of ^11, who are now the eternal 
 tri.umphers. Behold, men and angels, behold your 
 King, and Head, and Wellbcloved, in his robes- 
 royal, with fuch a mafly diadem of glory on liis 
 majeftic head, as would crufh in pieces ten thou- 
 fand myriads of worlds: every ruby of his crown 
 tranfcends all valuation j the diamonds and pearls 
 for ever dazzle the eyes of the beholders: 
 all the fpe6tators are amazed . and confounded, 
 they fparkle and ray forth beauty and lovelinefs 
 throughout all generations. Is it poffible for you 
 to reitrain your eyes, O fpeftators? muft not all 
 your faculties bend thither eternally? who can 
 exprefs the thcTtights of his heart? who can teU, 
 
 what: 
 
144 A GLIIVIPSE of GLORY. 
 
 what he clearly beholds ? who can enough behold 
 what appears moll evident ? This is the fight, 
 the only fight! what greater happinefs, O Prince 
 of glory, than 'to follow thee whitherfoever thou 
 
 * goeft ?' What glory, to run after thy chariot, 
 in this day of thy glory and power? What ho- 
 nourj to bear up thy train, in this thy marriage- 
 day ? follow thee ! could we but follow thee, the' 
 it were but through innumerable worlds! never, 
 never (hall we be disjoined from thee. O ftrange 
 world ! O wonderful eftate I ever to be triumph- 
 ing ! ever to be marrying ! ever to be folacing in 
 the paradife of loves! ever to be riding in the 
 chariot of honour! this chariot is of 'the wood 
 
 * of Lebanon, the pillars thereof are of filver, the 
 
 * bottom of gold, the covering of purple ; the 
 
 * midft thereof being paved with love for the 
 
 * daughters of Jerufalem.' Is not this a majeftic 
 chariot, "^Y^ich contains fuch a great company of 
 kings and priefiis ? What a life is this ! thns to 
 ride in the chariot with the great King of glory, 
 whofe goings forth have been from eternity? is 
 this the honour of the faints ? is this the glory 
 we heard, and fpake fo much of, on earth ? is 
 this the accomplifhment of my expe£lations ? 
 This is more than ever I could afk, or think; 
 thus to enter in triumph at the gates of this gold- 
 en city, to walk up and down its golden ftreets, 
 alongft the border of this *pure river of living 
 
 * water,' over-fhadowed with this delightful Tree 
 of life! O aftonifliing exaltation! O filly I, art 
 thou not highly exalted? It was much that thou 
 couldft expeft this, but m.ore that thou canft bear 
 It. One beam of thine infinite excellency, O my 
 excellent Wellbeloved, hath a wonderful efficacy, 
 which can render dunghill wretches of fuch fu- 
 
 blime 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 14 /f 
 
 bllme royal fpirits, as that they can carry, bravely^ 
 the higheft exaltation and glory? thou art worthy^ 
 O Flower of excellency, thus for ever to ride 
 glorioufly, with all thy redeemed ones after thee ! 
 thou didft fight and overcome; and fhall not all 
 thofe be crowned with immortal glory and ho- 
 nour, upon whom thou art pleafed to caft thy 
 favour? Thou wooedft and foughtft thy bride 
 through labour, and fliame, and pain, and forrow, 
 and death, tho' deformed and vile, flighting all 
 the manifeflations of thine infinite love; and fhalt 
 thou not deck and beautify her, and be delighted 
 in her eternally? O this fweet, fweet union and 
 communion! O the mutual compellations of vehe- 
 ment and mutual love! nothing but, 'O thy fair» 
 nefs, thy beauty ! behold, thou art fair, my love, 
 behold, thou art fair! behold, thou art fair, my 
 beloved! thou art all fair, my love; there is no 
 fpot in thee! thou haft ravifhed my heart, my 
 fifter, my fpoufe, thou haft ravifhed my heart 
 with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck! 
 O the fairnefs of thy love, my fifter,. my fpoufe ! 
 the moft rejoicing liquors, the moft refrefhing 
 fragrancies are nothing comparable thereunto: O 
 thy honied lips ! O thy ravifhing fweet tongue, 
 paffingall rivers of fweetnefs! O thy Lebanon gar- 
 ments! they fmell like a field which the Lord 
 hath blefTed. I am my beloved's, and my beloved 
 is mine; he feedeth among the lilies. Come, my 
 beloved, let us enter the bed of loves, and eter- 
 nally fatiate ourfelves with overcoming delights : 
 O then, I will be fatiated with love-kifTes and em- 
 braces ! I will caufe thee to drink of all my deli- 
 cacies: thy left hand fliall be eternally under mine 
 head, and thy right hand fliall embrace me. I 
 fhall be for ever a feal upon thine arm, upoc 
 T thine ^ 
 
T4(5 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, ; 
 
 thine heart.' Strong burning love requires the , 
 iieareft enjoyment. O what a green and bloom- J 
 Jng love is this 1 we ate ravifhed with the love of ; 
 efpoufals! througho'at eternity, every hour is as i 
 the firft hour, every enjoyment as the firft enjoy- : 
 ment! all is like the lilies, rofes, paradife flowers j 
 found about us, that laugh and fmile, with an- ini- ] 
 mortal verdure ! dance, and dance eternally, thoa i 
 whole creation of God; let the manifellations of ; 
 ihy joy be for ever manifefied; rejoice, even re- i 
 joice for ever, in thefe wonderful glorious efpou- ; 
 fals of the Lamb; for upon every part of thee i 
 liath its excellency an influence. Jehovah had ' 
 not fo admirably adorned thee, O thou heaven of \ 
 heavens, were it not for the glory and majefty of ^ 
 ihefe everlafting efpoufals? would he have adorn- , 
 €d thee with fuch glorious manfions, if k had not • 
 been for the glory and delights of his bride ? J 
 would the 'mountains of myrrh and frankincenfe' \ 
 have been filled with fuch furpaffing ravrfhments,, - 
 * all the gardens of love' with fuch rarities of \ 
 beauties ? Would th^ walls, the houfes, and i 
 ftre^ts be made fo wonderfully excellent and de- 1 
 lightful, were it not for the honour and delight I 
 of fuch a glorious couple ? Wouldfl thou have i 
 been renewed after fo glorifeus a manner, O thou > 
 lower world, were it not that thy Maker will ■ 
 liave all to fmile, and appear in a fweet, joyful,, 
 and marriagi-apparel, in this day of the boundlefs ; 
 joys of his heart? O joyful creation of God! O 
 my heart, thou ovetfloweft with ravifhments! O 
 flower and excellency of all lives ! O higheft top \ 
 of all felicity I O boundlefs oceans of eternal ra- ( 
 tifhments! ! 
 
 50. The full enjoyment of God^ cdnfijls in the \ 
 neareft mutual conjtm^icn. ' 
 
 O 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 147 
 
 O bleiTed felf ! that refts fo fweetly in the arms 
 of thy only Wellbeloved I thy head eternally lies 
 in his bofom : the heat and life ariling from his 
 flaming heart, hath a virtue, which would caufe 
 death and forrow to live aiwl be cheerful. Hell 
 and devils, though I were in the midft of you all^ 
 I could not fear you, who reft within thefe in- 
 vincible arms. You flower and excellency of all 
 creature-beauty and lovelinefs, you could not al- 
 lure me, to leave, for one moment, this rpifhlng 
 repofe. This was a counterpoife in all thy diffi- 
 culties through the valley of tears: the fore^ 
 thoughts of this added ftrength and courage, in 
 all thy faintings and infirrnities : the hope of this 
 fweet reft hath not been in vain. Had I had fuit- 
 able apprehenfions therepf how valiant had I been 
 for the truth upon the earth? how (hould I ever 
 have contended to the uttermoft, for the fmalleft 
 things of my Wellbeloyed ? how fhould I have 
 raifed up againft me the tongues and reproaches 
 of the moft excellent faints on earth? iiow fhould 
 I have been fo courageous, and zealous, for his 
 interefts, as that I fhould have proven 21 man of 
 contention, in the pureft times? the threatenings, 
 calumnies and mockjngs of either friend, or foe, 
 fhould liave been nothing regarded by me: but I 
 fhould have fo behaved, that I fhould have fcarce 
 efcaped capital punifhment, in the b eft of times. 
 How fhould I have a«fled tq admiration? how 
 fiiould I have run and fought, and fought and run, 
 ever with joy unfpeakable and glorious? Can there 
 be greater blefTednefs, than to dwell within thefe 
 arms of love? My labour, my grief, my forrow, 
 hath been juft nothing: one moment-s repofe in 
 thy bofom, fweeteft Wellbeloved, might fwallow 
 up t^a thoufand ages of all labour, pain and for- 
 T 2 row. 
 
I4S A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 row. Now I need no more to pray for kifTes y 
 and I will alfo kifs, and be ever drawing fweet- 
 nefs from thefe blefled lips; for we (hall never 
 change this blefled pofture. No need to charge 
 any, that my Beloved ^ be not provoked to arife, 
 till he pleafe.* lam overjoyed,' that all finning 
 and vanity is donp away, which did much fepar- 
 ate us afunder! O fweet, fweet! that thou haft 
 made me pleafant and defirabie in thine eyesl 
 what can I defire more, than that I be lovely and 
 delightful in the eyes of my Lord the King ? Re- 
 joice and be glad in what is thine own : even 're- 
 
 * joice over nie. with finging, and reft in thy love' 
 towards me. Drink, and drink again of that fweet- 
 nefs, wherewith thou haft filled me : be delighted 
 always with this lovelinefs of which I am par- 
 taker by thy bounty and favour. Let mine eyes 
 for ever ravilh thee, for ever dart forth rays of 
 lovelinefs upon thee; and be fatisfied with my 
 breafts, at all times. My bkflednefs can be no 
 greater; *Thou art mine, and thy defire is to- 
 
 * wards me.' Wonder, and be greatly amazed, O 
 all crea^tures; the eternal One, and yefterday- 
 ibeings are for ever in the mutual delights of love, 
 in the ravifliir)g folaces of one another! earneftly 
 pry, and pry eternally, men and angels, you fhall 
 ever be infinitely removed from the furthermoft 
 of this abyfs of wonders: who can comprehend 
 this exaltation? who can conceive this conde- 
 fcenfion? what think you, that God and crea^ 
 tures converfe fo familiarly together? what think 
 youj that he is our Brother, our Huft)and, one 
 like us, one with us, one for us, one raviflied 
 with our fellowfhip, for evermore? whocanfnow 
 the thoughts of his raviftied heart ? who can fully 
 Reflect ^n the aftonifhed apprehenfions of his e- 
 
 Ipvated 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 149 
 
 ievated mind? Hafl thou not fhown what infinite 
 power can do? how low infinite love can ftoop? 
 how highly infinite bounty can exalt? how 
 wonderfully infinite excellency can make beauti* 
 ful and excellent? O my faculties! you fliall be 
 ever filled with aftonifiiment, ever fatiated with 
 his uncreated fweetnefs ! Can I fufFer any want in 
 thy bofom, O Fountain of excellency? fliall I not 
 be filled, who am fet down befide this well of liv* 
 ing water, under the boughs of the tree of life, 
 whofe delicious fruits are ever falling upon me ? I 
 am fatiated with thy love, my fair One; fome 
 glimpfes thereof on earth were ravifhing, wonder- 
 fully above what the abundance of corn and wine 
 could produce: the report of thine excellency and 
 glory filled the heart with furpaffing fweetnefs: 
 thy ravifhing emanations could not be contained 
 within this large land, but had influence upon the 
 lower world, caufing many of the inhabitants to 
 be deeply in love with thee, whom they never faw; 
 fo that they renounced the love of all things for 
 thee, ftrove exceedingly to be like thee, and to 
 pleafe thee in all things : fought againft all oppo- 
 fition, endeavoured to the uttermofl to exalt thy 
 glory, and continued in a longing frame, to be- 
 hold thee face to face; and fo remained faithful 
 unto the death. Thy lovers are never fatiated, till 
 they have thee in their arms: the enjoyment of 
 thee afar off is ravifliing fweet, and cannot but 
 caufe the beholder run with aH his might, until 
 he be at thee, even intwined in thine eternal em- 
 braces. O my life, my life ! O fweet^ fweet, fweet 
 ■for evermore ! 
 
 51. The life of glory ^ is the only lifcy that over- 
 tops all other lives, andfwallows them up. 
 
 All creatures live accoirding to the capacity of 
 
 their 
 
1^0 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 their being, but no life is equal to that which is 
 divine ! th^ animal life is dead and dark, and with- 
 out efficacy and beauty, the intclledlual is a low 
 and bafc thing : but this life of glory doth only 
 excel all other excellencies. All other lives are 
 fwallowedup here I that which is in part, and im- 
 perfe6l, is done away, by that which is the per- 
 fection of excellency. O my lovely One, thou 
 art indeed the Fxincc of life I thou art the life of all 
 the inhabitants of this majeftie city: didft thou 
 withdraw what thou hall communicated, 0iould 
 we not be fo many lumps of death and deformity? 
 Thou art my All in all, my fair One ! thou art 
 my life, and the vigour of all myjoysanddefires. 
 That divine life, by which thou eternally livefb, 
 thou hail breathed into me; fo that I am become 
 inconceivably above a living foul, or an intellec- 
 tual creature: this noble divine life thou didft 
 communicate unto n>e, in my dead ?ind fenfual 
 condition, but in a fmall meafure, fo that it was 
 much obfcured by fin and corruption j then being 
 the time of childhood and wreftling: but how 
 hath it grown more and more, until it hath over- 
 topped, and fwallowed up all other live,s ? fo that 
 now I am filled with all thy fulnefs, even thy nar 
 ture, thine image, thine excellency haft thou fully 
 imprefled upon me : fo th?t, as thou art, fo am L 
 O fecure eftate! Chrift i^ my life; is not then my 
 life eternal? My life lies in the fountain, and ihall 
 it not be ever in its vigour and full ftrength? 
 Other lives are like fmall drops, feparated from 
 the ocean, and may evanilli: how foon did ani- 
 mal, rational an^i intelleclual lives faU from theij 
 native conftitution ? Nothing is permanent, which 
 is not divine; nothing everlafting, which lies not 
 immediately without the ipixture of creature-im- 
 
 perfe^tions?^ 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 151 
 
 perfe£liGns: the nearer thee, the fafer; the fur- 
 ther off from thee, the more dangerous 5 to be 
 quite cut off from thee, is perfeft and only mifery. 
 Curfed men and angels have no other influence 
 from the fountain, but that which ferves .their 
 natural beings, in their natural opperations. O 
 Wellbeloved, not only in thee do *I live, move, 
 * and have my being,' but thou art my All in all ! 
 I am filled with all thy fulnefs. O my life, my 
 life ! do I not live for evermore ? 
 
 52. NoneceJ/ity of creatures in heaven: Jeho- 
 vah is eminently all things'. 
 
 All things are fwallowed up in thine infinite 
 excellency! created enjoyments are decried j times 
 and days are for ever fled away: all things are 
 immediately fubjedled to Jehovah, even the 
 Son himfelf. All rule, all authority is put down: 
 no fubordinations among creatures; one thing 
 Hands not in need of another ^ everything would 
 be, as it is, though all other creatures were done 
 away: all flourifh by the immediate rays of the 
 Sunof righteoufnefsj God doth maintain all crea- 
 tures without the concurrence of creatures : no 
 connections of fecond caufes, no dependencies of 
 one creature upon another : nature's world is quite 
 abolifhed ; the conditions of beings are altogether 
 changed : yet, in how fweet an order do all things 
 agree ? all are independent ; yet all confpire m 
 one : the bond of love betwixt all, is flrong and 
 immortal ; the mutual afpeCts of all are pleafant 
 and fuperabounding, ii* being fupplied every one 
 in their own meafure, immediately from the o- 
 riginal of all perfeflrions. You creature-beauties, 
 the full emanations of your lovelinefs and fweet- 
 nefs are ever darted upon me with delight ; yet 
 am I happy to the uttermoft, whether I enjoy 
 
 you 
 
152 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, 
 
 you or not:' time was when . I could not weH 
 have wanted you ; but now, whether I enjoy you, 
 or not, I am ever the fame ; being filled and fa- 
 tiated with his eternal fweetnefs : you are the or- 
 naments, outfields and pendicles to my great in- 
 heritance, and no addition thereunto. And art 
 thou, O my God, become all unto me? The 
 want of all my temporal enjoyments is a gain 
 that cannot be told ! how have I been vexed, and 
 wearied, with being occupied about vain, empty, 
 unfatisfying nothings ! fo that I was glad of a bor- 
 rowed vifion of thee, of a reflex manifeftation of 
 thy glory and excellency; while I wasfo covered 
 over with fhadows, that I could neither order 
 right expreflions, nor conceptions, becaufe of 
 darknefs. How oft have I bemoaned, *Wh«i 
 fhall the day dawn, and the ftiadows fly away, 
 that I may be filled immediately with his glory? 
 Iliis fight of his beauty, this tafte of his fweetnefs 
 Is tormenting, as well as delightful, I cannot reft, 
 until I get full enjoyment : ftill I would have more 
 and more of God, until I be filled with all his 
 fulnefs: but oh! I cannot; ten thoufand things 
 (land in betwixt me and him, through this earth- 
 ly and finful eftate; fo that I am cfft-times fo con- 
 fufed and difordered, that I can defire nothing at 
 all: how doth this poor life depend, every mo- 
 ment, on ten thoufand things? Here am I divert- 
 ed, through mortality, by every thing that comes 
 in my way j innumerable creatures having a com- 
 manding, diverting influence over me: muft I be 
 ever fleeping, eating, drinking, converfing in this 
 and that trifle? muft I draw confolations from 
 this and the other, and the third creature; and 
 have a fellowfliip v/ith my God, by benefit of 
 means and ordinances, which ever have the tinc- 
 ture 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY 153 
 
 tMte and favour of imperfe<S):ion ? and are not the 
 conduits oft-times fo corrupt, as that they imbitter 
 my enjoyments? and are they not fo ftopt, as 
 that I am almoft dead for want r How am I drawn 
 afide hither and thither; this feeble flefh being 
 apt to receive new impreffions, every moment, 
 from every thing that comes in the way? and how 
 vexing are all thefe enjoyments, though moft ne- 
 celTary? what a naufeating round do I run, ever 
 tofTmg the fame (tone? That 'which hath been, 
 
 * is that which (hall be, and there is no new thing 
 
 * under the fun. What profit hath a man of all 
 
 * his labour ?' For though the eye is not fatisfied 
 with feeing, nor the car with hearing, fo that new 
 enjoyments are ever required; yet muft the fame 
 thing be run over, and over again: and what 
 might feem more excellent than, by the ferious 
 fearch and ftudy of things, to have the heart filled 
 with great experience of wifdom and knowledge? 
 yet I perceive, that *this alfo is vanity and vexa- 
 
 * tion of fpirit; for in much wifdom, is much 
 
 * grief, and he that increafeth knowledge, increaf- 
 *■ eth forrow.' Run fall, O time, and days, that 
 this world may be decried for ever, and God may 
 become All in all. Silly worldlings defire to have 
 thefe enjoyments eternally; becaufe they knew 
 no better; the faculties muft be exercifed with 
 fomething, though with vexing vanity. O but I 
 have a fight of the only fatisfying objed: 1 O to 
 have all thefe out of the way ! were it not thy 
 good pleafure I fhould continue thus for a time, 
 I could not but die through longing for the imme- 
 diate vifion of God. Scattered ftreams and drops 
 are become bitter; when {hall I enter, body and 
 foul, into the ocean, and be filled, and fwallowed 
 up for ever and ever? when fhall I receive the di- 
 
 U rea 
 
154 A GLIMPSE of^GLORY. 
 
 reO: rays of all excellency from the Sun of righte- 
 oufnefs; no clouds intervening throughout eterni- 
 ty?* O Flower of all bleffednefs 1 O golden life of 
 all my defires ! I am paft from the light of the fun, 
 and of the moon ; I am paft from the neceflary 
 help of (hadows, and nothings: the Lord Jeho- 
 vah is my only ftrength, and light, and life, and 
 joy, and fong, and all things. Is it not fweet living 
 thus, in the immediate prefence of Jehovah and 
 the Lamb ? O Emmanuel's world, thou art an ex- 
 cellent habitation! how fweetly and commodi- 
 oully art thou fituated dire6tly againft the Sun, 
 and original of all light, and life, and joy, and 
 fweetnefs? Who can but be lively and joyful here? 
 Indeed, this is the fmilling world, the rofy and 
 funny fide of the creation. What more can be 
 faid of my overflowing happinefs, than that I am 
 here for evermore ? 
 
 53. Glory is an ^ernally blooming thing. 
 
 Is not the fountain of life dqep ? men and an- 
 gels, is it poifible you (hall ever draw it dry? nay, 
 is it poffible you can draw fo much, that lefs re- 
 mains behind ? yea, what could millions of milli- 
 ons of angels multiplied do here ? Not only drink, 
 •and for ever drink*, but enter in, and you (hall 
 be, as fo many nothings, fwallowed up, as it were, 
 and loft for ever. What infinite fprings of fweet- 
 nefs and confolation lie hid ? Dig further and deep- 
 er, for ever, and ft ill you (hall find new fprings: 
 ftill there remain as many hid as at the firft fearch- 
 ing. What boundlefs varieties of joys and fweet- 
 nefs ? Every draught, every tafting may eternally 
 ravilhj yet, every moment, every inftant is filled 
 with new delights, new ravifhments: for what can 
 exhauft infinite delights and fweetnefs ? We may- 
 feel, and tafte, and enjoy it, as it is 5 but can we 
 
 comprehend 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 155 
 
 comprehend it, and fearch it out unto perfedion? 
 When we are all filled, the boundlefs ocean is no- 
 thing diminiihed: and iince we are ever drinking, 
 ever drawing in floods of uncreated fweetnefs, are 
 not our delights infinitely various, and renewed 
 every moment? tho' it is an enjoyment of the fame, 
 after diverfe manners, according to its infinite va- 
 rieties of perfe£lions, which eminently and virtu- 
 ally dwell therein. O then, the various and won- 
 derful conceptions of men and angels! O the 
 evergreen and flourifhing communications of ra- 
 vilhing loves, and joys! fhall there not be, every 
 moment, a new love-fong of praifes? fhall not in- 
 finite perfections, more and more feen, fupply for 
 ever with new expreflions of the excellency, glo- 
 ry, lovelinefs, fweetnefs and kindnefs ©f Him that 
 fits upon the throne, and of the Lamb? We are 
 paft from augmenting of our knowledge, by bor- 
 rowed vifions J or perfefting it, byftriving to know 
 more, and more evidently, and difiinflly j all con- 
 fufionand darknefs is done away; error, ignorance, 
 and falfe conceptions, are no more: we know as 
 we are known, even nakedly, immediately, and 
 face to face; without a profpedlive reprefentation, 
 or clouds intervening: fothat, as tokind, knowledge 
 is perfect; yet, (hall we not ever be fearching in- 
 to the unfearchable riches of this bottomlefs mine, 
 filled with all varieties of filver, gold, gems, dia- 
 monds, rubies fapphires, of inconceivable value 
 and excellency? Are we not as fo man)r divines, 
 fearching, preaching, difcourfing more and more 
 of the tranfcendent excellency of that fountain of 
 all fulnefs? do we not, in this ravifhing exercife, 
 run over again, in the fame round? O then, 
 throughout all eternity our happinefs fhall ever 
 be increafiiTg. Ii> the very firft entry, all fuper- 
 TT '2 abounds^ 
 
1^6 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 abounds, and overflows its banks; fo that nothing 
 is wanting., in the leaft, to perfejH: happinefs, fa- 
 tisfaftion and fulnefs; yet fhall thefe overflowing 
 tides of loves, and joys, and ravifhments for ever 
 fweli higher and higher; fo that the fuccecding 
 moments ihall be more fuperabounding than the 
 immediately preceding. O then, the growth 
 and flourifhing of ten thoufand myriads of ages ! 
 and doth not this river increafe proportionably to 
 its greatnefs ? O then ! after myriads of ages, ac- 
 cording to the number of the atoms of the crea- 
 tion, how fhall it be augmented above the num- 
 ber of all thefe atoms, thoufands of times multi- 
 plied by themfelves ^ So that, to all eternity, we 
 are ever changed from glory to glory, and eyer 
 afcend higher and higher, and ftill the fteps be- 
 come wider and wider; the faculties ever are more 
 and more clear and extended ; and the difcoveries 
 more and more wonderfully ravifhing. This in- 
 finite world of all perfections is beheld clearly 
 and immediately as it is: yet, who can compre- 
 hend all the beauties, delights, excellencies and 
 infinite perfections, wherewith it is ftored? or, 
 who can reach the infinite number of paradifes, 
 mountains, vallies, rivers? yea, who can reach 
 the ten thoufand thoufandth part of its immenfi- 
 ty? So that eternally wc fhall follow the Lamb, 
 through new gardens, orchards, paradifes, moun- 
 tains, and ever be going directly forward, making 
 greater and greater, and more wonderful difco- 
 veries. All the powers and faculties become more 
 and more powerful and vigorous; fo that joy, and 
 delight, and love, and ravifhment, fhall fwell 
 more and more in height, and breadth, and length, 
 and depth, throughout eternity. Men and angels, 
 IS not our inheritance inconceivably large and 
 
 fertile, 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 157 
 
 fertile, rich, beautiful, and delightfd? can we 
 among us all fo much as reckon over our palaces, 
 cities, paradifes, countries, kingdoms and worlds? 
 O what high ftretchings of mind ! and what further 
 and further ftretchings, to let in thefe boundiefs 
 inundations of uncreated fweetnefs, that ov^erflow 
 inceflantly, rapidly and eternally? O my God, 
 this happinefs is more than fuperabounding ! who 
 can exprefs, who can conceive, what a life it is, 
 to be received, into the bofom of thine infinite 
 excellencies ! to be admitted into the eternal en- 
 joyment of thine incomprehenfible Self I O what 
 eternal manifeftations of the Godhead, to men 
 and angels, in the face of Chrifl ! what outlettings 
 of new and various influences from the Sun of 
 righteoufnefs ! what incefTant fhowers of the dew 
 of our Wellbeloved's youth ! what high, full, con- 
 ftant, lively and cherifhing gales of the fweet 
 ravifhing breath of Jehovah ! what wonder then, 
 if all the trees of this paradife of glory afcend 
 higher and higher; fpread their branches further 
 and further, and increafe eternally in their 
 ftrength, verdure, blooming, and fruitfulnefs ? 
 Poor life, that depends on creature-influences, 
 and creature-enjoyments ! neither are they fatisfy- 
 ing in themfelves ; nor can they yield new fweet- 
 nefs eternally. Was it not the highefl of all mad- 
 nefs and folly to forfake the eternal Fountain of 
 living waters, and reft on broken cifterns, that can 
 hold no water? O joy of all joys, that ever I reli- 
 ed upon thee, as my only portion ! O my happi- 
 nefs! my happinefs furpafl^eth all expreflion! 
 
 54. Emmanuel's land is altogether of free redeem- 
 ing grace, yet is it given by way of reward* 
 
 And what is this great afiembly of fuch glo- 
 rious and majeftic creatures, but a number of 
 
 bound 
 
158 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 bound debtors to the free grace, altogether free 
 redeeming grace of Jehovah and the Lamb ? 
 Are ye not, O blefled creatures, fo many monu* 
 ments of the free and undeferved bounty and love 
 of him, whofe love pafleth all underftanding? A- 
 way with deferving and merit ! what can creatures 
 do to thee ? what can their acting, or fuffering for 
 thee, merit at thy hand? If any creature have any 
 thing of its own, or can do any thing of itfelf, 
 then may it glory in what is its own. If all crea- 
 tures are not eternally obliged to love, and obey, 
 and ferve thee, with all their might and vigour; 
 then let them aflc wages for obeying. Yea, is it 
 not an eternal wonder, that thou Ihouldft make 
 men, or angels, aclors, or witneiTes of thine infi- 
 nite glory and excellency ? what are all creatures 
 to thee, that thou fhouldft open thine eyes upon 
 them? what unfpeakable dignity, to be allotted 
 to the lowed piece of fervice for thee ? The more 
 creatures adore, and love, and obey thee, the more 
 they are run into the debt of thy free grace : yea, 
 tho* creatures could deferve, the very a^live glo- 
 rifying of thee carries in its bofom full and over- 
 running recompenfe. And what proportion ima- 
 ginable is there betwixt the adling or fuffering of 
 a finite creature, and one moment of thefe bound- 
 lefs joys? the fervice is finite, but the reward is 
 invaluable. Tho' it had been poffible for crea- 
 tures to perfevere under a covenant of works; yet 
 could they not have deferved, or earned wages, 
 except by virtue of paction, a product of wonder- 
 fully free, and condefcending grace: which way 
 of earning is under this fecond covenant, and that 
 in a more fublime and glorious manner. Per- 
 fedl obedience was the condition of the firft; 
 fincerity of the fecond. Continuation of a ration- 
 al 
 
A GLIIMPSE OF GLORY. 159 
 
 al life, in an earthly paradife, fo long as the crea- 
 ture perfevered, was the reward of the firft; e- 
 ternal duration of a divine life, in this celeflial 
 paradife, the reward of the fecond. The firft 
 was made with the earthly Adam, as the head, 
 and principal perfon of the earthly houfe ; the fe- 
 cond, with the heavenly Adam, as head and prin- 
 cipal perfon of the heavenly. But the firft ruined 
 both himfelf and his, not being able to fulfil the 
 bargain j the fecond hath made up both himfelf, 
 and his, for evermore, by iptrhft obedience, and 
 full fatisfa<nion, and excellency of power, in tranf- 
 forming his children into his heavenly image, 
 and bringing them all infallibly to glory. The 
 covenant was principally made with cur Wellbe- 
 loved 5 all the promifes of the new covenant v/ere 
 made to him, as the chief and ' firft-born of 
 
 * many brethren ;' fo that it was impoffible, that 
 any of thofe he had chofen from eternity could 
 be loft 5 being put into fo fure an hand, who was 
 accountable to the Father for every one of them ; 
 having from eternity received them from him, as 
 his fpoufe, his children, his brethren, his co-heirs, 
 his pupils, to be guided and tutored by him, in 
 time and eternity : fo that all the ftrefs and care 
 of our falvation was laid upon our great Lord 
 Redeemer's fhoulders ; according to which truft, 
 he hath called, juftified, fanftified us, enabled 
 us to do, kept us from falling away, in the midft 
 of infirmities, difficulties, temptations, and pre- 
 fented us * without fpot or blemifh, before his 
 
 * Father.* Our firft earthly father played the 
 bankrupt with all, and left us poor, vile, miferable 
 wretches, lying in our blood, without any eye 
 pitying us ; our nature being in his loins, as the 
 root and original of us all. Did he not degrade 
 
 and 
 
r6o A GLIMPSE of GLORY- 
 
 and debafe us ; fo that from excellent rational 
 creatures, created after the ravifhing image of our 
 Maker, we became brutifh, vain, foolifh, and 
 vile ? but in came our Wellbeloved, and aflumed 
 our nature, in its low and bafe condition, with all 
 its infirmities, and paffions, yet without fin, and 
 raifed it up to a far, far higher pinnacle of excel- 
 lency, than ever it fell from Before, its excel- 
 lency was natural, but now it is fupernatural ; 
 before earthly, now heavenly and divine. What 
 are our thoughts of the inconceivable rays, and 
 ravifhing refplendencies of free, free, free grace, 
 fhining from the Godhead, in the face of Chrift, 
 to. undone creatures ? What could we do for our- 
 felves, when broken and loft ? was not our con- 
 dition moft defperate like ? We could not keep 
 ourfelves in our firft condition, when entire and 
 in our full vigour ; what then could we do, when 
 broken in pieces and deftroyed ? Would we not 
 have been obliged to him, who had reftored us to 
 our former eftate, or merely faved us from eter- 
 nal wrath, though he had done no more ? But O I 
 what aftonifhing bounty, love, mercy, condefcen- 
 fion, compaffion, kindnefs, patience, and infinite 
 wonders fliine here ! Sirs, what have we loft by 
 our great and unfpeakable lofs ? Our fall was a- 
 bominable, dreadful, monftrous, ungrateful, and 
 aftoniftiing ; yet what have we loft ? Ah, no 
 thanks to us, that we are not eternally undone : 
 utter deftruftion may be afcribed for ever to us, 
 tho' the guilt thereof is eternally cancelled ; let 
 all the glory and praife reft upon his head, unto 
 whom it doth alene appertain j even on his glo- 
 rious and majeftic head, who is the author and 
 finiftier of this great falvation. We are thine ? 
 we are thine I O excellent Wellbeloved 5 even 
 
 tMnc 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. i6i 
 
 thmc upon aJl poflible accounts ! In our firft con- 
 dition we were thine by creation, thine by co- 
 venant, and thefe were fweet ; but O now ! now 
 wc are aUb thine by redemption, thine by pur- 
 chafe, thine by a better covenant-foundation, a 
 better foundation than byconqueft; thine by a 
 new creation, thine by exaltation to this glorious 
 and divine eftate. O fweet, fweet! we are alto- 
 gether thine, and in no refpe(£l our own ! O 
 boundlefs joys! I am eternally tied to thee, by all 
 obligations! O my inconceivable happinefs! felf 
 hath not the leaft occafion to boaft of itfelf : no 
 creature, man, or angel, hath any thing of which 
 to glory, in thy prefence. O thou heaven of hea- 
 vens, (halt thou not be filled with fongs of free 
 redeeming grace? what (liould we' do with our 
 diadems, our fceptres, our palms, our robes, our 
 glorious ornaments? what fliould we do with all 
 that we arc and have, but call them down at the 
 feet of him, who hath created, redeemed, and 
 fan(fi:ified us? even at the feet of him, who 'hath 
 
 * redeemed us to God by his own blood, and 
 
 * made us to our God kings and prieflsj and we 
 ' fhall reign for ever and ever.' O excellent! the 
 lefs our own, the better-, the more thine, the 
 more blefled condition ! we are altogether thine, 
 all our excellency, all our actings, all our fuffer- 
 ings, all our glory, is only thine. This kingdom 
 thou alone didft purchafe, without the help of 
 any: all, all are the produO: of free, eternally free 
 love ! all is given to us mod freely ! from eterni- 
 ty were we chofen to all this bleflednefs, moll ab- 
 folutely, without refpedl to forefeen excellency, 
 or deferving. All is moft free to us*, but dear to 
 our Wellbeloved! what couldft thou give more, 
 my deared Lord, than thy life, thy blood, thy very 
 
 X fclfP 
 
I (52 A GLIMPSE OF GLQRT. 
 
 felf? couldH* thou ^ay a greater price for our fal* 
 vation, than thy noble, fuperexcellent, and glori- 
 ous Self? could love have been manifefted in a 
 more tranfcendent, glorious and excellent way? 
 what couldfh thou have done more than thou haft 
 done ? Is not this an excellent inheritance, men 
 and angels ? is not this land a beautiful, rich, and 
 pleafant land indeed? doth this look like the field 
 of blood? our Emmanuel conquered all this by 
 blood and death: he rode over hell and devils, and 
 vanquifhed all the oppofers of this boundlefs blef- 
 fednefs: thoufands and ten thoufand^ were no- 
 thing in his way. He made nations and lan- 
 guages facrifices to divine jufkiee. * He rent the 
 
 * heavens, and came down, the mountains flowed 
 
 * down at his prefence: he trode down the people 
 
 * in his anger, and made them drunk in his fury ;, 
 
 * and did bring down their ftrength to the earth. 
 
 * He gave Egypt for our ranfom, Ethiopia and 
 
 * Sebah for us.' Were not thefe great things? 
 Hath he not redeemed Zion by blood? hath he 
 not made a noble conqueft ? yea, he flew death it- 
 felf ; he went to the land of death and deftru<5lIon,. 
 and vanquifhed his flrongeft, and moft cruel ene- 
 mies, in their own native foil. O wonderful! 
 
 * he led captivity captive,' by being led captive !' 
 by undergoing fhanie, and pain, and grief, and 
 ignominy, he procured boundlefs joys, and de- 
 lights, and glory, and renown: by dying he van- 
 quiihed death, and him that had the power thereof. 
 Here, O here is the invaluable price ! the life, the 
 life, the blood of God! wonder, and ftand in e- 
 lernal amazement, all creatures ! the life of the 
 Lord of life was laid down a ranfom for us, as the 
 price of our eternal bleflednefs ! Who can value 
 the life and blood of the man who is God, blefled 
 
 for 
 
A GLJMPSE OF GLORY. 1^3 
 
 for evermore? ihall we fpeak .<>f ten thoufand 
 millions of millions of excellent men, of glorious 
 angels? That is jufl nothing. Shall we Ipeak of 
 myriads of myriads of worlds, more excellent 
 every one than another? That is juft jiothing al- 
 fo: fo many creatures, fo many nothings. Ever 
 fo many worlds are fo many fhadows, in compa- 
 rifon of the en.durmg fubftance. O the price, the 
 price ! do not the thoughts thereof heighten the 
 conceptions of men and angels beyond all concep- 
 tion? What (Irange flamingsof love! whathighmo- 
 tions of joy! what overflowing tides of admi- 
 ration, at every thought of the wonderful way, 
 wherein God hath done all this to usl all this 
 honour faith, Behold the Son of God put to fhame ! 
 all this glory faith, Behold eternal, effentiai glory 
 obfcured ! and this joyful and flourifhing life faitli. 
 Behold the Prince of life in a great agony, bleeding 
 to death, even the fliameful and painful death of 
 the crofs ! O higheft nianifeftation of infinite love I 
 all is come through the bowels of our deareft 
 Lord Jefus, whofe love to us was fo ftrong, that 
 nothing could in the leaft quench it : he laboured 
 through love, forrowed through lovie, wept 
 through love, he died of love. When Gpld death 
 began to feize on his heart, he fourid it all flam- 
 ing with the love of his deareft fpoufej neither 
 could he deftroy thefc immortal flames, which 
 fla(h and dart forth their overcoming rays, 
 throughout eternity. O thy incomprehenfible 
 love ! bend hither all your faculties, men and an- 
 gels, and be amazed for evermore! O my heaven- 
 ly Father, by thy infinite gift, thou haft loft no- 
 thing ; the Son of thy everlafting love and delights 
 is ever in thy prcfence. O my Redeemer, thou, 
 loft thy life, yet thou haft not loft it; behold, thou 
 X 2 art 
 
1^4 A GLBIPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 art alive for evermore. The price of all doth c- 
 ternally remain, elfe fhould the things bought be 
 nothing. Let no creature fpeak of its excellency, 
 or a^ls; what can they conquer? what can they 
 purchafe? Our Emmanuel hath purchafed all 
 things: indeed by birth-right he is thfe eternal 
 and eflential Heir of all; yet hath he added a 
 new right, and made it all his anew by conqueft. 
 ' Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thee be all 
 * the glory, dominion, and praife,' for ever and 
 ever. Yet, O wonderful bounty, condefcenfion 
 and love! thou haft put on our heads the crowns 
 of conquerors, the laurels of triumph: thou haft 
 put into our hands the never-fading palms of vic- 
 tory: Haft thou done all? and fliall we bear the 
 honour of. Well, and heroically done, for the 
 great and mafTy diadem of glory? Haft thou con- 
 quered? and fhall we triumph, as purchasers of 
 heaven and all? Haft thou fufFered? and ftiall 
 we enter into this glory, as having undergone all 
 the aftaults of hell and death, in our own proper 
 ftrength? This is a fweeter, more condefcending 
 and wonderful difpenfation, than if thou hadft 
 brought us immediately out of the ftate of na- 
 ture into this ftate of glory; or created us in the 
 midft of this incomparable happinefs. O fweet, 
 fweet ! to think, that grace hath uftiered in ^lory ; 
 a life of believing, a life of immediate vifion ; a 
 life of labour and difficulty, this life of eternal 
 repofe; a life of fhame and reproach, this life of 
 immortal glory and renown; a life of fighting, 
 this life of everlafting triumphing; a life of teetrs, 
 pain and fadnefs, this life of boundlefs joys and 
 delights; a life of fears and weaknefs, this life of 
 perfed fecurity and might! how wifely hath my 
 Lord connected all things together? that our 
 
 glory 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 165 
 
 gJory might be more than glory, our happinefsi 
 more fupcrabounding happinefs. This glory, this 
 incomprehenfible glory and rcKown he will caufe 
 to reft for ever upon our heads : worlds of amaze- 
 ment ! to hear my Lord fay, in the prefence of all, 
 to every one, *Well done, good and faithful fer- 
 
 * vant, thou haft been faithful over a few things, 
 
 * I will make thee ruler over many things; enter 
 
 * thou into the joy of thy Lord:' heroically done, 
 for this mafly diadem of glory : * Worthy art thou 
 
 * to walk with me in white; for thou haft kept 
 
 * clean garments, in the midft of a polluted worldf 
 
 * thou haft valiantly fought and overcome; and 
 *■ art thou not w^orthy to triumph withme,through- 
 < out the vaft ages of endlefs eternity? As I have 
 
 * done, fo thou haft fuftered patiently, even un- 
 
 * to the death; and therefore it well becomes thee 
 
 * to enter into this unfpeakahle glory/ What, 
 Lord! muft I, poor filly I, once bafe, finful, 
 wretched and undone I, muft even I poflefs this 
 undefiled, incorruptible, never-fading inheri- 
 tance ? What have I done ? or, what have I fuf- 
 fered for thy excellent name? yea, what have I 
 not done, endeavoured and defired againft thy 
 hblinefs ? Yet, even I muft enter here, as worthy 
 of all! I muft wear the conqueror's crown! I 
 muft bear the palms of vicftory I even thus it muft 
 be, thus it fliould be, fince it is the good pleafure 
 of my Lord the King. When our Bridegroom 
 hath made his fpoufe the perfection of beauty, 
 how is his myftical body compofed of various 
 members, every one endowed with its own pro- 
 per beauty? Every one is not graced with the 
 fame meafure of excellency, fince every rnember 
 conduceth to the beautifying of the whole: variety 
 oi glories in the fame is wopderful, raviftiing and 
 
 pleafant. 
 
it6 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 pleafant. Even on earth the fpoufe was adorned 
 with various excelleticies, chiefly for beauty, and 
 not for neceffity: nay, the heavens and the earth 
 are not defective herein : were every ftar like the 
 fun, or all the liars of equal glory, or the whole 
 expanfion adorned with equal glory; or were e^ 
 very part of the earth covered over with the fame 
 beauties, fo that nothing did excel another; were 
 all heaven, or all earth; or were earth of equal 
 glory with heaven ; or were all a fun ; of were 
 the higher and lovv^er world nothing differing in 
 glory; all would be every way the fame: and fq 
 nothing fo beautiful as it is. Indeed, the head is 
 loving to ail the members,, and is alike afFe£l^ 
 ed with them all; yet, every member is in its 
 .own order, 'according to his good pleafure, 
 ^ which from eternity he purpofed in himfelf.' 
 As he diilributed, after diverfe degrees and manr 
 ners, his gifts and graces, to his chofen in time^ 
 fo doth he make the harveft correfpondenf to the 
 feed-time, the manJy conilit.ution to the infancy, 
 the vigour and blooming to the budding and firft 
 fpringing forth. According to the grace given un- 
 jto us, in time, and the improvement thereof, in 
 a«5ting, or fufFering for his glory; accordingly is 
 every one of us rewarded: as he did promife 
 and teflify, that ' every irjan fhould rec.eiye ac- 
 * cording to his works; fo they that are wife, 
 ^ Ihall (bine as the firmament, and they tha«t 
 "^ turn many to righteoufnefs, as the ftars for ever 
 •^ and evcr.^ The connection betwixt time and 
 eternity here, is not natural, as if from the 
 nature of things, fo much grace deferved fo 
 much glory; fo much, or fo long acting, or 
 fufFering, fuch or fuch a diadem of honour ; 
 but merely from his good pleafure, who difpofeth 
 
 all 
 
A GLIIMPSE OF GLORY. 1^7 
 
 all things mofl abfolutely and freely. If it fo plea- 
 fed him, he might have difpofed otherwife j but 
 this is the moft excellent, becaufehe hath done it. 
 All our excellency, and all our a£ting, or fuffer- 
 ing, was only of him, and not of ourfelves : he 
 alone did * work in us, both to will and to do, of 
 * his good pleafure.' The more we were graced, 
 the more we were enabled, the more we were o- 
 bliged ; only it hath pleafed his infinite bounty 
 to perfecl in eternity, according as he did begin 
 in time ; and to give us the purchafed polTefTion, 
 by way of reward. In our Lord's diftribution of 
 his rewards, he confiders the multitudes of ta- 
 lents, and the improvement of them, and way of 
 improvement ; as, if with vigour and great fin- 
 cerity ; aifo perfeverance therein, and duration,, 
 with more and more magnanimity unto the deaths 
 alfo the greatnefs of the oppofers is confidered ; 
 alfo the eiFei^s, and extending of talents, for the 
 good of others ; as when a man acts bravely^ 
 before fun and moon, whereby great glory doth 
 redound to him, for whom are all things ; and 
 many are ftrengthened, and converted unto righ- 
 teoufnefs r fuffering is confidered in itfelf, a$ 
 fuch, excelling a(fling 5 which is more or lefs ex- 
 cellent, even as a£^ing, according to other various 
 eircumftances. O the wonderful way thou haft 
 taken to beautify thy fpoufe ! how doth the head 
 Ihine moft eminently above all the members 5 and 
 every member according to its meafure, allotted 
 from eternity ? Every one of us was appointed, 
 before the foundation of the world, to this mea- 
 fure of glory, moft abfolutely and freely, without 
 any refpe6l to excellency, 01 good works in time: 
 and yet, O eternal admiration ! * He hath reward- 
 * ed every one of u?, according to our righteouf- 
 
 * nefs J. 
 
i68 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 * nefs ; according to the eleannefs of our hands 
 
 * he recompenfed us j for we kept the ways of 
 
 * the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from 
 ' our God : for all his judgments were before us,' 
 and we did not put away his ftatutes from us ; 
 we were alfo * upright before him, and we kept 
 
 * ourfelves from our iniqu»ity : therefore hath the 
 
 * Lord recompenfed us, according to our righte- 
 
 * oufnefs, according to the eleannefs of our 
 
 * hands in his eye-fight : for with the merciful 
 
 * thou haft {hewed thyfelf merciful ; with the 
 
 * upright man thou haft fhewed thyfelf upright ; 
 ^ with the pure thou haft fhewed thyfelf pure ; 
 ' and with the froward, thou haft ftiewed thyfelf 
 ' froward : for thou haft loved the-affli(!led peo- 
 ^ pie,, and haft brought down the high looks/ 
 All thy promifes to the overcomers thou haft per- 
 feClIy accompliihed. Boundlefs happinefs for 
 evermore I 
 
 ^^, Jll things are fully difcovered in glory y which 
 lay hid in ti?ne. 
 
 All things are laid open before the eyes of all : 
 how exceeding clear and evident is the light of 
 glory ? Do I n©t know you all, and every one ? 
 not only according to your proper efTencesj and 
 weight of glory ; but alfo, what manner of per- 
 fons you were in time, as to all thefe circum- 
 ftances, by which men were differenced from 
 one another : fo that we may fay, This, and this 
 is the man, who was fuch and fuch an inftru- 
 ment in time, for the incomprehenfible glery of 
 our never-enough exalted Redeemer ; who will 
 manifeft all the good works, and excellency of 
 every one before his Father, and before his an- 
 gels. He from eternity knows by name, an^ hath 
 inanifefted the name of every one, before the 
 
 whole 
 
A GLIMPSE dF GLORY 169 
 
 wHoIe creation. Are you not eternally afliamed 
 and confounded, you haters of the only excellent 
 One? You are declared by name before all, and 
 every one in particular; the moft hidden things 1 
 of.darknefs ars now laid open for ever and ever: 
 all your thoughts, your words, your deeds; all 
 your inclinations, your purpofes, your projedls, 
 your impieties are made known perfe<5lly to the 
 confciences of every one of you, to one another, 
 and to us all. Hide yourfelves now, if you can; 
 neither yourfelves, nor your wickednefs, (hall e- 
 ver henceforth efcape our view. Now we are in- 
 conceivably elevated above all natural fagacity, na- 
 tural illumination difcovered wonders, as the fa- 
 gacity of man in his firft eftate did fliew; the light 
 of grace was more piercing, as difcerning things 
 far above the reach of nature ; but all are fcarcc 
 emblems of this light of glory* How *juft and ho- 
 ' ly art thou, in all thy ways,' O my holy One! 
 Thou haft for ever unmafked thd two great com- 
 panies of men and angels; all now appear in their 
 genuine colours: our innocency is manifcfted, and 
 their wickednefs is laid open. How many things 
 did we refer unto this day, as indifcuflable by dim- 
 eyed mortals, who judged according to externals, 
 conjeftures and probabilities;, and not according 
 to the things as they were in themfelves? whence 
 the condemning of the innocent, and juftifying of 
 the guilty: whence many went off the ftage d£ 
 the world, branded with the opprobrious nances 
 of hypocrites, new gofpellers, traitors, feditious, 
 fat^iious, fanatics, and what not; who were the 
 glory flower and excellency of the generation: 
 how many of the moft excellent of the earth were 
 cried out againft on every fide, bccaufe of their 
 0ngubr holinds> and fervency of fpirit, for the 
 y interefts 
 
i7«J A GLIMPSE OF CLORT. 
 
 Jnterefts of Ckrifl, and power of godllncfs, above 
 others; becaufe of their teftifylng againft the pro- 
 per fins of their generation 5 fo that evenfome of 
 the weakeil of the faints did caft abroad foul a- 
 fperfions on them, did hate and perfecute them, 
 as troublers of the world ? And how many were 
 accounted, by the generality, true and fmcere 
 faints, becaufe of their felfifli prudential way of 
 i^arriage, in all exigencies, and among all forts of 
 perfons; becaufe of their large recommendations 
 from ail, and bafenefs of fpirit, in the public in- 
 tcrefts of God, though rejected, deferted, blaf- 
 phemed and troden upon by almoft all; becaufe 
 of their compliance with the humours of moft, 
 *nd infinuatingof themfelves upon both good and 
 bad, in an humble and loving manner; becaufe 
 of their finful refervednefs, in the matters of God, 
 in a declining time; becaufe of their keeping 
 themfelves free from grofsoutbreakings; becaufe 
 of their counterfeiting of real faints, by acquiring 
 a fine outward carriage, and a huge literal, no- 
 tional knowledge of divine thiiigs; that they 
 might pray, write, and difcourfe like men, much 
 .m the intimate fellowship of Jefus: as alfo becaufe 
 of their outward profperity, which give men a 
 brave luftre in the eyes of dull mortals. All, aU 
 is now unmafked! now, now it is manifeft, who 
 were excellent, who were not; who have been 
 the real friends of the Bridegroom, and^who have 
 b^n counterfeit. How fweet is the righteoufnefs of 
 Crod, now vindicated ! what delight to behold all 
 things drawn out of darknefs I my hatred to im- 
 |>iety and hellifh madnefs is fo great, and my zeal 
 for the glory of my never«enough exalted Lord 
 and Redeemer, is fo violent and ftrong, that all 
 Jiatui^ affedions, in their higheft perfection, 
 
 would 
 
A GLIMPSE ep GLORY. 17: 
 
 would here be fwallowed up as nothing: to fee 
 the glory of divine vengeance manlfefted on fa- 
 ther, mother, fifter, brother, fon, or daughter, 
 now black and ugly lumps of hell, and haters oC 
 the fountain of all lovelinefs and fweetnefs, is 
 a fight eternally pleafant. 
 
 56. Among the many appendages of the fair in^ 
 heritance^ the fwcet felloivfjip of men and angels is 
 very confiderable, 
 
 O how fwcet a difpenfatlon ! how wonderful is 
 divine providence! you who were fweet and pro- 
 fitable company to me in my pilgrimage, forever 
 walk with me on the tops of the glorious and ma- 
 jeftic mount Zion. Sirs, I efteemed and loved you 
 above all then, as the only 'excellent ones of the 
 * earth, in whom was all my delight.' But now, 
 love is in its bloom and full perfection. What a 
 golden life would I have efteemed it on earth, to 
 Jive in the company of the moft wife and excel- 
 lent in all ages ? O now, all the excellent of the 
 world are my companions; every lone of which 
 tranfcends, by millions of degrees, in wifdom anc! 
 excellency, the moft excellent mere man on earth. 
 Q ye beloved ones, is not our fellowfhip far 
 changed? 'Old things are palTed away, and all 
 ' things are become liew!' All earthly ties are 
 broken afunder, which did much hinder the fel- 
 iowfliip of faints on earth: we are every way free! 
 the fpiritual relation hath fwallowed up all other. 
 No obligation betwixt us, but that of love: we 
 hold not any thing mediately; Jefus the firft-born 
 of the Almighty King is our immediate fuperior 
 in all things. O glorious magnific kingdom ! O 
 let the crown for ever flouriili on the head of the 
 Conqueror ! what tho' all this aflembly of men 
 and £^ngels fhould be abafed, if he be exalted? 
 y % what 
 
172 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 what tho' all fhould decreafe, if he increafe? what 
 is the flower and chief excellency of all created 
 glory? He is the beauty and triumph of all crea- 
 tures, the head and firft-born of every creature, 
 infinitely more than all creatures ; he is Je h o v a h . 
 
 ^7. "The faints are eternally acquitted; and all 
 their faculties are filled up vjith his ravifhing 
 voice. 
 
 All things are eternal: the faints arc eternally 
 acquitted and juftified; and all the wicked are 
 for ever impanelled and condemned. In how ra- 
 vifhing a manner doth our Wellbeloved fmile up- 
 on lis? for ever doth he ftretch forth the arms of 
 his love to embrace us ? O the fweetnefs of his 
 lips ! the lovelinefs of his voice ! honey and butter 
 is under his tongue, and the fmell of his nofe, is 
 as the fmell of Lebanon: his eyes are ever fixed 
 upon us; every look, every beckoning of the hand 
 manifefts a love, ever to be admired, and never to 
 be comprehended. O his voice, his voice ! is he 
 not faying, *fiehold, and for ever behold your 
 Lord, your Head, your Hufband, your King, your 
 Maker, your only Wellbeloved, who loved yoa 
 with an eternal love; wafhed you, when polluted, 
 in mine' own blood; and made you king$ and 
 priefts to my Father and your Father? 
 
 Did I love you, when vile and abominable ^ 
 and fhall I ever hate you, when made fair and 
 lovely, through my perfect comelinefs ? Come, 
 my faireft fpoufe, comxC, my lovely one, let us fa- 
 tiate ourfelves with ravifhing loves, while the hea- 
 vens remain. Behold thefe arms, that were ftretch- 
 ed out upon the crofs, for your fakes, are ever 
 ready to embrace you: with defire have I defired 
 this golden day of mutual loves and delights; even 
 this day of my efpoufals and gladnefs of heart ; 
 
 and 
 
A GLIMPSE o F GLORY. 1 73 
 
 and therefore I have put on my marriage-robes, 
 arrayed myfelf with glory and majefty, as with a 
 garment: and you alfohave I decked with the ex- 
 cellency of glory. And, can we be but ravifhed ? 
 
 * Thou haft ravifhed my • heart,' my fifter, my 
 fpoufe! even when thou waft black, thou wait 
 precious in mine eyes: fin and vilenefs is nothing 
 in the way of mine infinite love. I loved thee, 
 becaufe I loved thee: and becaufc I loved thee, 
 therefore haft thou become exceeding lovely* 
 Are you not dear unto me ? are you not my de- 
 light and rejoicing ? you are the fruit of my la- 
 bours, fufferings, fad hearts, tears, fighs, groans, 
 fear, pain, (hamc, and reproach: in feeing you, I 
 behold ' my feed, the travel of my foul, and am 
 
 * fatisfied:' enjoy me now, as much as your foul 
 defires. All mountains are removed, all fhadows 
 are fled away; the occafions of your doubtings, 
 jealoufies, and defpondencies, are no more: we 
 {hall enjoy one another to the full. Love fliall be 
 no more pained and fick of delays. Have I not 
 hafted to this eternal day of enjoyment ? how have 
 I difpatched much in a fmall time? I have come 
 
 * fkipping over the mountains, leaping over the 
 
 * hills.' I fwimmed through feas of blood, oceans 
 of tears, worlds of woes and griefs; trode the 
 wine-prefs of the wrath of God Almighty; crufti- 
 ed the people in mine anger, and trampled them 
 in my fury; made my name to refound through- 
 out the whole world; filled the earth with the 
 knowledge of my name ; ere61:ed a glorious church 
 on earth, of Jews and Gentiles; put away time 
 and days, decried for ever all earthly pleafures, 
 pomps, and glory, that we might enjoy this eter- 
 nal day of love's fulleft manifeftations: and be- 
 hold, I am become all in all unto you for ever- 
 more. 
 
f 74 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 iBorc Reftj my deareft fpoufe, in my bofom: rcfl 
 in your loye unto me ; behold, *I reft in my love 
 ' unto thee, and rejoice over thee with finglng.* 
 Haft thou laboured with me ? here is an eternal 
 repofe. Haft thou mourned? partake of my 
 boundlefs joys. Haft thou fuffered for my name's 
 fake? thou Ibalt eternally ride with me in my 
 majeftic, triumphant chariot of glory: thou {halt 
 no more be lick of love, thro' abfence and want 
 of the light of my countenance; whence ill 
 thoughts, and doubtings of mine unchangeable 
 love arife. Kifs, and kifs for ever, and take thy 
 fill of love-embraces. His banner of love (hall ever 
 overfpread us I it is nothing what thou haft been j 
 fince I have elefted thee, and waftied thee, and 
 made thee furpafling beautiful and excellent, and 
 thou haft become mine; my life, my blood, my 
 foul I did give for thee : I have become like thee, 
 and made thee like unto me, that our fellowfhip 
 might be moft intimate and fweet: and what, mf 
 fair one, could I have done more, to make thee 
 fuperabundantly blelfed? have I not fitted thee 
 for my fellowfliip ? have I not adorned thee with 
 fuperexcellent beauty, glory, and majefty? No- 
 thing can (hew forth thy pleafantnefs, thy furpaf-. 
 fmg excellencies: all trees, all flowers, all rofes, 
 »nd lilies, all the beauties that adorn the fpangled 
 heavens, would bluih, to contend with thy fur- 
 pafling beauty J all their perfections are but em- 
 blems of that lubftanti^l excellency, wherewith I 
 have beautified thee. Thine eyes would over- 
 come me, I could not look upon thy beauty, if 
 thou didft not draw near; that love maybefatif- 
 £ed with full enjoyment.' Can there be greater 
 blefTednefs? can there be more intimate fellow- 
 fhip? O what love-embraces! what loye-kifTes ! 
 
 what 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 17^ 
 
 what overcoming fmiles I we bathe ourfelves in 
 the oceans of pure unmixed love! *The very 
 fmell of thy garments, my fair one, ravifh my 
 heart, they exhale a fragrancy like a field which 
 the Lord hath bleffed ! even my Father hath bleffed 
 thee, and thou art blefled for evermore. AJl who 
 have curfed thee, have been curfed; and all who 
 have bleflTed thee, have been blefled. *The eter- 
 
 * nal God is thy refuge ; and underneath are ever- 
 
 * lading arms:' and he hath caft out the enemy 
 from before thee ; and hath faid, Deftroy them. 
 Thou dw-elleft in fafety alone; the fountain of 
 Jacob is open unto thee. O people favcd of the 
 Lord, the {hield of thine help; and who is the 
 flrength of thine excellency: thine enemies have 
 have been found liars unto thee; and thou haft 
 troden them upon their high places. O are you 
 not bleffed, eternally blefled, who have been ap- 
 pointed to fo great things? Glory, excellency, 
 ilrength, beauty, honour, and all are yours ! be- 
 hold, behold, ye children of my everlafling loves 
 and delights, thefe precious crowns, thefe gar- 
 lands of glory, wherewith I adorn you !' Behold, 
 behold, all creatures, devils, and wicked men^ 
 thus is it done eternally unto the men v/hom the 
 King delighteth to honeur. *This is the majefty 
 I clothe them with, who have loved, feared, and 
 obeyed me, unto death, in their generation. This 
 is the kingdom, thefe are the glorious manfions, 
 in which I have fet them down. I fpake not to you, 
 my fair ones, of earthly kingdoms and poflTeflions:, 
 you were ordained to thefe celeftial habitations, 
 as your everlafling country, I told you of worlds, 
 and kingdoms, and crowns, and fceptres, and 
 cities, and glorious manfions; and behold, incon- 
 ceivably more than I promifed: yea, did you not 
 
 inherit 
 
176 A GLIMPSE oj. GLORY. 
 
 inherit time alfo? did you ever want journey- 
 bread, as long as you were on the way, to this 
 country ? though, for your good, I did not laden 
 you with the thick clay of the earth, I ever carved 
 out that lot which was bed for you, which was 
 not a life of earthly abundance : if it had been 
 otherwife, I fhould have made you the only fhar- 
 crs of earth, the only potentates of time: but 
 dunghill earth was far below your divine minds. 
 How degrading had it been, to fee thy fellow-, 
 heirs vexed, turmoiled, and diftrafted with dung- 
 hill concerns ? No, your generous fpirits were ex- 
 ercifed with high and excellent things, and were 
 not brought down by the empty concerns with 
 which the fons of the earth were only occupied. 
 My way to this unfpeakable glory was through 
 contempt, reproach, afflid:ions, poverty, fhame; 
 and I could not dignify you, more than by mak- 
 ing you partakers of my lot, my excellent ones ; 
 if I had plunged you into the midil of earthly 
 profperity and abundance, you would have miffed 
 the greateft glory, which is fufFering for my 
 name's fake; your crown fhould not have been fo 
 mafly and glorious : and where would have been 
 the exercife and trial of ail your graces ? your 
 patience in tribulations, your meek, quiet, and 
 contented fpirit, when the vileft of men were 
 exalted, and did abound in temporal enjoyments, 
 Ibaring the earth among them, as if they alone 
 had only derived their p&digree from Adam? 
 where had been manifefted your confidence in 
 your heavenly Father, if fenfe had not feemed 
 to contradid: the promifes I Thus was the 
 draught of my infinite wifdom, that your way to 
 the crown fhould be through all manner of trials, 
 afflictions; and oppofitions. Great was your agony 
 
 with 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 177 
 
 with devils, with wicked men, with yonr inbred 
 corruptions, with many external difailers; even 
 unto hunger, thirft, nakednefs, and fore trouble 
 for your daily bread : and fhouid it not have been 
 thus? for, if no enemies, no fighting; if no 
 fighting, no viftory, and if no viftory, no tri- 
 umph: is not here a golden chain of wonderful 
 wifdom and love? Poflefs for ever this glorious 
 kingdom, my valiant ones, a kingdom ordained 
 for you moft freely and abfolutely, 'without re- 
 {pc£l to work or excellency : yet, polTefs it by way 
 of conqueft : my free grace, given to you in time, 
 do I crown with this eternal and exceeding weight 
 of glory: all this kingdom is for every one of you, 
 3S if there were none elfe; all of you are pofleiTors 
 of all things. I have redeemed you from eternal 
 wrath, mifery, and finning; I have purchafed all 
 things for you; I have prayed to my Father, that 
 you, whom he had given me, might be for ever 
 with me where I am, to behold my glory, which 
 he hath given me; for he loved me, before the 
 foundation of the world. Thefe, lo, all thefe are 
 your portion. Earth was a portion for the baftards 
 only; and therefore I divided it moft largely a- 
 tnongft them, allotting crowns and principalities^ 
 and the g^reateft earthly things of time, to the vi- 
 left of them: to indulge your childifhnefs, I gave 
 fometimes to fome of you large portions of th« 
 earth; for many ends, known only to myfelf, and 
 for giving you a breathing time, left the fpirit that; 
 I had made fhouid have been brought to nothing: 
 but earthly portions were only fit for bafe fpirits; 
 poor and erripty were the donations I vouchfiifed 
 upon them, in comparifon of this. When I give 
 to you, I give like a king indeed: when I have 
 * afgended on high, and led captivity captive,'! 
 Z ihare 
 
t^B A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 fhare no lefs among my friends, than everkftlngy 
 everflourifhing kingdoms and principalities; and 
 this is the manifeflation of free love, before the 
 corner-ftone of the earth was laid: here, as every- 
 where, doth my abfolute fovereignty fhine. I am 
 Alpha and Omega. There is no caufe of my ag- 
 ings without myfelf : by me, through me, and for 
 me are all things: for you have J chofen veflels 
 of glory and honour, that on you I miglit fhew 
 forth that infinite bounty, love, and compaflion 
 which dwelleth in me.' 
 
 58. Reprobates are already judged^ and con- 
 demned; and all their faculties are filled with 
 the dreadful roarings of the Lion of the tribe of 
 Judah. 
 
 How doth our holy One fill the fenfes of curfed 
 reprobates with his dreadful voice, wherewith ten 
 thoufand worlds might be fhaken to nothing ! how 
 doth the Lion of the tribe of Judah roar forth !. 
 * Be eternally confounded, from my amiable pre- 
 fence, vile wretches, you are a fmoak in my no- 
 ftrils, a fire that burnetii all the day long. Your 
 foul abhorreth me, O prodigious monfters ! and my 
 foul abhorreth you. Betwixt us this unquench- 
 able hatred fhall increafe throughout eternity: 
 as your hellifh violence, and monftrous abomina- 
 tions do increafe, eternally will I kindle the flames 
 of my fury upon you; fo fhall I be eafed, refrefh- 
 cd, and comforted ; I have been wearied with re- 
 fraining: now i^ this unquenchable fury, that 
 burned in my breaft, broken forth, and my foul is 
 delighted. Did fuch an hellifh madnefs poiTefs 
 you, as to think you might efcape my avengeful 
 hand? And knew ye not yourfelves, bits of crea- 
 tures, rebelling againfl me, the omnipotent Sove- 
 reign of all things? Let your o^^nfelves accufe 
 
 yourfelvc-s 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 179 
 
 yourfelves of your horrid villany againft me, the 
 bO'Undlefs original of all excellencies, lovelinefs, 
 and fweetnefs, which you experienced, ungrate- 
 ful wretches: did you prefer, and love, and defire 
 only yourfelves ? fhall the creature be fet up above 
 the Creator? The unparalleled bafenefs of this 
 doth eternally affright you. You are intolerable 
 tormentors to yourfelves: for you behold your 
 vilenefs as it is. Did you not think, becaufe of my 
 filence, that I was like to bafe you ? But now I 
 will eternally reprove you and fet your fins be- 
 fore your eyes: now you fee your wretchednefs. 
 What think you of your holding the truth in un- 
 f Ighteoufnefs ? fo that you became 'vain in your 
 
 * imaginations, and your foollfli heart was darken- 
 
 * ed; profeffing yourfelves to be wife ye became 
 
 * fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible 
 
 * God,' into the vain fancies of your defperately 
 deceitful hearts 5 itill looking upon him, as one 
 like yourfelves. What think you of delighting 
 more in created enjoyments, than in me, the foun- 
 tain of ail joys? Your affections 'bended mofl to 
 nothings and vanities: the fountain of all bleffednefs 
 you abhorred. Did you not fay, 'Let him depart 
 
 * from us: for we defire not the knowledge of his 
 
 * ways ? What profit is there in ferving him ?* what 
 pleafure in being in his fellowfhip ? yc3, what a 
 wearinefs is it? Let us ka,ve earthly enjoyments, 
 and we defire no more; thefe are the only things 
 we delight In. What think you, that you are 
 born enemies, haters of me from your very firfl 
 original? With your firft breathings of Hfe, did 
 you breathe forth malice againft your Creator, Pre- 
 ferver, and Benefacfbor; and what can you do e- 
 ternally, but roar with your malicious blafphe- 
 iniiss? But what availeth either your malice, or 
 
 Z 2 your 
 
i8o A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 your goodnefs ^ I am infinitely above all crfiaturjcs. 
 What is that to me, whether creatures obey, or 
 difobey? What are you, that I fhould be mindful 
 of you, and bring you into judgment? What are 
 you, that my anger fhould burn eternally againft 
 you? Yet it is my pleafure, that upon you be 
 manifefted the glory of my avenging juftice: As 
 I have fworn, fo have I performed, that every 
 knee fhall bow ta me. You ftifFnecked wretches, 
 would ye not yield to the fceptre of my govern- 
 jnent? I will make you ftoop, and lick the dull 
 like ferpents, under my feet, and the feet of my 
 chofen, whom you hated and defpifed, in a vaiii 
 world. 'I alone will be exalted, and my glory will 
 
 * I not give unto another.' Would you not be the 
 aftual inflruments of my glory? T will eternally 
 make you the paffive proclaimers thereof: your 
 curfmgs and bowlings fhall fet me on high, even 
 proclaim the glory of my fpotlefs holinefs through- 
 out all ages. Curfed creatures, whom my hands 
 formed to ferve, and obey, and glorify me; fhall 
 I not recompenfe your hatred and rebellion up- 
 on your own heads? fhall not my foul be fully 
 avenged upon you? You are the abomination of 
 my foul; and therefore vengeance fhall be my e- 
 ternal delight. I am of purer eyes^ than to be- 
 hold iniquity: triumph I not? 'I the righteous 
 
 * Lord love the righteous; my countenance doth 
 
 * behold the upright: but the wicked, and him 
 
 * that loveth violence, my foul abhorreth.' Ac- 
 cording to my abfolute fovereignty, might I have 
 made out of you any thing I pleafed; but thus 
 have I done, that the glory of my fpotlefs holinefs 
 might eternally fliine forth: for as I faid, fo have 
 I done, and it is known, whofe word ftands, yours 
 or mine. Said you, in the ftoutnefs of your hearts, 
 
 «Our 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. i8i 
 
 *' Our tongues are our own, who are lords over us ? 
 * We are lords, we will no more come unto thee.' 
 And fhall you not find, to your eternal mifery, 
 who is the great Former, and abfolute Sovereign 
 ,,of all things? And you the vileft of all vilenefs, 
 to whom mofl lovingly I offered my heart, my 
 blood, my life, my kingdom, and all things; and 
 yet you llighted and neglected all-, as things of no 
 great excellency: O mine enemies, mine enemies! 
 flain and deftroyed ye fhall be eternally before 
 mine eyes. I have no enemies like you^ unto whom 
 I mbfl condefcendingly revealed my will, appoint- 
 ing your lot within the pale of the church. I have 
 fouiid you, O mine enemies, you haters of my 
 holinefs, and defpifers of mine excellency, who at 
 the mofi: loved ' aform of godlinefs, but denied the 
 ' power thereof.' Did I rife up early and late, cry- 
 ing unto you? did I befeech, intreat, proteft, ob- 
 teft, figh, weep and groan over you, that you 
 would come out from your vain converfation, and 
 partake of a blelTed communion with my Father 
 and me? and fhall I not caufe you to howl, and 
 roar, and weep, and gnafh your teeth, in utter 
 darknefs for ever and ever ? Have I not intreated 
 long? fliould I wait for ever upon creatures mad- 
 ly furious againfl me ? 1 have fworn by my holi- 
 nefs, that after death there fhall be no more for- 
 bearance; the word hath gone out of my mouth, 
 it cannot be recalled: I am not a man, that I 
 ihould change. I appointed a time for every 
 thing ; a time of' forbearance, and a time of 
 punifliment. This is the eternal day of wrath ; 
 the endlefs day of vengeance is in my heart; 'The 
 / year of my redeemed is come:' I curfe you, I 
 bitterly curfe you; all the woes that ever I pro- 
 nounced fall upon you; let them be written upon 
 
 your 
 
ie2 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, 
 
 your foreheads, and on your hands, and fill all 
 the powers and faculties of foul and body: Wo, 
 wo, wo ! world of woes and eurfes fall down in- 
 ceflantly and eternally upon you all, according 
 to your wickednefs: as every one of you hath 
 fown, fo fli.all yoii reap. Wo unto you, who have 
 
 * joined houfe to houfe, and field to field,* extrud- 
 ing Adam*8 fellow heirs. W^o unto you, that have 
 mingled ftrong drink. Wo unto you, that have 
 drawn iniquity with cords of vanity; who have 
 called good evil, and evil good. Wo unto you* who 
 were wife in your own eyes, and prudent in your 
 own fight. Curfed be ye, that placed your con- 
 ■fidence in creatures, and not in the Lord Jeho- 
 vah. Wo unto you, who fliut heaven both upon 
 yourfelves and others: wo unto you, who * devour - 
 ^ ed the needy, and for a pretence made long 
 
 * prayers.* Wo unto you, who compafled fea and 
 land, to draw others iinto your faftion, under the 
 pretence of the falvation of fouls : wo unto you, 
 who, by your foolifh fubtleties, did call a miffc 
 upon all the duties of religion: wo unto you, 
 who were ftri^b in the circumilantials and exter- 
 nals of religion, and carelefs of the power and 
 life thereof: wo unto you, who pretended love 
 and reverence to the dead faints, becaufe they 
 could not teftify againft yoaj but maligned, per- 
 fecuted, and contemned the living ones, becauf(? 
 of their oppofing the fijis of the generation where- 
 in they lived. O curfed wretches, the flames of 
 my rage fhall feed themfelves upon you : try your 
 floutnefs and magnanimity now; the threatening 
 of my fury and indignation did little affe^l: you : 
 you gave me the lie, and faid, 'It is not the Lor;^, 
 ^ neither fhall evil befal us.' When my hand was 
 ilretched put, you would not fee; but now you 
 
 fee. 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. jSj 
 
 ice, and feel, and are everlaflingly aOiamed. Your 
 Atheifm is quite done away: know ye not now^ 
 that I am a God of truth and equity? have I not 
 performed all upon you, that ever I fpoke ? are 
 you not filled with wrath? is not foul and body 
 tormented with the dreadful flames of my fury ? 
 do not I fhower down upon you inceflantly fire 
 and brimftone, and an horrible temped of all 
 manner of pains, griefs, and torments? Devils 
 and wicked men, tear and torment, and curfe one 
 another; you concurred bravely in fmning, con- 
 cur in your punifhing; you loved the fellowfliip 
 of one another, be eternally together: compani- 
 ons in time, and companions in eternity. The 
 fellowihip of my holy ones you little efleemed ; 
 I have made betwixt them and you a vaft gulf o£ 
 eternal feparation : had you known their dignity, 
 you would have wondered, that I fuffered you to 
 abide in the fame world with them. "What think 
 you now of provoking me, vile wretches? ar(^ 
 you the creatures that thought highly of fmning? 
 are you able to defpife and mock at the juft pu- 
 "nifhment thereof? No more vain laughing and 
 jollity, the fewel of your bafe fmful delights have 
 I taken for ever from you: not one fmile of joy 
 from henceforth. All the mercies I vouchfafed up- 
 on you, ye did ufe againft me; the more I conti- 
 nued my bounty, the more you rebelled and vex- 
 ed my holy Spirit; though *in me you lived, 
 * moved, and had your being,* yet you forgot me, 
 and minded your own worldly things more than 
 my glory and intereft in the world. All your ac- 
 tions were fubordinate to bafe felf ; even your 
 moil excellent-like a^ittgs and fufferings for my 
 caufe, were ever out of one felfifh defign or an- 
 other: I will fill you with your own ways. You 
 
 Iball 
 
184 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. '\ 
 
 fhall not be troubled with offers of mercy any ] 
 more, nor with the exercifes of godlinefs: nothing , 
 but blafphemy fills your hellifh mouths. You fhall \ 
 not be vexed with the company of mv faints any ; 
 more: 3^ou fhall have your fill of one another's < 
 hellifli fellowfhip throughout eternity 5 your ; 
 choice and delight Ihall not be taken from you. - 
 Know you not who I am ? Am I not he whom j 
 you defpifed and forgot? am I not he whofe yoke \ 
 you brake afunder from your necks ? am I not he i 
 whom you defied, and proclaimed war againft? ; 
 Gird up now your loins, like men, and maintain 
 your quarrel valiantly, ihew, by your magnani- i 
 mous deportment, the juftnefs of your enmity a- i 
 gainft rhe. Defperate wretches, you have not the \ 
 heart to fubmitj neither are you able to fland | 
 againft one billow of my indignation. It was ■ 
 plainly manifefled unto you that all would come ^ 
 to this; but your minds were filled with vanity: \ 
 I am free from the ruin and unfpeakable mifery ■\ 
 of you all 5 you alone have deilroyed yourfelves: 
 madly and defperately have you run to your own ■ 
 deflru6lion; and who was obliged to ftand in ■ 
 your way? Who hath ftruck you with fuch a ^ 
 monftrous hatred to all good, and inclination to ; 
 all evil? are ye not naturally wicked and abo- \ 
 minable? are you not haters of my holinefs and ^ 
 excellency? had ye not from the beginning a ^ 
 ftrange averlion to my fpotlefs holinefs? Blaf- ; 
 phemous wretches, you fee my ways are equal, 
 to your eternal torment and confufion; your ] 
 mouths are for ever flopped, and you are found ] 
 guilty: nothing have you to fay for yourfelves, , 
 your monftrous hellifh frame is as a thoufand wit- ] 
 neiies againft you. Should not I alone be exalted? ] 
 fhould I not cruih to pieces all the deipiiers of j 
 
 my '' 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 185 
 
 my glory ? fhall I .not for ever caufe you to drink 
 of the pure and unmixed wrath of the Almighty, 
 which is poured forth without mixture ? that ye 
 may be filled with my fury and indignation, and 
 maybe drunk, and made mad, and torment, and 
 tear, and devour, and curfe yourfelves, and one 
 another; that every thought may bring in a dread- 
 ful horror, and hellifh pangs. O mine enemies, 
 mine enemies! whom I made the fliields of the 
 earth, who became greater in wickednefs, than iii 
 your worldly greatnefs: you ringleaders of ini- 
 quity, betrayers of the great truft with which I 
 dignified you; the ruin of thoufands fhall fall on. 
 your headsi Did you not tyrannize without law 
 or reafon, alledging that you were accountable to 
 none for outrages, but unto me ? that ydu might 
 fulfil your wicked defires without control? O 
 vileft of wretches, whom I fet over my church, to 
 defend her from all external damages, to hold her 
 in all her glorious privileges, which I left her in 
 my legacy, and to hold the crown upon my head, 
 in defpite of the oppofers; did not you make 
 havock of her? did not you rob her of her orna- 
 ments? did not you pull the crown from ofFmy 
 heaid, and put it on your own? did not you ne- 
 gle£t the affairs of my church, and make them 
 fubordinate to your own temporal, vain, tranfient 
 affairs ? did not you put that fword into the bowels 
 of my chofen, which I gave you to protect them 
 with? O mine enemies! I will neither fight with 
 fmall nor great, in comparifon of you; even you 
 I will for ever be avenged up®n; you, and ail 
 your parafites, executors, applauders connivers, 
 and confulters to your horrid rebellion. Durlt 
 you, ye bafe, ye vile wretches, be fo monftroufly 
 audacious, as to ufurp my prerogatives ? durft you 
 A A deilroy, 
 
iSiT' A GLIMPSE OF GLORY.^ 
 
 deftroy, imprlfon, banifti, torment, and be as 
 thorns in the fides of my excellent ones ? What 
 you did to every one of them, you did to me; I 
 will recompenfe it. It had well become you, 
 
 * to ftoop and lick the duft at the feet of my 
 
 * brethren: it had well become you, to hold up 
 
 * the train of my robe-royal, in the day of my 
 ^ wounding: it had well become you, to have 
 
 * honoured, and reverenced every one of them, 
 
 * from the higheft totheleafli had you confider* 
 
 * ed their dignity, you would have wandered that 
 
 * I permitted yeu in my providence, to dwell in 
 
 * that world which they inhabited; far more to 
 
 * have had any manner of fuperiority over them.' 
 Here I meet you, my curfed enemies; know you 
 with whom you contended ? Am not I He, whom 
 you contemned, defpifed, impoverifhed, im- 
 prifoned, banifhed, maligned, and fpued out the 
 venom of hell againft ? I am He, whofe blood you 
 efleemed as water; my brethren you hated, be- 
 caufe they bare my image : for my fake, even for 
 my fake, you perfecuted them; whatever were 
 your pretenfions, tlijg power of godlinefs was the 
 butt of your malice: durft you malign the exer- 
 cifmg of my Spirit of grace, in its higheft adlings, 
 as afpirit of fedition,and rebellious combinations? 
 did you take it upon you, to fhape out the govern- 
 ment of my church according to your foolilh 
 fancy, as an indifferent thing ? as if I had left 
 any blanks in my teftament, for you to fill up ac- 
 cording to your hellifh pleafure. > You, even you, 
 with the betrayers of my interefts and people, 
 will I place eternally in the hotteft of my fury .- 
 be eternally confounded, all mine enemies ta- 
 gether: fe(fl:s, ranters, civilians, devout naturalifts, 
 formalifts, carnal gofpellers, latkudinarians; you 
 
 have 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 187 
 
 fiave I chofen, before all ages, veflels of wratli and 
 difhonour, fitted to deftru£tion; that over you I 
 might iliew forth my abfolute fovereignty, long- 
 fuffering, power of my wrath, purity of my holi- 
 Jiefs, and infinite perfections. 
 
 ^^. All the creatures are jharers of this eternal 
 day of joy ^ except reprobate men and angels. 
 
 Clap your hands, and be exceeding joyful, O 
 thou creation of God, who art for ever loofed from 
 vanity and bondage: *This is the day which the 
 
 * Lord made,' rejoice and be glad in it: this is the 
 eternal day of the reftitution of all things: (hout 
 and cry aloud, yc lower heavens, and dance, thou 
 earth; fing melodioully, O ye heavenly hofts, fun, 
 moon, and (tars: G ye mountains, are ye not e- 
 ternally Ikipping, like lambs? You vallies, you 
 pleafant fields, are you not ever fmiling, and fliout^ 
 ingfor joy? you have been wearied, and worn 
 out, in ferving finful creatures, you have been dc* 
 filed, and written over with vanity; but now are 
 you renewed, and made pure and clear.^ How 
 earneft was your *expe(9:ation of the manifeftation 
 
 * of the fons of God I for you were made fubje6t 
 
 * to vanity not willingly, but by reafon of him 
 ' who had fubje^ed you in hope;' becaufe you 
 were alfo to be delivered from the bondage of 
 corruption, into the 'glorious liberty of the chil- 
 
 * dren of God.* "O fair, beautiful, and delightful 
 creation, all things now are thoufands of times 
 more excellent than at the beginning! nothing 
 dwells here but righteoufnefs ! thou art not now, 
 O earth, the ftage of all wickednefs and rebellion 
 againft thy Creator; thou groaneft not under 
 the weight of finful abominable wretches. You 
 fields, you are not divided, and poflefled by the 
 vilefl of me|i, who, by the benefit of the reve? 
 
 A a ^ liuea 
 
i88 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 nues call; out of your fruitful womb, were, m 
 their own eyes, and in the eyes of filly fools like 
 themfelves, excellent and confiderable perfons; 
 you furnifh not fewel for their {linking pride, 
 tyrannizing, and villainous pleafures. It was by 
 you, under the appointment of your Creator, that 
 the vile worms of the earth appeared fomewhat; 
 being clothed over with the fcenical garbs of 
 riches, and titular honours, elfe they had been 
 vile in one another's eyes, as now they are to all 
 eternity; having no internal, real, or perfonal ex- 
 cellency worthy to be accounted of. Out of thee, 
 O earth, do not come the precious fruits, for fill- 
 ing the bellies of wretched mifcreants, who did 
 eat and drink largely, and wallowed in all earthly 
 delights; when the only excellent ones of the 
 earth, through oppreflion, were fometimes pinch- 
 ed in the neceflaries of a mortal life : out of thee 
 do not come inftruments of cruelty, the weapons 
 of war, with which the feed of the ferpent did kill, 
 and torment, and perfecute the blood royal of 
 heaven: out of thee do not come the beafts, 
 wearied with ferving and holding up the filth and 
 ofF-fcourings of all things; the horfes are not 
 groaning under lumps of death and hell, riding 
 in a brave and gallant manner, with a fine train; 
 joining battle with the camp of the faints, that 
 they might deftroy the righteous from the earth, 
 and have none to ftand in the way of their hellifh 
 endeavours, their monltrous triumphing and ty- 
 rannizing, as abfolute fovereigns of all: the flieep 
 are not wearied in furnifliing coverings and gaudy 
 apparel for the vileft of creatures: no.w they have 
 not a rag to cover their nakednefs; there is no 
 fdk or fine embroideries for the vile carcafes 
 of hellilh monllers: the excellent creatures are 
 
 jiot 
 
A CLIMPSE OF GLORY. 189 
 
 not now flain to fupport the life of bafe mifcreants, 
 ten thoufand degrees below the lowed of beafts. 
 Thou air, thou art not an inftrument any more, 
 whereby the wretched fouls and carcafes of curf- 
 €d fmners are kept together, in a tolerable con- 
 dition; bafe and treacherous enemies to God and 
 man, do not now defile thee, by drawing thee in, 
 and out, for the prefervation of their abominable 
 iife. Thou water, thou art not now ufed, by the 
 devil and his flaves, as inftruments of their cruel^ 
 ty againft the only princely and noble perfons, 
 the co-heirs of heaven and earth, and ail things. 
 Thou art not, O fire, compelled violently, againft 
 thy nature, to reduce to afhes, with great torment, 
 the precious bodies of 'Zion's children, compar-^ 
 
 * able to fine gold.' You fun, moon, and ftars, 
 you fnall not Ihine upon the wicked, as well as 
 the righteous any more: you do not lofe your 
 fweet influences upon the abomination of heaven, 
 and earth: are you not in your own kind happy, 
 by being freed from fuch grievous bondage; 
 more grievous, than to be corrupted, deftroyed, 
 and broken into a thoufand nothings? O what 
 joys! all dance, and rejoice! all are in a melodi- 
 ous frame ! the virtue of my Wellbeloved*s fuf- 
 fering and exaltation extends fuperabundantly to 
 all things. No wonder that we, are plunged into 
 the oceans of unfpeakable joys and delights! tho* 
 all were in a mourning apparel, we could not but 
 eternally abound in joys! this is the eternal day 
 of our redeniption, the 'day of the reftitutibn of 
 
 * all things.' 
 
 60. All things are rencwedy and glorifiedy but 
 nothing is annihilated, 
 
 O .thou lower world, thou art made new in- 
 deed ! O fuch a majeftic, glorious fabric out of 
 
f^o A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 the aflies of a dunghill ! O heavenly earth ! or 
 earthly heaven! wonderful! not a new creation, 
 but a renovation of the old, that perifhed by the 
 fire of his indignation! O my Lord, thou canft 
 make any thing out of any thing thou pleafeft: 
 beings, and nonentities, are all alike to thee 1 
 verily this is a change, wherein infinite excellency 
 is highly manifefled. What joy, to behold the 
 face of all things! our feeing of the firft temple 
 will not caufe us to weep, becaufe of this fecond: 
 here is a magnificent royal palace reared up, in 
 the place of a dungeon; a ftately, majeflic city, 
 in the place of a few poor cottages. Was the for- 
 mer fabric real; or was it not rather imaginary? 
 were they not fools, who were only delighted with 
 it? were they not bewitched, and led away with 
 fancies, night dreams and vanities ? I thought the 
 former earth, in the days of my mortality, full of 
 the glory, bounty, riches, and excellency of the 
 great Former; and was it not ? Yet was it a dark 
 ihadow to what mine eyes now behold. This is 
 a change which could never have entered within 
 the conceptions of the mod excellent creatures ! 
 this is materially the former, and yet not the for« 
 mer. It is manifeft, my Almighty One, that thou 
 canft create ever fo many worlds, differing alto^ 
 gether in excellency from one another; but thou 
 haft done it, becaufe it fo pleafed thee; juft, and 
 lioly, and wife, and true art thou, in all thy ways. 
 This is the ftage whereon thou acledft moft won* 
 derful things, as a prelude to this endlefs day oi 
 eternity: whereon thou didft unite an incon- 
 ceivable mafs of various difpenfations, which will 
 fill eternity with admiration: here didft thou difr 
 play the banner of thy mercy and juftice in the 
 Very fame traces of providence, fo that the wifeft 
 
 of 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY 191 
 
 ot mortals could not difcover thy fodtfteps ; here 
 thou wroughtft the never-enough admired work 
 of our redemption; here thou wooedft thy bride j 
 here thou preparedll thine enemies for the time 
 of vengeance; here thou madeft all things ready 
 for this everlafting day ; and therefore in thy 
 wifdom hail: thou continued it an eternal monu- 
 ment. Oh! thy fovereignty runs in the channel 
 of thine infinite love and bounty? thou mightil 
 return all things back to their original again; but 
 thy goodnefs is for ever extended over the works 
 of thine hands: 'Thy glory endureth forever; 
 * thou doft rejoice in all thy works:' fhall I not 
 then rejoice in them? ftiall not I, in confidering 
 them, be eternally raviihed? might it not render 
 a creature eternally blelTed, to confider thine in- 
 finite glory and perfections, written on thy handy- 
 works? Even in the days of my childhood, I 
 could not open mine eyes 01* the moil ordinary 
 produftions of thine excellency, without ftrange 
 llirrings of love, joy, and admiration. O the ra- 
 vifhing fwcet fights that even then I have feen of 
 thee, through the glafs of the creature ! how have 
 my thoughts run in a maze of ravifhing delights 
 and fweetnefs, while confidering the vallnefs and 
 expanfion of the canopy o( the lower world; the 
 beams of thy chamber^, laid in the waters; the 
 clouds, thy chariots, whereon thou didft gloriouf- 
 ly ride; the winds, the pavement whereon thou 
 walkedft; thine omnipotent power, in laying fo 
 firmly tlie foundations of the earth, that it can- 
 not be moved; the prodigious overflowing of the 
 waters, when they overwhelmed tlie earth; the 
 unfearchable manner of bounding the boifterous 
 waves of the raging fea, by fandy bulwarks; thy 
 wifdom, in wateriiig the yallies from the moun- 
 tains. 
 
192 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 tains, and the mountains from the fea and the ' 
 heavens, fo that the fowls of the air, and the beafts ■ 
 of the field might drink abundantly: the excellent 
 virtues of bafe dunghill earth manifefted in its 
 rich, pleafant, fweet, various, and lively offspring , : 
 as grafs, herbs, flowers, (lirubs, trees, and innu- ■ 
 merable multitudes of beauties, filling all the ^ 
 fenfes with the greateft delight, and fubfervient to i 
 all the exigencies of indigent mortals; as nutri- ; 
 ment, medicine, clothing, and habitation: thoi 
 wonderful eye of thine omnifcient providence ; 
 over the moft inconfiderable creatures; as the | 
 conies and goats, who were provided with fit re- '■ 
 fuges from all danger: the exa£l ordinances of ^ 
 fun, moon, and ftars; the viciffitudes of light and • 
 darknefs, for the feveral conveniencies of men ; 
 and beafts. In the midft of fuch ravifhing | 
 thoughts of thy power, wifdom, and goodnefs, ! 
 how have I been filled, according to the meafure ' 
 of mortality, with inexpreffible joy and fweetncfs? | 
 fo that I could not but cry out, with ravifhing a- j 
 itonifbment, 'O Lord, how manifold are thy ; 
 ' works! in wifdom haft thou made them all! the I 
 * earth is full of thy riches!' and again I fell into : 
 the deep contemplation of the greatnefs of the fea, : 
 its innumerable progeny of fmall and great ani- ' 
 mals; thy wdfdom in the appointment of naviga- - 
 tion, and thy power in the leviathan's playing i 
 there; thy rich bounty, in holding a well-furnifh- '^ 
 ed table, to £b numerous a family, as the people " 
 of heaven, earth, and fea; their nccefTary depend- 
 ance upon thee, every moment, in their living, 
 moving, and being; fo that they arc not, if thou ' 
 draw in thyfelf, and th« vivifying Spirit which 
 thou communicates unto them. Have I not, O ' 
 my Godj been in many fuch fweet meditations, ; 
 
 until i 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 19^ 
 
 until I have been wrapt up into a frame of fpirit^ 
 Unutterable, inexpreffible? until I fung forth in 
 the midft of fuch fweetnefs, 'The glory of the 
 
 * Lord Ihall endure for ever; the Lord fhall re- 
 
 * joice in all his works: I will fing unto the Lord 
 
 * as long as I live; I will fing praifes unto my 
 
 * God, while I have my being, my meditation of 
 
 * him (hall be fweet; I will rejoice in the Lord.* 
 How oft have I thought. Is the wildernefs fo 
 fweet and pleafant ? what muft the inland be ? Is 
 there fuch ravifhing variety of beauty, glory, and 
 fweetnefs, thro' the whole of my pilgrimage? 
 what can I expeft to behold in my native country? 
 Is the habitation, where devils, wicked men and 
 beads inhabit, fo excellent and glorious? what 
 can I think of the place where Jefus, the Em* 
 manuel, with his fair white company of faints 
 and angels, cverlaftingly abides? Is my God's 
 footftool fo glorious? what muft his throne be? 
 Is the undervault of this bafe dungeon fo majeftic ? 
 O the higher hall of glory, where the glorious 
 King, and his magnificent court remain! Doth 
 the habitation correfpond to the inhabitants? 
 the higher world then muft inconceivably tran-^ 
 fcend this lower. And is this earth fo fweet, when 
 curfed and defiled, becaufe of its abominable in- 
 habitants? what fhall it be when renewed, and 
 made only an habitation of righteoufnefs ? fliall 
 not every place excel Eden ? and Eden the celef- 
 tial camps? Indeed, O lower M^orld, we might, 
 in our mortality, conceive fomething confufedly 
 of thy renovation; but could never have imagined 
 that thou fhouldft have been thus. O earth, thou 
 appeareft to be placed after the former manner, 
 to be of the former magnitude and figure, as to 
 <!vcry point correfponding to the fame points of 
 
 Bh the 
 
194 A GLIMPSE OF GLORYi 
 
 the heaven of heavens; alfo the lower heaven dif-* 1 
 fers not in magnitude, fituation, and number of \ 
 tapers, from the former; and only herein do the 
 Old and new world agree: now, the fmalleft ftar \ 
 would have confounded the inhabitants of the old, i 
 and made the very fun to evanifh in its light: the : 
 beams of light darting every where are fubfta;i- ; 
 tial; filling not only the eyes, but all the fenfes : 
 t^'ith inexpreffible delight; it contains innumer- \ 
 able perfections and virtues, not to be perceived I 
 by mortals; their fenfes being few, and capable of 
 iittle: but now, every fenfe is equivalent to ten ' 
 thoufand thoufand differing in kind from one an- : 
 other: the light of one luminary confounds not i 
 the rays of another, though all are united and > 
 made one: the moon appears to change faces, by 
 the nearer approach to, or diflance from her ] 
 King-; yet (lie is ever more glorious than the fun ^ 
 in his former condition : every ftar fhowers down ^ 
 millions of millions of various influences, which ! 
 in a moment would convert the former earth ,\ 
 into a lump of gold or gems : all are tranfparent, i 
 even the fun, moon, and ftars, though compact ; 
 folid globes of light: no vail drawn betwixt the , 
 higher and lower habitation: no fmoky fumes 1 
 betwixt heaven and earth: no winds, nor ftorms, - 
 tempefts, pinching colds, nor piercing heats, ; 
 No vicifTitudes of fummer and winter; nothing 
 but an eternal fpring-tide and endlefs fummer, a i 
 conftant harveft: all are in their blooming eftate, 1 
 and fullefl perfection. What wonder! is it not j 
 the centre of infinite influences'^ the fweet in- 
 fluences of Pleides are never bound tip, but are ' 
 every mxinute fliowered down ; the bands of Orion ; : 
 yre ever loofed; and is not the heavenfy earth i 
 So impregnated with fuch infinite virtues? is it J 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 191 
 
 not fo lively and vigorous; fo full of the feeds of 
 innumerable excellencies, as that in itfelf, it is 
 beautiful, fruitful, and excellent, without influ* 
 jcnces from creatures of an higher nature ? In 
 its own nature doth it not contain the virtue 
 and operations of fun» moon, and flars. How 
 infinitely various are ■ the fenfitive vegetables ? 
 what beauty, and glory, and virtue is to be founcl 
 in every one? the fmalleft pile of grafs might a- 
 lone banifli darknefs from the whole univerfe. O 
 the rofes and lilies! every one like> a ftar in its 
 proper oA: all things are like lamps of light; yet 
 nothing hindering the varieties of colours, which 
 are infinitely various, and wonderfully lively : ali 
 the rays of iuch innumerable beauties and-excel- 
 Jencies, tho' united in one, are nothing trouble- 
 fome, thro' their intenfity, but the more delightr* 
 ful; and all lights, all colours, all excellencies as 
 infinitely intended. O then their furpaffing plea-? 
 fantnefs! every thing appears endowed with all 
 manner of excellencies, as colours, figures, &c. 
 and fo to be a little yt^orid^ 
 
 What may be faid of this, in comparifon of the 
 former? This is beauty, the former was deformi- 
 ty: this is light, the other darknefs: this is iive- 
 linefs and activity, the other deadnefsand lazinefs: 
 the former was a confijfed, deformed and ioath« 
 fome chaos; out of which is made this excellent, 
 beautiful and glorious fabric. Who can behold^ 
 and not fniile and leap for joy, at the bounty and 
 power of Jehovah, To vifibly manifelled ? And 
 .what fweet, cheering breathings do fo harmoni- 
 oufly found among the (lately' trees of this unir 
 verfal paradife? O what difi^ufing of delightful, 
 odoriferous exhalations! one gale would caafe 
 d^ath itfelf to. be lively ; being a thoufand times 
 Jt3 b ^ more 
 
196 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 more excellent than the moft pure and refined 
 animal fpirits of mortals : one gale of this would 
 have rendered the former earth a fertile Eden for 
 many ages : eyes and ears, and all the faculties are 
 loft in an endlefs maze; to find a beginning, mid- 
 dle, and ending, is a talk for eternity. All is one 
 orchard, one paradife, one field, one garden of 
 delight! the moft curious artifice of cities, palaces, 
 or what elfe, would be deformity. Nature now 
 cannot be bettered by helps ; Jehovah hath order- 
 ed all, in an order above the invention of all crea- 
 tures. Eden here would be like a black fpot on a 
 fair^and beautiful face. Every drop of dew, that 
 dangleth on thefe trees of God, excels rubies and 
 carbuncles. All the rivers run liquors above the 
 moft precious quinteflential extractions of the for- 
 mer world. May it not be called indeed, *the gold- 
 
 * en age? They who behold thee, fee the floods 
 ^ of honey and butter. May they not heap up gold, 
 ' as the duft; and gold of Ophir, as the ftones of 
 
 * the brook? How excellent is thy loving-kind- 
 
 * nefs, O God ! therefore the children of men put 
 
 * their truft under the ftiadow of thy wings ? We 
 
 * arc abundantly fatisfied with the fulnefs of thy 
 
 * houfe; and thou makeft us drink of the rivers 
 
 * of thy pleafures. Thou vifiteft the earth, thou 
 
 * watereft it, thou greatly enricheft it with the 
 
 * rivers of God, which are full of water; thou 
 
 * crowneft the year with thy goodnefs; and all thy 
 
 * paths drop fatnefs: the hills, the little hills and 
 
 * vallies fhout for joy, and fing, The Lord is our 
 
 * keeper, the Lord is our ihade on our right hand; 
 
 * the fun doth not fmite us by day, nor the moon 
 
 * by night;' we are fecure for ever and ever; all 
 thy promifes are more than fully accompliflicd. 
 ^Jen and angels, the produd of his everlafting 
 
 counfeh 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 197 
 
 counfels is all brought forth: it is done, thus it is, 
 becaufe it thus pleafed him. ' Holy, holy, holy 
 
 * Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is 
 
 * to come! Thou art worthy to receive glory, and 
 
 * honour, and power; for thou haft created all 
 
 * things, and for thy pleafure, they are, and were 
 
 * created/ 
 
 61. The triumphing over the wicked^ is a part 
 of the faints glory and happinefs. 
 
 O beautiful, glorious, and joyful world! all 
 have been fad-like until now: who can open their 
 eyes, and not be cr\^erjoyed, though they extiacled 
 their delights only from creatures mediately? But 
 what is this to you, loft wretches, ftiut up in utter 
 darknefs? your beft world hath eternally evanifh- 
 ed: this is a black miferable world to you. What 
 liave you to do with this fair creation? It is ours, 
 only ours; for *^we are Chrift's, andChrift isGod's.' 
 Even the former earth you took for your country; 
 heaven and happinefs was only yours by ufurpa- 
 tipn and opprellion ; but now you fhall ufurp no 
 more : if any thing be yours, it is that bottomlefs 
 lake, wherein you crawl, like fo many filthy toads, 
 fnakes, and abominable vermine : to behold you, 
 woul(i confound any creature,not endowed with 
 immortality. O monftrous fights! O the infinite 
 power of Jehovah! which can fhape out after 
 this fafhion : your ftrufture agrees with your vile- 
 nefs *, your countenance corrcfponds, excellently 
 to your hellifh minds; and you cannot but af- 
 fright one another with your defperate hellifh 
 looks and minds; blafphemy, and horrid defper- 
 ation is written on your foreheads, even the wrath 
 and fury of Jehovah and the Lamb: on^ of 
 your ghaftly looks would affright millions of mor- 
 tals, ypu are, O drei^dful yilenefs! extremely 
 
 miferable^ 
 
t98 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 miferable, yet not objects of pity: you might 
 have ftirred up compalTion in the moll zealous 
 breafts on earth, becauie then you were endowed 
 with fome fmall relifts of the image of your 
 Creator; but how fully is the faying of our Well- 
 beloved accompliflied on you? 'From him that 
 
 * hath not, fhall be taken away even that which 
 
 * he hath/ All the fparks of goodnefs are evanifh* 
 cd^ and what can remain, but a mafs of all im-p 
 piety, and dire6t hatred of God? Nothing like 
 this was feen on earth. Now you appear in your 
 own colours; God hath ftripped you naked of all. 
 Where are all your excellent gifts, your prudence, 
 and civility, your iine natural difpofition, your 
 love to God, of which you talked fo much ? Now 
 it appears, that 'the heart of man is deceitful a- 
 
 * bove all things, and defperately wicked, even a-r 
 
 * bove imagination/ On earth, becaufe of natural 
 ties, we could not but love you ; your eternal re- 
 bellion not being manifefted to us: but now you 
 are for ever our Lord's ftated enemies; fo that 
 tho' he would offer you pardon, your curfed 
 hearts would no Icfs rife againft him ; your hatred 
 is unquenchable, and augments throughout eter- 
 nity. Fools, are you belching out the venom of 
 hell againft him, who for ever tramples- you un- 
 der his feet? do not your curlings, and horrid 
 blafphemies found forth the juftnefs of his aveng- 
 ing wrath ? Not becaufe of his" wrath and difplea* 
 fure againft you, are you mad againft him; in the 
 midft of his bounty you did continue in your en- 
 mity. 
 
 His holinefs, his fpotlefs holinefs is the butt of 
 your hellifli malice: your wickednefs is arrived at 
 its perfeftion; mortality was not capable of dis- 
 playing the ten thoufandth part of what is now 
 
 manifefted: 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. tp^ 
 
 Itianifefted: you were always averfe to the fel- 
 lowfhip of the ever-blefl'ed God: now you direft- 
 ly avouch your enmity, as juft and equitable, iii 
 defpitc of your confciences teaching you right 
 and wrong. Know you not, that he, againft 
 whom you have eternally fworn yourfelves ene- 
 mies, may ufe his power over you ? And you 
 would do fo over him and his. What would you 
 do with his holy ones, if you had their eyerlafl- 
 ing lot at your difpofing? Is not his mercy over 
 all his works? fince he layeth not upon you the 
 ten thoufandth part of that punifhment which he 
 could J and his 'fovereignty and difpleafure carve 
 out the meafure of your puniihment: but, is 
 there any meafure, which he might not in juftice 
 infliiH; ? When it is augmented with ever fo many 
 ages, and your ftrength augmented to bear it; 
 never can it be faid. He inflicts more than is meet j 
 fmcc your rebellion is againft an infinite Majefty, 
 and is of an endlefs nature: fince you are ever 
 fmning more and more, therefore you are obliged 
 to his everlafting mercy and bounty. 
 
 O my Godj what a delightful change is this! 
 
 * I will rejoice, yea, I will for ever rejoice in be- 
 
 * holding f* What now, you fome-bodies of time, 
 where is your gay clothing, your fine well pam- 
 pered carcafes? what think you of thefe vile, a- 
 bominable, ugly, clubbifh bodies, which you only 
 cared for, and would have fo finely deckt, as if 
 they had been made of fome celeftial fubftance, and 
 not of the fame lump of which all mankind was 
 made ? what is become of the excellent majefty and 
 reverence, which filly flattering fools made you be- 
 lieve, was ftamped upon your very bodily vifagc ? 
 where is your brave attendance, which you ima- 
 gined followed youy for your real excellency i 
 
 where 
 
tzoo A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 where is that admiration had of you, bea{H|' 
 •wretches, becaufe of advantage ? what think ye j 
 bafe fycophants, of the men to whom you trufted 
 and whom you adored above God all fufficient ? 
 fee you now any majefty, or excellency in fuch 
 poor, bafe, trembling catives ? are they not the 
 fame that they were ? only the fig-leaves that 
 covered them are taken away. They imagined 
 ihemfelvesfome-bodies, while theypoflefled earth- 
 ly abundance : how highly did they look, becaufe 
 they feemed to have fome more fhovel-fulls of 
 earth than others ? But now the lofty looks of 
 man are humbled, and the haughtinefs of man is 
 bowed down ; and the Lord atone is exalted in 
 this day. What now, tyrants, filly catives ; are 
 you the very fame men that made the earth to 
 tremble ? The Lord hath ' broken the ftafFof the 
 
 * wicked, and the fceptre of the rulers :' your 
 pomp is brought down to the grave, and the 
 
 * noife of your viols ceafeth, the worms are fpread 
 
 * under you, and the worms cover you :' are you 
 not defpifed in the eyes of all, whether in heaven 
 or hell ? the Almighty hath laid open your naked- 
 nefs, he hath discovered your fecret paVts : fools, 
 were you never thinking that it would come to 
 this ? did you imagine, that the vileft of meft 
 (hould domineer over the moft excellent forever ? 
 that * the wicked might opprefs the man more 
 
 * righteous than himfelf,' and yet no alteration 
 be made to all eternity ? did the AJmighty create 
 man after his image, to eat, and drink, and pafs 
 away an inch of time, and no more ? was it the 
 purpofe of the wife Difpofer of all things, that 
 men (hould be ranked according to the fancies of 
 riches and titular honour, acquired by vanity, and 
 maintained by folly ? What think you now of 
 
 thofe 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 20i 
 
 thofe whom you contemned not long ago, whom 
 you efteemed as the ' filth and ofF-fcourings of 
 * all things,' whom you thought unworthy of 
 your excellent prefence, becaufe they were not 
 laded with the thick clay of the earth? ^VTiat 
 diftance and reverence looked you for from fel- 
 low creatures, as if they had been made for fo 
 bafe an end, as to uphold your yeas and nays ? 
 as if bowing and cringing, and fuch hiftrionie 
 vanities had been requifite for the fons of wifdom ? 
 O joyful day of eternity! wherein all things are 
 unmalked; all odds are made even! the fore- 
 thoughts of this held up my heart, in my fad pil- 
 grimage. Now, wretches, it is evident, who on 
 earth ftiould have been moft honoured and efteem- 
 ed, who (hould have had the chief place among 
 men; who fees not now, that . wifdom is the 
 principal thing ? How vain was the efteem of the 
 world! were they not fools, who in the leaft re- 
 garded it? who confidered things only according 
 to their external fhews^ Catives, what think you 
 of your fools-paradife ? your golden dream hath 
 miferably beguiled you : earthly riches are decri- 
 ed-, the vain denominations of time are fled a- 
 way. Only wifdom for ever remains. What then, 
 are you, poor wicked wretches, expofed to the 
 fhame, contempt, and mockery of all the world ? 
 are you not made a gazing ftock to God, angels, 
 and men ? you fnatched at fancies, and neglected 
 wifdom, which would have rendered you excel- 
 lent for ever and ever. They that praftifed belt 
 your foolifh modes and inventions, that could 
 comply beft with your foolifh humours, that 
 knew beft how to fcrape together the pelf of the 
 earth, were efteemed wife and accompliflied by 
 you: as for the truly wife (who were ever very 
 C e rare, 
 
202 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 rare, and the wonders of their age,) you contemn- 
 ed and reproached them as the dregs of mankind. 
 How did you triumph over the poor and meek of 
 the earth, while your world remained, which was 
 but for a moment? An everlafting world is now 
 come ; may we not triumph in our turn ? which 
 of us hath chofen the better part ? judge 
 ye: prefent things you efteemed only real; and 
 wondered at our folly, who lived upon the hope 
 of things to come J yea, and to come after death, 
 and the diflblution of all things. And are you not 
 fools, \vho neglefted immortality, and glory, and 
 honour, tho' you had a miferable, pining life on 
 earth, earning your daily bread by fore labour 
 and grief? could not a frowning, vexing world 
 loofe your bafe minds from it? O vile wretches, 
 efteemed you earth, in its winter-garb, before the 
 eternal enjoyment of the Fountain of all blefled- 
 nefs? Verily your mouth is eternally ftopped. 
 Wretches of wretches, who were endowed with 
 the knowledge of the only excellent things ; who 
 fpake, and wrote to the good and admiration of 
 others : wonderful ! knew you fo much of the al- 
 fufficiency of Jehovah, the emptinefs of all 
 things below him; and yet did not put your truft 
 in him, did not care for a near fellowfhip with 
 him, but placed your love and delight on vanities ? 
 You are to be doubly punifhed, - who knew your 
 Mafter's will, and did it not : good had it been for 
 you, vileft wretches, that you had been idiots, and 
 fots: how did you defpife fome of the excellent 
 ones of the earth, becaufe of your more fagacious 
 nature? Your heart hath not been upright before 
 God; your knowledge puffed you up; charity 
 hath been away; your gifts and abilities have you ' 
 not ufed to his glory, for whom are all things: 
 
 but 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. ^ 203 
 
 but felf hath been the end of all your endeavours. 
 What a glorious luftre had you then among weak 
 faints ! the rottennefs of your heart was over-vail- 
 ed with a multitude of natural gifts and educa- 
 tion 5 but he who knoweth all things, hath found 
 you out J he hath weighed you in an even balance, 
 and ye are found wanting. Now it is manifeft, 
 who is the fearcher of the hearts, and the trier of 
 the reins: were they not wife, who overlooked the 
 approbation of men, and gave all diligence to 
 be approven to thee ? What thy thoughts are con* 
 cerning a creature, that it is indeed. Many hypo- 
 crites have paiTed off the ftage of time, with the 
 paffport of many of the faints; but thy well done 
 hath only landed fair in thy blefled kingdom. In- 
 xieed, Lprd Jefus, in time thou madeft a brave fe- 
 paration betwixt the righteous and the wicked ; 
 how oft haft thou fifted thy church over and over 
 again, with fmaller and fmaller fieves ? fo that the 
 difference betwixt the wheat and the chaff was 
 very difcernable. How oft haft thou drawn the 
 controverfy betwixt thy friends and thine enemies, 
 to fmaller and fmaller concerns ? ib that many, 
 who for fhame could n©t, in palpably grofs things, 
 comply with the devil and his flavesj yet in raat-^ 
 ters that Teemed of Jefs confequence, did fide 
 with them; whence their hypocrify and luke- 
 warmnefs in the matters of Gk)d did appear. O 
 apoftates and betrayers of the interefts of Jeho- 
 vah and the Lamb, your mouth is eternally ftop-^ 
 ped ! many fine excufes did your helliih minds in- 
 vent, in the midft of your villany: y©ur fine fub- 
 tleties, drawn from prudentials and politics, are 
 now laid open before fun and moon. You were 
 too wife and prudent to take the plain way, and 
 com^ to the ftreets for God: you were of too 
 C c 2 meek 
 
io4 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 meek a nature to hold the devil and his flaves at 
 long weapons; you were of too fine and fubtle a 
 fpirit to fpeak in plain terms of the controverfies 
 cf the time, and fins of the generation in Which 
 you lived; you were too courteous and fubmif- 
 (ive to contend with the very ihields of the earth, 
 in every thing which concerned *the Prince of 
 * the kings of the earth :' no, you were not fuch 
 fools, as to incur the deadly difpleafure of thofe 
 who had authority and power in their hands: yet 
 would jnci^ny of you have been ranked in among 
 the camp of the faints, whereby you were efteem- 
 ed as excellent amongft fome of the weaker ones : 
 now it is evident that you were bafe traitors, 
 playing with all hands, for your greater fecurity 
 and advantage; and that you have been lukewarm 
 and indifferent in the royal prerogatives and hon- 
 ours of the great and mighty Lord of all things, 
 and the welfare of his fppufe. You ftated ene-? 
 mies againft Jehovah and the Lamb, what 
 think you of your defperate madnefs? thought you 
 to conquer and deftroy the friends jmd darlings 
 of the high and mighty One ? did you imagine 
 that you were triumphing, when you profpered 
 in perfecuting of his church? fools, that was one 
 of the great ends for which the Almighty raifed 
 you up, that you might fcour and rub the vefTels 
 of his temple : ufeful inftruments were you in the 
 hand of the great A6lor; by you he hammered 
 and polifhed the ftones of his houfe; by you he 
 cleanfed it of filth; by you he pulled it down, in 
 order to a more excellent fabric: you, you did 
 the Almighty ufe, as flaves, in all fervile employ- 
 ments; and when he had fulfilled his intentions 
 with you, he cafl you into the fire. Vile wretch- 
 es, is it not a dreadful torment, to look our Lord 
 
 Jefus 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 205 
 
 Jefus in the face ? how doth his prefence, and the 
 prefence of his holy ones abalh you? Where are 
 now your high and lofty looks? what feared and 
 aftonifhed-like countenances ! are you the men 
 that fpoke fo highly againft the work and people 
 of God? are you the men who mocked his holy 
 ones, or not? are you the men who cared not 
 for our fellowlhip, but thought the world might 
 be well enough without thefe heavenly creatures ? 
 were you weary of our neighbourhood, as trouble- 
 fome; becaufe of our ftoical (as you fancied) and 
 precife principles, contrary to your loofe and 
 worldly way of walking? now you have your will, 
 you are no more troubled with our fellowihip; 
 the tares and the wheat are eternally feparated; 
 now your hatred and envy cannot reach us; we 
 tread you for ever as dung among our feet. What 
 are your curfings and blafphemies to our Lord 
 and us? could a filthy toad defile the fun, by fpit- 
 ting venom upwards'' could the fmoke of the 
 lower region darken that lamp of light? could 
 the bluftering winds make the ftars to tremble? 
 could the proud ocean with its turbulent fwel- 
 lings, beat down the pearly foundation of thfe 
 higher houfe? Your envy and malice is a vehe- 
 ment flame, burning up eternally your foul and 
 body : your own wickednefs is poured out upon 
 you, and it burneth as the fire; it 'devoureth the 
 
 * briers and the thorns, and kindleth in the thick- 
 
 * ets of the foreft, and they mount up like the 
 ' lifting up of fmoke.' Wickednefs containeth its 
 punifliment in its own bofom. All our defires are 
 fulfilled: the zeal of our God's houfe did eat up 
 our heart, in the days of our pilgrimage ; but 
 now we are overjoyed, in beholding the ven- 
 geance: much -of the vengeance of the wrath of 
 
20(5 A GLIIVIPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 our God did we, with exceeding joy, behold wheft 
 we lived within time. How oft did he appear 
 ^OT the falvation of his people, 'with garments 
 
 * toiled in blood ?* how did he overturn a whole 
 world by an univerfal inundation of waters^ how 
 did he burn up countries and cities in one hour? 
 how did he make earth's devouring jaws fwallow 
 up many of thefe with which it was burdened ? 
 By fword, by famine, by peftiience, by the bcafts 
 of the field, how hath he made the carcafes of 
 his enemies to be fpread like dung upon the face 
 of the earth? What ftrange judgments have we 
 feen upon families and perfons in conformity to 
 their iniquities? How fignal was his providence 
 over the children of men? fo that meji were con- 
 vinced, and could not but fay, 'Veiily there is a 
 
 * God that judgeth righteoufly in the earth; verily 
 
 * there is a reward for the righteous and wicked j 
 
 * a difference betwixt him that feareth God, and 
 
 * him that feareth him not.* But all was em^ 
 blems, types, (hadows, and reprefcntations of 
 what we now behold : all the vengeance inflicted 
 on curfed wretches was juft nothing. What was 
 mortality capable of ? All the wrath infii<^ed 
 in time, meeting in one, was nothing to one mo*, 
 ttient of this everlafting day of pure and unmixed 
 vengeance : the inflicling of puniiliment in time, 
 was only for the fake of the fpe£lators, that *the 
 
 * inhabitants of the world might learn righteouf^ 
 
 * nefs.* Vile creatures, do you not knpw whom 
 you (houid have feared? what think you ©f your 
 prodigious madnefs, who feared feeble nothing 
 creatures, like yourfelves, and forgat and defpifed 
 the threatenings and judgments of the infinite 
 One? What could all creatures do? all their 
 wrath and fury, compared to the vengeance of 
 
 the 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 207 
 
 the Almighty, is like a fmall drop to a boundlefs 
 ocean. Find you not now, that * it is a fearful 
 
 * thing to fall into the hands of the living God ?* 
 O what billows of divine vengeance ! what oceans 
 of wrath hath he treafured up at his right hand ! 
 every drop whereof might confound ten thoufand 
 worlds, *The Lord hath come out of his place, to 
 
 * punifh the inhabitants of the earth for their ini- 
 
 * quity: the earth alfo hath difclofed her blood.' 
 
 * For behold, the Lord, a mighty and ftrong one, 
 
 * who, as a temped of hail, and a deftroying itorm, 
 ' as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, doth 
 
 * cafl: down to the earth with the hand: The 
 ' name of the Lord is come, burning with his 
 danger; and the burden thereof is heavy: his 
 ^ lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is a 
 
 * devouring fire; and his breath as an overflow- 
 
 * ing ftream, doth reach unto the midft of the 
 
 * neck. How doth the Lord go forth, as a mighty 
 
 * man ? how doth he ftir up jealoufy like a man 
 ^,®fwar? he crieth, he prevaileth againft his e- 
 ^ nemies, I have for a long time held my peace, 
 
 * faith the Almighty, I have been ftill, and refrain- 
 
 * ed myfelf : now will I cry, like a travailing^ wo- 
 
 * man: I will deftroy, and devour at once, multi- 
 
 * tudes, multitudes in the valley of decifion; for 
 
 * the day of the Lord is in the valley of decifion. 
 
 * He hath come down, and trode upon the high 
 
 * places of the earth; and the mountains were 
 ' molten under him, and valley&were cleft; as wax 
 
 * before the fire, and as waters that are poured 
 
 * down a deep place. The nations faw, and were 
 
 * confounded; they laid their hand upon their 
 
 * mouth; they licked the duft like a ferpent, they 
 ' moved out of their holes like worms of the 
 
 * eartb; and were greatly afraid and confounded 
 
 • becaufe 
 
2o8 A GLIMPSE of GLORY* 
 
 * becaufe of the Lord our God: for he is jealau's 
 
 * and revengeful ; he revengeth, and is furious ; 
 
 * who can ftand before his indignation? and who 
 
 * can abide in the fiercenefs of his anger? His 
 
 * fury is poured out like fire; and the rocks are 
 
 * thrown down by him. O thou enemy, deilruc- 
 
 * tions are come to a perpetual end; but the 
 
 * Lord's anger endureth for ever; he hath pre-' 
 
 * pared his throne for judgment. Sing praifes 
 
 * unto the Lord, that dwelleth in Zion. When 
 
 * he maketh inquifition for blood, he remembereth 
 
 * them : he hath not forgotten the cry of the 
 
 * humble; the needy have not always been for- 
 ' gotten; the expectation of the poor hath not 
 
 * perifhed for ever^ Upon the wicked thou rain- 
 
 * eft fnares, fire and brimftone, and an horrible 
 
 * tempeft: this fhall be for ever the portion of 
 
 * their cup. O love the Lord, all ye his faints 5 
 
 * for the Lord preferveth the faithful, and plenti- 
 
 * fully rewardeth the proud doer. The Lord is 
 
 * righteous, and all his works are done in truth. 
 ^ All my bones fhall fay unto the Lord, Who is 
 
 * like unto thee? who delivereft the poor from 
 ^ him that was too ftrong for him. Thy mercy, 
 
 * O Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulnefs 
 
 * reacheth unto the clouds; thy righteoufnefs is 
 ' like the great mountains, thy judgments are a 
 
 * great deep. Many, O Lord my God, are the 
 
 * wonderful works which thou haft done; and 
 ^ thy thoughts which are to us-ward they cannot 
 
 * be reckoned up in order unto thee ; if I would 
 
 * declare and fpeak of them, they are more than 
 
 * can be numbered. Sing ptaifes unto God, fing 
 
 * praifes, fing praifes unto our King, fing praifes, 
 
 * The Heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved ; 
 
 * he uttered his veiccj the earth melted ; the Lord 
 
 *6f 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 2op 
 
 * of hofts is with us; the God of Jacob Is our re - 
 
 * fuge. Selah. Through God we do valiantly > 
 ^ for it is he that treadeth down our enemies. 
 
 * Surely men of low degree were vanity, and men 
 
 * of high degree were a He; to be laid in the ba- 
 
 * lance, they were altogether lighter than vanity. 
 
 * God hath fpoken once, twice have I heard this, 
 ' that power belongeth unto God; alfo unto thee, 
 ' O Lordy belongeth mercy; for thou rendereft. 
 
 * unto every man according to his work. Thou 
 
 * haft afcended up on high, thou haft led captivity 
 
 * captive ; thou haft received gifts for men ; thou 
 
 * haft broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is flain; 
 
 * thou haft fcattered thine enemies with thy 
 
 * ftrong arm; but mine horn haft thou exalted 
 
 * like the horn of the unicorn : I am anointed 
 
 * with frefti oil; mine eyes fee my defire upon 
 ^ mine enemies; and mine ears have heard my 
 
 * defires of the wicked, that rofe up againft me. 
 
 * Who is like the Lord our God, who dwelleth 
 
 * on high, who humbleth himfelf to behold the 
 
 * things that are in heaven ? He raifeth up the poor 
 
 * out of the duft, and lifteth up the needy out of 
 
 * the dunghill; that he may fet him with princes* 
 
 * I will exalt thee, my God, O King; I will praife 
 
 * thy name for ever and ever; I will fpeak of the 
 ' honour of thy majefty, and of thy wondrous 
 ' v/orks; thy kingdom is an everlaftirtg kingdom, 
 
 * and thy dominion endureth to all generations; 
 
 * blefs the Lord, all ye his angels, tJiat excel in 
 
 * ftrength; blefs the Lord all ye his faints: blefs 
 
 * the Lord, all ye his works, in all places of his 
 
 * dominions; blefs the Lord, O my foul.' Hal- 
 lelujah. 
 
 62. Refe5llons upon the vi^lorioiis power of faith , 
 and on the folly of unbelieving worldlings* 
 
 D d I, 
 
210 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 I, thus to triumph over death and-hell! ami 
 eternal vi6lor oVer fo ftrong and numerous ene- 
 mies? O ye gates of hell, could ye not prevail a- 
 gainfl me ? might ye not have deftroyed ten thou- 
 fand worlds of the like of me ? what hath become 
 of all your boaftings, that you ha\T not been a- 
 ble to deftroy poor me, when affifted and helped 
 by my Wellbeloved ? Strange 1 have not I overcome 
 you in the midft of great weaknefs and infirmi- 
 ty? O the (Irength of faith! I laid hold on him 
 wh<$ is mighty; I trufted in him, and therefore I 
 could not be moved : I took hold of the Rock of 
 ages 5 and what could ten thoufand raging feas 
 have done Unto me? Thefe who hold gripes of 
 him, may fwim fafely through the lake that burn- 
 eth with fire and brimftone. Devils, and wicked 
 m.en, you were fools to afiault us : did you expedl, 
 becaufe of our weaknefs and mortality, to van- 
 quifli us, and carry the day? If you might have 
 overturned the Rock of ages then might you have 
 overturned us; for we relied upon him; and it 
 uas a repugnancy, to imagine that he could faftl 
 us. No wonder, devils, that you ftrove to bring 
 us to doubtings, and diftruft; for in faith did our 
 ftrength lie : had you ruined our faith, and brought 
 us to diffidence, or prefumptuous foohfh boldnefs, 
 ye had ruined us for ever: but our "Wellbeloved 
 prayed to his Father that our faith might not fail 
 us; and he is greater and dearer in his Father's 
 eyes, than to be faid nay in a requeft fo earneft. 
 Now it is manifeft, that all things have been done 
 by believing; it hath been the fun, original, and 
 king of all other graces: becaufe I believed, there- 
 fore I fpake and aded for him on earth; there- 
 fore did I place the flower and vigour of my love 
 tipon him; therefore did I contemn all the glory 
 
 and 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY- 211 
 
 and excellency of time, and would not take them 
 for my portion; therefore did I exceedingly en- 
 deavour to do the things that are well pleafmg in 
 his fight, and to be more and more like unto him j 
 therefore did I long to fee him face to face. Men 
 and angels, through faith in his name, have I 
 entere4 this blelTed place: not by my holinefs, 
 not by my ftrength, and ijitegrity, is this wonder- 
 ful thing come to pafs; but by laying hold on him, 
 who is mighty to fave unto the uttermoft* Wick- 
 ed men and devils, I have vanquifhed you; I have 
 thrown you eternally to the ground; not by the ^ 
 excellency of mine own vigour and courage, but 
 jby laying hold on his ftrength, who fuftaineth all 
 things. Faith was the *fubitance of things hoped 
 * for, the evidence of things not feen;' for by it 
 we have ail received an everlafting name. We 
 Relieved, that what he had promifed, he would 
 perform, though we faw them not, either intuit 
 tively, or b^ ded.u(5lions from reafon; thp' we 
 had not received the promifes, but only had a 
 view of them afar off, yet were we perfuaded af 
 them, and embraced them; and confefled ourr 
 felves ftrangers and pilgrirns on earth, declaring 
 plainly to worldlings, that we were feeking a pjace 
 of eternal abode, overlooking the wildernefs as a 
 wayfaring place. Q faireft Wellb.eloved, how was 
 I enamoured and raviflied with thy ve^y name, 
 when I had not feen thee ! how was I perfuaded 
 of the truth oT all thy promifes and threatenings, 
 as if I had beheld them fully accomplifhed .f* how 
 gladly and chearfully did I difengage my heart 
 and love from all temporal concerns, that they 
 might be fet wholly upon the great things to be 
 revealed ? • I belived all that thou fpakeft, bjscaufe 
 I accounted thee both faithful, willing, and pow^r- 
 Dd 2, ful 
 
21 z A GLIMPSE QF GLORY, 
 
 ful to accomplifh: I confulted not with flefli and 
 blood to go and reafon, ^Is it poflible for fuch a 
 ^ thing to be?* nay, I overlooked all objeftions, 
 though ever fo plaufible and flrong, I flopped the 
 mouth of all earthly, fenfual, and devilifli wifdom, 
 with, * The mouth of the Lord hath fpoken it^' 
 But, O my fair One, how dpth beholding incon- 
 ceivably tranfcend faith! I trufted that thou 
 wouldft perform above all I could afk or think ; 
 but how confufed, general and childilh were my 
 conceptions of what I now enjoy? T]he higheft 
 pitch to which I could bring my conceptions, was 
 to iniagine, that ' eye hath not feen, ear hath not 
 
 * heard, neither hath entered into the heart of 
 
 * mortal, what thou hadft prepared for thofe that 
 
 * waited for thee :* all I could conceive of this 
 boundlefs happinefs, was to confider it as fur- 
 pafling all conception. How have I been vexed 
 with the bafenefs and lownefs of my apprehen- 
 fions ! how have I endeavoured to ftrain them a- 
 bove their proper meafure; not confidering that 
 the childifh eftate was not capable of manly con- 
 ceptions; and that mortality mull be fwalloM^ed 
 up of life, ere the creature can behold thy face 
 and live. It was wifdom to long for this day of 
 immediate fellowfliip; but folly to defire it with- 
 in the tents of rnortality : all I could then have of 
 thee, was the portraiture which thou didft fet 
 down in thy teflament; I received love-letters 
 from thee, in earth's childifli dialedl : thou toldeft 
 me of kingdoms and cities, diadems, honours, 
 riches and pleafures: thou didll tell me of thy 
 greatnefs, majefly and lovelinefa; all which were 
 things much efteemed of the lower world: but 
 here are neither kingdoms.nor diadems, but thing? 
 trftncendently above all fuch trifles. How igno- 
 rant 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 213 
 
 rant have I been of my happinefs! WonderfuL' 
 that the hope of this did not make me overjoyed to 
 the death. Ofiily, hungry wildernefs, vi^henlcaft 
 back mine eyes upon thee, can I but fmile at the 
 childiih folly of vi^orldlings, who only defired, en- 
 deavoured, and contended for portions and inheri- 
 tances out of thee : they who purchafed moft, have 
 acquired nothing; and they who purcjiafed leaft, 
 can be in no poorer cafe. What have you gained, 
 bafe worldlings? Enjoy the fruit of your expecta- 
 tion and labour; now, when the end of all things 
 is come, gather together your purchafe, and re- 
 joice for ever in it: what! have you provided no- 
 thing for the laft days? laid you up no treafures 
 for this time? were you not thinking of this end- 
 Jefs day oiF eternity? have you all been fuch 
 brutifh fools, as to provide nothing for the laft 
 day? Strange folly and madnefsl had none of 
 you fo much confideration, as to think, that pof- 
 fibly there might be a life after an inch of time? 
 Were ye wife, or were ye fools, who confumed 
 all your time, in providing for time ? Bafe fools, 
 did God create you for an inch of time ? thought 
 you his wifdom made you only to eat and drink, 
 and mind your own bafe felves; to provide only 
 for your fenfual decaying life, and n^ver to aim 
 at his glory, 'To whom, and through whom, and 
 ' for whom are all things?' Did you imagine it 
 juft, that the lower creatures Ihould ferve you, 
 and yet that you fliould neglect the Creator? did 
 you forget him; and fhould he have minded you, 
 and given you 'rain and fruitful feafons, hiling 
 * your hearts with food and gladnefs?' O ingrate 
 wretches ? O abominable fools ! fliall we not tread 
 you eternally under our feet, as the drofs and ofF- 
 fcourings of all things? jfrofs you have coveted 
 
 and 
 
2l4 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 and defired as your portion j drofs you have loved, 
 feared, and fervedj and therefore you are bafer 
 than the bafeft drofs. Did you i)ot confider what 
 lay beyond time ? was earth your only defire ? 
 then you have judged yourfelves unworthy of 
 any more. Did you feek for no higher life, than 
 the dying, evanifhing, natural life ? have you riot 
 then excluded yourfelves from this fublime, ex- 
 cellent, and iminortal life ? would you not believe 
 the faithful and true Witiiefs, who teftified untp 
 you, of what excellent things were laid up in 
 ftore for thofe wlip feared, loved, obeyed, and 
 walked with God, in their generation? Would 
 you not rely ypon him for time and eternity, buf 
 laid hold on a prefent vain world? yea, and ia 
 fuch a bafe and brutifh manner, as that you did 
 not acknowledge him, nor depend upon him, in 
 your earthly enjoyments, but truiled to your wif- 
 dom, your labours, and a thoufand vanities? Reap 
 the fruit of your own fowing: you have received 
 your choice, and what would you fhave more ? 
 ■ had you chofen this eridlefs happinefs, you had 
 gotten it; and immortal life would have been, 
 by ten thoufand times, more fweet than it was. 
 Did you mock, in your hearts, at our folly, who 
 overlooked all vifibie things, and placed our hope, 
 our joy, our portion, our blefl'ednefs on things 
 that neither eye could fee, nor heart conceive ? 
 And {hall we not for ever intuit over you now, 
 when your folly is manifefl even to yourfelves ? 
 Our hope hath not made us aAiamed: but what 
 hath come of all your aims and hopes ? Now we 
 have you eternally as dull under the foles oi our 
 feet. O death and hell, we have vanquifhed you 
 for ever-, never fhall you be able to rife up again. 
 O grave ! O death I fhow the trophies of your 
 
 victory: 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 21^ 
 
 victory. Through God we have done valiantly; 
 for he it is that hath beat down our enemies.- 
 You feemed to overcome us, and hold us in pri-* 
 fon; but, through his ftrength, we have broken 
 all your bands, and ruined you utterly. The vic- 
 tory was ever ours: but all now is fully accom- 
 plifhed ; not one enemy is able to fliake a weapon 
 any more. Everlalting hallelujah to our God, 
 who hath given us the vi£lory through our Lord 
 Jefus Chrift. O what an endlefs triumph I 
 wicked men and devils, you were ordained for 
 the pomp and glory of this day. Our Wellbe- 
 loved has made our ftate every way excellent and 
 glorious ; therefore hath he ordained enemies for 
 us to cambat, vanquifli, and triumph over, for e- 
 Ver and ever. That our ftate might want no- 
 thing of the top, and flower, and perfection of 
 glory and exaltation, we have you as a footftool, 
 for /ever to trample upon : all things are burs, 
 and for our honour and glory. Now it is evi- 
 dent who were really the great ones. Now doth 
 appear what manner of perfons we are. Who 
 but the Lamb, and his followers ! who but the 
 Firft-born, and his brethren ! O the height, and 
 glorious dignity of a faint I Sirs, what think you ? 
 are we not made great perfons ? know we our 
 dignity when we v/ere on earth ? Surely not, in 
 the ten thoufand thoufandth part : mortality could 
 not have borne it. Have we not been like young 
 minors, who confidered not the glory aiid m.ajefty 
 of the vaft inheritance to which we were coming ? 
 and therefore we fometimes degraded ourfelves 
 with the familiar converfe of bafe worldlings, and 
 crouched fo creepingly as if fuch bcafts had been 
 fit companions for us: but in our childhood we 
 could not Conceive thefe fuperexcellent royalties. 
 
 Indeed 
 
%i6 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 indeed I ever looked upon all the faints, as tfie 
 < only excellent of the earth;' and was oft-times 
 ftruck with reverence and admiration, at the fight 
 of the lead of them: yet then I knew them not; 
 mortality could conceive little. Worldlings, know 
 you not now whom you have defpifed ? Time wa5 
 when a faint, as a faint, was a defpicable nothing 
 in your eyes; pelf, worldly grandeur and applaufe 
 tendered perfons only excellent in your efteem. 
 What was a man's holinefs to you, but fomc ima* 
 ginary fancies and opinions he had learned by e- 
 ducation : and entertained through conceit and 
 fancy? fome precife tenets, which were needlefs 
 and fuperfluous: for religion, in your judgment, 
 was an eafy and trivial matter; the generality 
 were faints: you had a large and wide charity for 
 every one, not tranfgrefEng the limits of common 
 humanity; civilians, moralifts, formalifts illumi- 
 nated, were all, in your opinion, fit for this glo- 
 rious and majeftic kingdom; fit for entering in- 
 to this golden city, and for converfing familiarly 
 with Jehovah and the Lamb, in this royal hall 
 of glory: you reproached us, as cenforlous and 
 uncharitable, becaufe we looked upon holinefs as 
 a difficult, rare, and excellent thing; becaufe we 
 counted the way to this unfpeakable glory ftrait, 
 and travelled by few; becaufe v^e looked upon 
 the faints as fo many miraculous figns and won- 
 ders. Who have judged right is now made ma- 
 nifeil to the whole creation. ' We have fought, 
 ' we have vanquiflied!' glory, glory, immortal 
 glory to the Captain, the Author and Finiflier of 
 our faith for evermore, 
 
 63. What appeared qn earthy is really in hea- 
 ven ; for all things are really there. 
 
 O pleafant ?*nd melodious world I the form.er 
 
 was 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 21)17 
 
 xvas jarring, every part In oppofition to another; 
 all things were full of labour, groaning and tra- 
 vailing until this glorious birth was brought forth. 
 It could not Hand, being divided againft itfelf ; be- 
 ing full of inteftine wars, and defolations, it cquM 
 not fail to come to nought, that this fair fabric 
 might arife in its place. Behold, nothing now but 
 peace and eternal friendfhip: nothing is out of 
 carder; every part agrees with the whole, in found- 
 ing forth an eternal Hallelujah to the great For- 
 mer. All contention and violence are banifhed, 
 out of this bleiTed world, into utter darknefs : 
 nothing but deep peace and ferenity; all things 
 feem to kifs and embrace one another; thefe e- 
 ternal gales have no flux or change, though they 
 are for ever blowing. Sirs, is not this gentle 
 breathing, exceedingly pleafant, after fo fore and 
 hot a battle? All is perfuitied with myrrh and 
 frankincenfe ! One blaft might caufe ten thoufand 
 worlds to live. What a life haft thou, O blefled 
 felf «* who art filled with, and draweft in thefe 
 full gales of the Spirit, which bloweth where it 
 lifteth throughout eternity. O thefe wells of fal- 
 vation ! infinitely tranfcending the pools of Baca's 
 vale! one drop is more delightful and fatlsfying, 
 than the oceans of all earthly fweetnefs. What 
 were the broken cifterns, out of which fools were 
 drinking? they were inflaming, not quenching; 
 more fantaftical than real. O fools! did not you 
 imagine that you were fwallowing down huge va- 
 rieties of all manner of fweetnefs? But you a- 
 wtiked, and behold it was a dream. Are you not 
 confounded, when your eyes are opened> to per- 
 ceive fo grofs a delufion? Did you not imagine 
 yourfelves enjoying riches, and honours, and plea* 
 fures^ But now the glorious day of eternity is 
 E e broken 
 
lis A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. : 
 
 broken up, and where are they? Here are reali- i 
 ties: this land is filled with eternal fprings of li- ; 
 ving waters of all fweetnefs and f^isfa^tion. . 
 Strange! ever drinking, and never cloyed or fur- ,i 
 charged: the deeper, and more draughts, the i 
 -greater is the delight ! O my conceptions on earth ! ; 
 O my enjoyments now! I did not in the Icafb j 
 conceive them. O my eternally prefent enjoys ' 
 ments: and yet I have all I could conceive. What- ■ 
 ever pleafure, oi* fatisf action, whatever can con- \ 
 duce to a life filled with all manner of excellen- 
 cies, delights and fweetnefs, is here in the top , 
 and flower of all perfefllon. When I drained ' 
 my conceptions to the higheft pitch of mortality, \ 
 and imagined glory, excellency and fweetnefs, ; 
 augmented and perfected by myriads of myriads • 
 of degrees above all the glory I could perceive or 1 
 imagine; ftill I have fallen wonderfully fhort of | 
 this: and yet my conceptions, in part, reprefent- ] 
 ed this; for all things are here. Here is an eter- 1 
 iial confluence of all manner of good things: who ' 
 can imagine any thing, which might be here, | 
 and is not? What want we, O inhabitants of this ': 
 wealthy city? Is not this the centre whither all ' 
 glory and fweetnefs run, like a flowing ftream ? ^ 
 And what wonder ? This is the city royal of the ] 
 eternal King. Here, here he manifefteth, imme- ■ 
 diafccly and in open view, his unfearchable riches, i 
 tranfcendent glory, infinite power, boundlefs good- : 
 nefs, with all the infinite varieties of his incon- • ] 
 ceivable excellencies. Were they fools, who \ 
 overlooked bafe earth, and laid out their whole 
 ilrength, for acquiring a right to the glorious pof- 
 felTion, and the unfearchable treafures of this ten ^ 
 thoufand times blefied land of Emmanuel ? Poor ' 
 earth, with thy gliftering, nothing enjoyments, i 
 
 whither '. 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 219 
 
 whither art thou gone? O real, folid and fubftan- 
 tial enjoyments ! all the glories beauties and ex- 
 cellencies of time were mere fliadows, and refem- 
 blances of what I behold. What, there, was in 
 appearance, is here indeed ; the real fpring-tide 
 js here : here are the true gardens and orchards 
 of delights, here are the fubftantial rofes, lilies 
 and violets ; here are the true pearls, rubies and 
 diamonds ; all the former were but counterfeit, 
 and in appearance fuch. I fee the dilFerence be- 
 twixt things here, and what were in time, is fuch, 
 as is found between the bare fhew, and the fub- 
 ftance. I thought I faw crowns and fceptres, 
 honours and renown ; but they were vapours, 
 gliftering after their fimilitudes, which are now e- 
 vanifhed eternally to nothing-, and behold the 
 real diadems, fceptres and honours appear ! I 
 thought I found fome pleafure and jdelight ; I 
 thought, I beheld great varieties of all kind ; but 
 the night is gone, and the day is broken up, 
 which difpelleth gliftering fhews and vapours, in 
 difcovering the real and fubftantial things : all 
 things are here in fubftance, which in time were 
 in appearance. Here are the real dwellings, ci- 
 ties, orchards, hills of frankincenfe, mountains of 
 fpices. We were far miftaken, O inhabitants, fo 
 fpeak of any thing, as exift^nt any where elfe 
 than here; elfe all our fpeech and conceptions, 
 within mortality's region, were merely figurative : 
 for, to conceive of things properly, as they were 
 on earth, there was neither fun, moon, nor ftars^ 
 neither lilies nor rofes, nor beauties, nor excel- 
 lencies: they are here, and only here for ever- 
 more. Were they wife, who placed their delights 
 on fliadows, and evanifhing nothings? Were they 
 fools, who overlooked ail the vain fancies of time, 
 E e 2 and 
 
110 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. t 
 
 and fixed their minds only on this enduring fub- | 
 
 llance? I have found the fubftance for the ftia- j 
 
 dow: I, even I am pofleflbr of this world of eter- i 
 nal joy and fatisfa^tion. 
 
 64. J frowning tormenting timey is the prelud^ ; 
 
 to eternity. '] 
 
 All fhame, and forrow, and vexation, you are j 
 eternally gone, as if you had not been : fometimes 
 
 you poflefled us; but the fair and white fide of , 
 
 providence is turned up for ever. I fee, it was the \ 
 
 appointment of eternity, that the head and mem- '• 
 
 bers ihould be every way conformed : ail that are ; 
 
 here, were of no beauty or defireablenefs fpr \ 
 
 fometime in the eyes of mortals ; they were ' de- j 
 
 * fpifed and rejedled of men, perfons of forrow, ac- 
 
 * quainted with grief j being deftitute, and afflid- ; 
 
 * ed, and tormented :* many moralifts, formalifts, | 
 and lukewarm Chriftians pafied for faints, in the i 
 eyes of alr»oft all : but one thing, among a thou- 
 sand, might have difcovered what they were, even ; 
 that they underwent not the lot of him whom they ^ 
 prpfefled to fallow ; the world fmiled upon them, \ 
 becaufe they were of the world : other entertain- \ 
 ment they did meet with in their progrefs through 1 
 earth, than the Chief of ten thoufand in the days \ 
 of his flefh: tho' my Lord could have brought his j 
 chofen to this unfpeakable glory, through the a- 
 bundance of earthly eafe, peace, glory, joy and 1 
 delight; yet this narrow way hath feemed belt to ' 
 his infinite wifdom. .0 ye angels, could you ; 
 have found out fuch a noble draught? could you j 
 have invented fuch an adrairable way of bringing ,; 
 poor, feeble, finful mortals to glory? O fweet, ! 
 fweet difpenfation ! bafe earth, that is now for e- \ 
 ver evanifhed, was not my country, but the place j 
 of my exile; not my abpde, but my pilgrimage ^ \ 
 
 and ; 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 221 
 
 a»d therefore it was well that it frowned upon me, 
 and appeared like the thing, which indeed it was, 
 a vain, empty, gliilering nothing. My Lord hath 
 been tender of his darlings, and could not fuffer 
 ^ight-dreams and fancies to beguile them, as they 
 might, they being in their childifh and mortal con- 
 dition, if they had appeared with a fmiling plea- 
 fant countenance. O my God, the greateft curfe 
 that ever thou rainedft upon thine enemies, was 
 to give them the delire of their heart: earth they 
 defired, thou madeft earth to look kindly upon 
 them: and therefore they are ruined for evermore. 
 I fee that the difpenfation, which moil crofTed 
 my own natural difpofition, hath contributed 
 moft to ray advantage ; my I^ord hath with-held 
 no good thing from me : it was beft that I fhould 
 lead a life of forrow, torment, and vexation : and 
 it was well that I received a fcanty ftiare of earth- 
 ly enjoyments. My only defire was to finifli my 
 courfe for this unfpeakable happinefs, and that it 
 fhould be fwift and vigorous; and how excellent- 
 ly haft thou fulfilled the defire of my heart? 
 
 65. Cipry caufeth a total change in all the power Sy 
 faculties and virtues. 
 
 O my heart, thou art changed indeed ! how tor- 
 menting a burden haft thou been unto me, in the 
 days of my ^bfence! even when I kept moft 
 ftridteft watch over thy frame, thou plaidft me a 
 ilip, and bendedft oft from the original of all blef- 
 fednefs, unto vanity. How waft thou drawn 
 hither and thither, by all difpenfations .'' When 
 I imagined I had got thee wrought up to a fub- 
 lime heavenly frame, how foon didft thou be- 
 come carnal and earthly again? When thou 
 feemedft all in a flame of divine love and zeal, 
 how di^ft thou become cold and indifferent, ere 
 
 ever 
 
22Z A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. : 
 
 ever I was aware? When I rejoiced to find thee - 
 in a lively, tender, gofpel-frame, how quickly 
 didft thou become dead and fenfelefs like a ftone! j 
 When I could not but cry out, 'My heart is fix- '[ 
 ' ed, my heart is fixed; I will fing; yea, I will ,^ 
 
 * for ever be difpofed for praifes:' howfoon waft 1 
 thou unfettled, and tofTed up and down with the ^ 
 winds of vanity ! When I could fay, * I will truft ] 
 
 * in him, and not be afraid ; I will not fear, tho* | 
 
 * the earth be removed, though the rnountainsbe \ 
 
 * cafl into the midft of the fea ; the Lord Jeho- | 
 
 * VAH is my ftrength and my fong, and he alfo is ] 
 
 * become my falvation :' how foon didft thou be» \ 
 come defpondent and fearful, afraid of worms and j 
 nothings, and forgetful of the Lord thy Maker, J 
 who ftretched out thefe heavens ! When thou | 
 waft in fo fweet a frame, as that I could not but J 
 wifli to be in the Wellbeloved^s inimediate emr ', 
 braces •,^ lvalue not that fmail brook that lies be- -' 
 twixt me and him; * though I walk in the valley';: 
 
 * of the fhadow of death, I will fear no evil; for ] 
 ^ he is ever v/ith me:' yet how foon waft thou I 
 overclouded and darkened with doubt and con- ] 
 fufion; fo that thou wouldeft have given ten ' 
 thoufand worlds, if at thy difpofai for the fettled ; 
 perfuaiion of a Chrift andbleftednefs? How waft j 
 thou fometimes in a ftrong, enlarged, and cheer- ■ 
 ful frame, running the ways of the Lord's com- i 
 mandments! thy cry was, What is the will of- ^ 
 my Lord? All his commandments are eafy, be- ] 
 caufe his : anon thou waft quite refraftory ; his '| 
 worfliip and fervice was a burden. O my heart, ' ■ 
 thou art now as I would have thee ! O all my - 
 faculties, you are altogether heavenly and di- ^ 
 vine: all, all is fwallowed up in full and immedi- '. 
 ate beholding: after him do ye go, with an unin- j 
 
 terruptedj, J 
 
A GLIIVIPSE OF GLORY 223 
 
 terriipted, eternal bent: it is impoflible for thee, 
 my foul, now in thy Lord's immediate embraces, 
 to fall away frt)rti this divine frame; thou Canll 
 not but inceflantly ferve and glorify him, with 
 unfpeakable joy and alacrity, fmce thou eternally 
 beholdefthis raviffiing countenance. Can doubting 
 enter this noon-day vifion of glory, when we 
 have attained the height and perfeflion of evi- 
 dence? can any one fear who is incircled within 
 thefe everlafting arms? This city of refuge is 
 fituated above the reach of ten thoufand worlds 
 of wicked men and devils. Who can dwell thus, 
 with infinite love, and not be altogether inflamed 
 with unquenchable fires? The firll fight of thy 
 goodly vifage, my fair One, hath captivated all! 
 my faculties unto thee. 
 
 66. Heaven is the fweeter the more daitgers "jje 
 have efcaped. 
 
 How have I been choaked with the pefttferous 
 contagion of a vile world? fo that I had almoll 
 loft my life. The hellilh fights and founds, that 
 have entered my faculties, againft my will, made 
 hell and death familiar unto me : I found it one 
 of the moft difficult commandments of my Lord^ 
 to *ftop my ears from hearing of blood, and to 
 ' fliut mine eyes from feeing of evil :' even when 
 I fet a guard upon, all my fenfes, my inbred 
 wickednefs betrayed the fort-royal, and infenfibly 
 received the fparks which fired up all. How 
 could feeble, mortal I, but be confufed, diverted, 
 and deadened with the hurry, noife, and vexati- 
 on of an hellifli world ? How often have I com- 
 plained, ' Fearfulnefs and trembling is come upon 
 ^ me, and horror hath overwhelmed me ? O that 
 
 * I had wings like a dove ! for then would I fly 
 
 * away, a^d be at reft ; lo, then would I wander 
 
 * afar 
 
224 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. ] 
 
 * afar oiF, and remain in the wildernefs : I would i 
 ' haften my efcape from the windy ftorm and i 
 
 * tempeft !' Ah ! my fenfes are filled with vani-^ 
 ty and mifchief, the beholding, and hearing of j 
 blood and evil, hath vitiated my faculties, and \ 
 made folly and madnefs feem common and ordi- ' 
 nary to my apprehenfions ; fo that I cannot attain j 
 unto any fuitable abhorrence of wickednefs, when .' 
 my love and defire after God is faint and Weak 5 '"• 
 which is high, or low, according to my abhor-* ; 
 rence and hatred of evil. It is wonderful, Omy 
 Lord, it is exceeding wonderful, how I have land* ] 
 ed in this choice happy place with my life ! the - 
 human nature in its integrity, might have been | 
 corrupted and deftroyed in fuch a noifom'fe and pe- ■ 
 ftilential air, as filled the lower world, while it ^ 
 was tl>e proper habitation of devils, and their bafe 
 Haves : but who can luffer hardfhip, whom thou \ 
 once takeft into thy tutorage? Thefewhom thy Fa- ' 
 ther hath given thee, haft thou fafely preferved, and ■ 
 none could be abletopllickthem out of thine hand. ; 
 The moft entire and excellent nature, committed 
 wholly to its own guidance, could not have been ' 
 able to perfevere, through the ten thoufandth part ; 
 of the difficulties and temptations, I have overpaffed: j 
 but what cannot thine infinite excellency do ? ] 
 There is no fecurity, but in being altogether thine, - 
 and in no refpefh our own, which happy I have ] 
 experienced to my eternal fweetnefs, O now the \ 
 danger is paft ! O lively and delightful air of ^ 
 Emmanuel's country ! nothing dwells in this world | 
 of my Wellbeloved's conqueft, but righteoufnefs ? 1 
 you ofF-fcourings of all things, I am not vexed 
 with your abominable vilenefs any more: fome- j 
 times you vexed and tormented me, that the ! 
 wonderful efficacy of my Wellbeloved's graces i 
 
 might i 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 22,- 
 
 might be the more evidently manifefted ♦, but you 
 are vanifhed, you are vanifhed away into fmoke. 
 O now my fenfes, you are only filled with the 
 alone Rofe and Beauty of this everlafting, ravifli- 
 ing paradife ! no fweetnefs, no fulnefs, no excel- 
 lency, but that of the Branch: yea, could the a- 
 bominable fmoke of ten thoufand hells afcend this 
 fweet region, it would not be perceived; but be 
 loft, like a fmall drop of bitternefs in a boundlefs 
 ocean of fweetnefs. And O ! the delightful a- 
 fpe£l of the Lamb's fair and white company 'who 
 
 * follow him whitherfoever he goes!' what a gold* 
 en life, in fo raviihing a fellowfhip ! nothing but 
 the mutual emanations of furpafling fweetnefs! 
 nothing but fublime 'hallelujahs to him that fits 
 
 * upon the throne, and to the Lamb,' through* 
 out eternity! O my blefled fenfes, you are no 
 more filled with vanity and vexation ! Now, devil, 
 and his flaves, what can you do? your tempting 
 vexing world is evanifhed for ever: yea, though 
 it were not, what are you to us ? like bafe cowards, 
 you aflauited us in our childifti eftate ; but what 
 are you all to one of us in our manly vigour ? 
 Were you all drawn up in battle-array againft me, 
 whom once you thought unworthy of the leaft of 
 your aflaults, I fhould, with one lifting up of 
 mine arm vanquifli you for ever. Nothing in me 
 can yield to hell: fin and mortality is fwallowed 
 up of life* 
 
 67. The inhabitants Jhall not fay y lamftck. 
 All thy infirmities and fickrtefs, O my foul, are 
 quite eradicated, fince I am in the arms of all life, 
 ]oy and fatisfaclion. How have I been, in the 
 days of mine infirmity, fick of love for my only 
 Wellbeloved ? Strong love was like to die for want 
 of full and perfonal enjoyment, even when I had 
 F f the 
 
226 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 the greateft manifeftatlons on earth: and no won- ] 
 derj the clearer the difcoveries of loveHnefs, the i 
 more ardent the defire of the neareft and fuUeft: i 
 enjoyment. O my ravifhing Wellbeloved, I no ' 
 fooner faw thee afar off, by a borrowed vifion, ' 
 than I longed and defired for nothing more, than [ 
 to have thee in my arms, and to be eternally in- 
 circled in thine immediate embraces: no fooner 
 did I embrace thee, as thou didfl offer thyfelf, i 
 and was efpoufed to thee, but I longed exceed-' 
 ingly for this bleffed day of eternal marriage.' 
 Letters, love-tokens, intercourfes by ambaffadors, : 
 and all manner of mediate fellowfhip, could not; 
 give full fatisfaction; nothing but faintings, long- 
 ings, and defires, until I have thee in my naked J 
 embraces. Apples and flagons of wine could, 
 fcarce hold up my fwooning heart, in thine ab- 
 fence; the moft excellent enjoyment could do no; 
 more than hinder an eternal fwoon; only thy-' 
 felf could cheer up the fainting foul. O thyfelf,' 
 thy all excellent Self! what but thy noble Self is 
 worthy of defire ? None but thee, none befide thee \ , 
 O flower of m-y defires, I am well, eternally well!; 
 my fair One, fince I have thee in my arms, my 
 tormenting love-ficknefs is quite abolifhcd from' 
 my mind; the beholding of thee face to face,! 
 hath fwallowed up all former things. I enjoy 
 thee fully, and am I not at the fummit of all my ' 
 defires? Thou haft for ever, my deareft Lord, cutj 
 off all matter of complaint. Sirs, I need now be^ 
 a fupplicant to none of you, for the ufe of youn 
 moyen with my royal Wellbeloved, that ye tell' 
 him my love-ficknefs, through his feeming un-j 
 kindnefs. Can there be greater intimacy than 
 now, betwixt my Lord and mc for evermore ! I 
 have entered thy very heart, I lie betwixt thy 
 
 breafts.i 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 227 
 
 breafls. Can (icknefs, or forrow, or Infirmity, 
 dwell within the circle of thine arms ? Were there 
 any ficknefs, it fliould be through fuperabundance 
 of overcoming loves; but the veflels are fitted for 
 the fuperabundant oil of gladnefs, and overflow- 
 ing of joys. If this ambrofia and ne£tar of giory 
 be ftrong and fprightly, the bottles are new, and 
 of a durable ftructure. What can I fay more of 
 my happinefs, than that I cannot conceive and ex- 
 prefs the full emanations of thine infinite love -diid 
 fweetnefs ? 
 
 68. Grace is an excellent prelude to glory ^ yet 
 the difference betwixt them is inconceivable, 
 
 Wliatever fweetnefs and delight I enjoyed In 
 time, is now augmented, myriads of myriads of 
 times. By leaving earth, I have loft no enjoyment, 
 not only becaufe of recompenfe and enjoyment 
 of an higher nature; but alfo bocaufe all kinds 
 of enjoyments are here in an eminent and divine 
 manner. ThylandjOEmmanuel, is ftored with all 
 manner of precious things, new and old, which 
 thou haft prepared for thy chofen, before all ages. 
 All the joys and delights that I met with in time, 
 were as fo many light eflays and fmall preludes 
 to thefe .fubftantial and enduring pleafures ? all 
 have been flight foretaftes of this fuperabounding 
 harveft of eternity; what was then in drops, is 
 now in oceans, for I am entered for ever into the 
 fountain of all fulnefs and fatisfaclion; and what 
 fweetnefs before I experienced blockiihly and in 
 part, I find now in the moft evident, fublime, and 
 vigorous manner; even my moft refined enjoy- 
 ments of thy bleflfed felf, were but low, childilh 
 motions, arifing from (liallow improper apprehen- 
 fions, raifed by the contraiflion of a multitude of 
 borrowed ideas, extra<^ed from lower obje(fls ; 
 F f 2 *vhich 
 
228 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 which indeed were very glorious and fweet for 
 the time, filling mortality almoft above its mea- 
 fure, feeming childhood-glory fallen down on 
 grace's country. But O the vaft difference be- 
 twixt mortality and immortality ! who can but 
 fmile at his forn^er apprehenfions ? No wonder if 
 earthly ftupid creatures apprehend this unfpeak- 
 able glory in a ftupid earthly manner. Every 
 thing extraordinary may appear above what 'eye 
 * hath feen, ear hath heard,^ or foul can imagine, 
 unto the mind that hath known this more by 
 faith than fight; more by certain report, than e- 
 vident experience: for what can the mortal ima- 
 gine higher, than by the fweet outletting of the 
 glory and defire of men and angels, to be filled 
 and ©verfiUed 'with joy unfpeakable, and full of 
 ' glory?' But a drop that would overfill a veffel 
 of the narroweft fize, would be as juft nothing to 
 one of the capacity of many worlds. Yet what de- 
 light and admiration, to look back and confider, 
 how my Lord made bits of half-dead clay, to be 
 ravifhed with the higheft objects, far above the 
 reach of an earthly, mortal condition ! but crea- 
 tures of all conditions are enamoured, raviflied, 
 fatiated, and overcome, when once thou beginneft, 
 in the leaft, to difcover thy matchlefs lovelinefs. 
 What delights, to conceive bits of childifh nothings 
 enamoured with thee whom they never faw ! and 
 chanting forth their love-fongs of praifes in the 
 midft of the faddeil difpenfations, which were 
 fit to torment, bear down, and crufh low feeble 
 mortality ! O what joy to confider ( with the fame 
 eye) my converfe fometimes with thee in time, 
 and now in eternity; and to compare them to- 
 gether! how excellently doth the efpoufing agree 
 with the marriage! how nobly doth walking with 
 
 thee 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 229 
 
 thee by faith, uiher in the perfcjnal following of 
 thee whitherfoever thou goeil 1 I find thy dealing 
 to the faints in time, is a myftery above the reach 
 of nature in its higheft pitch, as well as thy way 
 with them in eternity. Little did, or would the 
 world confider, what a golden happinefs I had in 
 the days of my pilgrimage, in thy fellowfhip : the 
 choiceft of their religion was a formal out- fide 
 homage with which they mocked thee ; but a fa- 
 miliar converfe with thee, was a thing they had 
 no experience of: they worfliipped thee as a 
 dumb idol ; for they did know no mutual inter- 
 courfe, ordefire: thou waft *near in their mouth, 
 * but far from their reins.' O the golden hours I 
 have had, in thy ravifhing fellowfliip, within the 
 tents of forrow I eternity cannot cancel the me- 
 mory of thy furpaffing kindnefs to me, in my low 
 and defpicable condition: I have moft fenfibly 
 found thy ftrengthening, cheering prefence, in 
 all affli^ions and difficulties; I found thee an- 
 other manner of God, than the foolifh world ima- 
 gined thee to be, even a prefent help in times of 
 trouble, a God that gave ear to my prayers, and 
 anfwered them fpeedily, both by the influences 
 of thy Spirit on my heart, and by thy difpenfa- 
 tions. Tho' I was then a child, yet didft thou 
 teach me to difcern betwixt thy frowns and thy 
 fmiles, the light of thy countenance lifted up, 
 and the turning away of thy face; thou madeft 
 thyfelf familiar unto me; fo that I approached 
 unto thee, in all exigencies, as unto a near and 
 intimate friend, of whofe kindnefs and help I 
 was perfuaded, and to which I trufted according- 
 ly: I depended and trufted on thee, as a Father, 
 cafting all my cares upon thee; fo that I was care- 
 ful for nothing. I learned to know my duty, and 
 
 the 
 
230 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 j 
 
 the way of its performance, and committed the - 
 event of all to my Lord and Sovereign abfolutely, \ 
 without the leaft refervation; being perfuaded i 
 that he would completely fulfil all things which j 
 were entirely committed unto him, becaufe he 
 had promifed; and would not make them afham* ] 
 cd who placed their confidence in him. And now 
 I may teftify before ti:e whole creation, that thou j 
 haft been better to me, In my pilgrimage, than I ] 
 could have imagined, or have defired, and that the ] 
 lot v/hich thou carvedft out for me, in time, hath \ 
 been beft for me; I would not for ten thoufand ' 
 worlds that it had bsen otherwife, as to the fmal- I 
 left difpenfation ; the moft crofs and ruin-like 
 difpenfations, as to fenfe, have been the fweeteft; I 
 as they had the noblcft effects, and neareft ma- ' 
 nifeftations of thy love and fweetnefs accompany- ; 
 ing them. If any have proven in the leaft bitter 1 
 and difadvantageous, it was becaufe I brought I 
 them on my own head, by my facrilegious bold- 
 nefs, in difpofing of myfelf, and what concerned , 
 me, without Gods approbation, andconfent: yet, 
 even thefe he turned to my good; his power be- 
 ing fo tranfcendently excellent, as to bring light j 
 out of darknefs; and his love fo boundlefs to thofe | 
 whom he had chofen from eternity, that he 
 would fuffer no harm to befal them, but made all \ 
 things to contribute to their good. O! can we ^ 
 hut wonder at, and rejoice in the incomparable j 
 condefenfion, wifdom, and excellency of our \ 
 Lord, who hath contrived and elFefted our cter- i 
 nal happinefs, after fo ftupendous a manner? - 
 Could we ruin ourfelves, fince it was his will to J 
 fave? Could we in the leaft oppofe our own hap- ; 
 pinefs, fince it was his fovereign eternal pleafure, \ 
 to make us as happy as can be? O eternal afto- i 
 
 nifhment ! ] 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 231 
 
 nifliment! the more we have undone ourfelves, 
 the more he hath made us happy; the more we 
 have degraded ourfelves, the higher hath he exalted 
 us : the more we have hated and provoked him, 
 the more kind and intimate hath he become to 
 us J men and angels, could you have found out 
 fuch a way to manifeft the glory and excellency 
 of free grace? Is it not here manifefted in the 
 higheft manner? 
 
 69 . Pra ifes to]^uov AH for the accomp Ufimen t 
 of his promifes to his people^ and of his threat enings 
 againfl the. vjicked. 
 
 Is it not an eternal queftion, men and angels. 
 Whether the excellency of our Wellbeloved mani- 
 fefted, or lying hid, be more aftonifhing? But fure 
 each of them is an everlafting ravifhment, which 
 would plunge ever fo many worlds into an ocean 
 of never-ending aftonifliment : one ray of his^- 
 vine excellency, now immediately beheld, doth 
 implicitly difcover, that more and more eternally 
 may be feen; what then fhould be our immortal 
 exercife, but to bend all our faculties to fearch, 
 to look in, to admire, to flame in love, and extol 
 the tranfcendent excellencies of him that fits up- 
 on the throne, and the Lamb, throughout all ages? 
 Jehovah, altogether excellent, lovely Jehovah 
 is a depth in which we have for ever loft ourfelves ! 
 what are we, men and angels, that we fhould fet 
 him on high? what do we contribute to the decla- 
 ration of his infinite glory ? though we fhould wear 
 out, to a period, endlefs eternity with our incef- 
 fant hallelujahs, could we, bits of nothing, con- 
 ceive in the leaft this infinite One? Doth he not 
 bow and humble himfelf infinitely below himfelf, 
 that he may be apprehended, as he is, by our 
 fii>ite capacities, in his uncreated loveHnefs and 
 
 fweetnefs? 
 
232 A GLIISIPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 fweetnefs ? It is ftrange that he fhould fatiate no- 
 things with all his fulnefs ! this is a myftery, a 
 wonder! nothing but wonders upon wonders! 
 every preceding z€t is the admiration of the fol- 
 lowing, and fo throughout eternity. What ftretch- 
 ings of capacities! what bending of all the fa- 
 culties! O the beauty, the goodnefs, the fweet-^ 
 nefs, which dwells from eternity to eternity in 
 him ! O the full outlettings upon us ! though 
 he were not excellent to us ; yet, are we not con- 
 ftrained to love, and adore, and extol him, who 
 is an infinite mafs of all excellency? Though 
 he be infinitely above all the praifes of all pof- 
 fible creatures; yet, can we but extol him to 
 whom all glory is due ? Are we not conftrained, 
 who fee his face., to exprefs, again and again 
 throughout eternity, to exprefs his infinite per- 
 fections? As creatures, we are bound to be all 
 for him; but thefe ftupendous obligations fuper- 
 added, above all produ<^ion and prefervation, 
 have elevated unto fuch a frame, that common ties 
 are almoft fwallowed up and cvanifhed. O his 
 goodnefs, his goodnefs ! how great is his goodnefs! 
 and how great is his beauty! every ray, every 
 outletting would ravifli ever {o many creatures ! 
 ** I will extol thee, mv God, O King, and I will 
 blefs thy name for ever and ever. Great is the 
 Lord, and greatly to be praifed; his greatnefs is 
 unfearchable. I will fpeak of the glorious honour 
 of thy majefty, and I will declare thy greatnefs. 
 Yea, all thy works fhall praife thee, O Lord, and 
 all thy faints fhall blefs thee. While I live, I will 
 praife the Lord; I will fing praifes to my God, 
 while I have a being. Praife ye him, all his angels : 
 praife him, all his hofts. Praife him, fun and moon: 
 praife him. all ye ftars of light. Praife him, ye hea- 
 vens 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 23 
 
 v&r^ of heavens, and ye waters above the heavens. 
 Let them praife the name of the Lord : for he 
 commanded, and they were created. He hath 
 alfo eftablifhed them for ever and ever. O fmg 
 unto the Lord a new fong: praife him in the fir- 
 mament of his power; praife him for his mighty 
 acls; praife him, according to his excellent great- 
 nefs: for in this day is the Branch of the Lord 
 beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth 
 excellent and comely, for thofe that are efcaped 
 of Ifrael, that are left in Zion, 'and that remain 
 in Jerufalem, are called holy. There hath come 
 forth a rod out of the ftem of Jefle, and a branch 
 hath grown out of his roots; and the Spirit of 
 the Lord doth reft upon him, the Spirit of wifdom 
 and of underftanding, of counfel, might, know- 
 ledge, and of the fear of the Lord; with righte- 
 oufnefs doth he judge the poor, and reprove with 
 equity, for the meek of the earth: he fmote the 
 earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the 
 breath of his lips did he flay the wicked. Righte- 
 dufnefs is the girdle of his loins, and faithfulnefs 
 the girdle of his reins. The wolf doth dweU with 
 the lamb, and the leopard doth lie down with the 
 kid; the calf, the young lion, and the fatling to- 
 gether, and a little child may lead them : for the 
 earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the 
 waters cover the fea. O Lord, thou art my God, 
 I will praife thee, for thou hail done wonderful 
 things; thy counfels of old are faithfulnefs arid 
 truth: for thou haft brought down all thofe that 
 rofe up againft thee ; and art for a crown of glo- 
 ry, and a diadem of beauty to thy people. Judg- 
 ment doth dwell in the wildernefs, and righteouf- 
 nefs remains in the fruitful field; the work of 
 righteoufnefs is peace, and the effect of righte- 
 G g • oufnefe 
 
234 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. j 
 
 oufnefs quietnefs and aflurance for ever. An high j 
 way is here, and it is called the way of holinefs , : 
 no lion is here, no ravenous bead goeth up there- j 
 upon; but the redeemed walk therein, and the , 
 ranfomed of the Lord do return, and come to ; 
 Zion with fongs, and everlafting joy upon their ^ 
 heads; they have attained joy and gladnefs, and ; 
 forrow and fighing have fled away. We are the ; 
 everlafting witnefles of tliy glory and excellency. \ 
 O dread Sovereign, and thy fervant whom thou \ 
 haft chofen : before thee there was no god formed, i 
 neither ftiall there be after thee: thou, even thoii ! 
 art the Lord, and befide thee there is no faviour: ; 
 before the day thou art he ; and there is none ' 
 that can deliver out of thine hand: thou workeft, : 
 and who ftiali let thee? We remember not the < 
 former things, neither confider the things of old : I 
 behold, thou doft a new thing, and it fpringeth i 
 forth, and we under ft and it: thou doft even make ; 
 a way in the wildernefs, and rivers in the defert. \ 
 The beafts of the field honour thee, the dragons j 
 and the owls; becaufe thou giveft water in the'] 
 wildernefs, and rivers in the defert, to give drink ^ 
 to thy people, thy chofen. Thou haft formed us I 
 for thyfelf, we ihall fhew forth thy praife. 'Thy \ 
 
 * righteoufnefs is near, thy falva^ion is gone forth: i 
 
 * and thine arm did judge the people; the iflands 1 
 
 * did wait upon thee, and upon thine arm did ^ 
 
 * they truft.' The heavens evanifhed like fmoke; ] 
 the earth did *wax old like a garment; and they' 
 
 * that dwelt therein did die in like manner :' but ] 
 thy falvation is for ever, and thy righteoufnefs '• 
 (hall not be aboliftied: the mountains did depart, , 
 the hills were removed; but thy kindnefs hath : 
 not departed from us, neither fhall the covenant ] 
 of thy peace be removed from us. I will mention ^ 
 
 the j 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 235 
 
 tlie lotving-kindnefs of the Lord, and the praifes 
 of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath 
 beftowed upon us. Thou didft rent Uie heavens, 
 and cameft down, the mountains flowed down at 
 thy prefence; thou trodeft down the pjeople in 
 thine anger, thou madeft them drunk in thy fury; 
 and didft bring down their ftrength to the earth. 
 Tho' many of the earth heaped up filver as the 
 duft, and raiment as the clay, yet the juft put it 
 on, and the kmocent divided the filver: terrors 
 have taken hcxld on them as waters^ a tempeft 
 hath ftolen thtim away m the night 4 for thou 
 haft caft upon them, and not fpared; they would 
 fain flee out of thy hand. We clap our hands 
 at them, and have hifled them out of their place. 
 But thou haft delivered us in fix troubles ; yea, in 
 feven, no evil hath touched us. In famine he 
 hath redeemed us from death, and in war from 
 the power of the fword •, we have been hid from 
 the fcourge of tongues; neither were we afraid 
 of deftruftion when it came : at deftru(flion and 
 famine we did laugh: we knew alfo that our feed 
 ifhould be great, and our off-fpring as the grafs 
 of the earth; and that our enemies fhould for 
 ever be made our footftools ; for thou haft de- 
 ftroyed them for ever, O God; thou haft made 
 them to fall by their own counfels: and caft 
 them out, in the multitude of their tranfgreftions; 
 for they rebelled againft th^e. They are brought 
 down, and fallen; but we are rifen, and ftand 
 upright; for thou haft faved the afflifted people, 
 and haft brought down the high looks. We will 
 extol thee, O Lord; for thou haft lifted us up, 
 and haft not made our foes to rejoice over us: 
 Thou haft brought up our fouls from the grave; 
 thou haft kept us alive, that wq Oiould not go 
 G g 2 down 
 
236 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye his : 
 faints, and give thanks at the remembrance oif his ;; 
 holinefs; for his anger endureth but for a mo- '■) 
 ment; in his favour is life. Weeping may en- ] 
 dure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. ] 
 We have delighted ourfelves in the Lord; and ■ 
 he hath given us the de fire of our hearts: we i 
 have committed our way unto him, we have trufl:- \ 
 ed in him*, and he hath brought it to pafs; he 
 hath brought forth our righteoufnefs as the light, j 
 and our judgment as the noon-day. We have ] 
 not fretted ourfelves, becaufe of him that pro- , 
 fpereth in his way; becaufe of the man that bring- . 
 eth wicked devices to pafs; we have waited pa- , 
 tiently, and behold, the wicked are not; they are ; 
 for ever baniflied into utter davknefs: but we in- ] 
 herit the earth, and delight ourfelves in abundance \ 
 of peace. Many have been our afflid^ions, but j 
 the Lord hath delivered us out of them all: he i 
 hath kept all our bones, that not one of them is ] 
 broken: but evil hath flain the wicked; and they ; 
 that have hated us ^re defolate: we were not a- I 
 fraid, when one was made rich, when the glory i 
 of his houfe was increafed; for when he died, he \ 
 carried nothing away; his glory did not defcend '\ 
 after him : the way of the wicked was their folly ; ? 
 like'fheep they were laid in the grave, death did ( 
 feed upon them; we have now dominion over j 
 them in the morning : and their beauty did cpn^ | 
 fume in the grave, from their dwelling. But | 
 God hath redeemed our foul from the power of 
 the grave; arid he hath received us. Selah. 
 
 O fing \into the Lord a new fong; for he hath .; 
 done marvellous things; his right hand, and his } 
 holy arm hath gotten him the victory. The Lord j 
 is God, his mercy is everlafting, and his truth en- j 
 
 dureth j 
 
A GLLMPSE OF GLORY. 237 
 
 dureth to all generations. The right hand of the 
 Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord doth 
 valiantly. Praife the Lord, O Jerufalem; praife 
 thy God, O Zion; for the Lord fhall reign for 
 ever, even thy God, O Zion, to all generations. 
 Hallelujah." 
 
 The conclusion. 
 
 I. JVe ought to write of fuch things with a trem- 
 bling hand. 
 
 AH ! Wellbeloved, I am beginning to be a- 
 fraid that I have darkened counfei by words 
 w^ithout knov/ledge. Ah! has this been the eiFe£l 
 of my ravifhing view of thy fuperexcellent glory 
 which is to be revealed? to talk fo poorly and 
 cjiildifhly of fuch great and excellent things ! is a 
 ready way to bring down the low thoughts, that 
 the fons of men have of thee, much lower! and 
 is a dcftruclion to my defign he^re, and to the 
 flower of my defire, which was only to ravifhthe 
 judgments and afFeftions of the fons of men, 
 concerning the exceiienpies of thy perfon, the 
 greatnefs of thy kingdom, and the glory of thine 
 inheritance in the faints in light. My deareft 
 One, let this never fee the light, if it be apt to 
 produce any other efFe£l. Pardon, dear Lord,, 
 my childifti boldnefs, and accept the will for the 
 deed: thou knoweft, it is my defign, to fet thefe 
 on high; but ah my ftupidity ! ah my childifh ig-^ 
 norance! I may fay, in thy fight, lam 'more 
 
 * brutifh than any man, and have not the under- 
 
 * {landing of a man; I neither learned wifdom, 
 
 * nor have knowledge of the holy.' A¥hen (hall 
 
 my 
 
1^38 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 my childhood be gone? when Ihall I come to my. 
 manly eitate? how long fhall my faculties be 
 ftupid, marred, and cut of order? If, juft now, I 
 am wondering at my childifh expreflions of fuch 
 fuperexcellent things, what will my refle(flions be, 
 when I attain to the fulnefs of the ftature of 
 Chrift? It quiets my mind fomewhat, that I have 
 exprefled more, and afcended higher, than the 
 conceptions of mofl ; and that all expreffions, and 
 difcourfes of fublunary excellencies (hall blufh 
 -and be aftiamed to appear in heaven: and tho' 
 whatever I fhall be able to fay, be unworthy of 
 the meaneft of thy faints; yet may it be^an oc- 
 cafion to fome of them, of ftirring themfelves up 
 to a more heavenly frame of fpirit, and to more 
 ferious and profound apprehenfions of the things 
 which are inviiible. 
 
 2. The ejjence of a faint confifts much in heavenly » 
 mindednefs. 
 
 Heirs of glory, what think you of your goodly 
 inheritance ? the delightful countries, the pleafant 
 habitations, the unfpeakable joys, the everlafting 
 pleafures, the inconceivable felicity, that lie a little 
 before you, and to which you are polling? Are 
 you not amazed with the confideration of your 
 wonderful prerogatives ? Is it poffible for you to 
 bear the forethoughts of what you are coming to? 
 Shall you ever be able to pluck your minds down 
 from fuch raviihing things? Have not all fublu- 
 nary excellencies difappeared in your fight? What 
 are the (lars, when the fun doth appear? I think 
 I hear every one of you fay, 'I have done for ever 
 with painted clay images : for I have feen and 
 found the only real and fubftantial things. O joy 
 unfpeakable, and full of glory ! you delights, you 
 forrows of time, you are mucli overlooked by rne, 
 
 while 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 23^ 
 
 while I lie thus, within the view of eternal ravifh- 
 ments. One moment's immediate converfe with 
 Jehovah, and the Lamb, (hall eradicate all the 
 impreflions of forrow and grief, that I can poffibly 
 undergo. Shall I not fee him as he is? Am I not 
 to fee him face to face? Thefe arms, even thefe 
 very arms fliall embrace the chief of ten thoufand : 
 I (hall be forever fatiatedwith his infinite fweet- 
 nefs; even drunk and overfilled with his overco- 
 ming loves. O the frame of ray fpirit! I can fay 
 nothing: expreffions fail me, in the reprefentation 
 of the high thoughts of my heart! Where am I 
 now? ^m I not almoft in heaven already"^ Heart, 
 and love, and all have fled thither; nothing re- 
 mains here, but this vile clay tabernacle; and ere 
 it be long, it will be there alfo. Verily I am come 
 to mount Zion, to the city of the living God; my 
 converfation is no more on earth. 
 
 3. Earthly-minded creatures might he convinced 
 of the reality and defirahlenefs of heavenly things y 
 by due and deep confideration. 
 
 Silly worldhngs, what think you of our world ? 
 fpeak, men, I appeal unto your own ftupid felves, 
 which of us are wifeft, wealthieft, merrieft, moft 
 renowned and excellent? Are you not beginning 
 to confider your defperate folly and madnefs ! Are 
 you not admiring the foolifhnefs of your bypail 
 vanity, in fpending your ftrength for tranfient, e- 
 vanifhing fhadows ? Are you not aimolt beginning 
 to fall in love with our blefled country? Yea, are 
 you not content to renounce the love of your 
 dung-hill for it ? Are you not come to fuch a blef- 
 fed change, in your thoughts? Come hither, the 
 bargain is done, heaven is yours; for it is. Love, 
 and have it. What mean you, Sirs? Why fliould 
 any of you thus ftand wavering? Muft you not 
 
 have 
 
t^o A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. > 
 
 have heaven? If you lofe it, what can you ] 
 purchafe ? Is there any impediment ? Be vi^illing, i 
 and welcome. Dare any of you doubt of the ] 
 reaUty of the only real things? what! becaufe ' 
 they fall not under your brutifli fenfes? Then you ; 
 may doubt whither you conceive, or not. Are ye ; 
 fuch brutes, as to think, there is no^ perception ' 
 but what is fenfual, when the mental is myriads 
 of degrees more evident and real? Sirs, can there 
 be any fo mad, as to deny the exiftence of all the ! 
 countries he never faw with his eyes, when atteft- ] 
 ed by multitudes of eye-witnefles, of divers 
 forts and ages? And have not numbers, of al^ i 
 ranks and conditions, of the moll excellent in all ^ 
 ages, attefted their mod excellent difcoveries of ; 
 this happy world ? The atteftation of one of whom 
 is more worthy, than the teftimony of ten thou- 
 fand ordinary men. O Sirs, want of confideration 1 
 caufeth you to look upon the only fubftantial ; 
 things, as uncertain fancies. But confider eter- ] 
 nity ferioully, and you fliall find yourfelves mov- j 
 ed in another manner, than thofe who are led ' 
 away with enthufiaftic fancies. Sirs, enter into ; 
 your own hearts, inquire at your confciences, 
 and you fhall find heaven and hell written upon . 
 them. Speak ever fo much, worldling, againft i 
 our happy world, thou only manifefteft thydefires, i 
 not thy real and ferious thoughts; thou fighteil j 
 againft thy confcience: the names of thy blaf- - 
 pheming bewrays thee. , 
 
 4. Tranjieiit thoughts of glory fignify nothing, \ 
 Ah I Sirs, I fear many of you have taken but a l 
 view of our Wellbeloved's country, by the bye, ^\ 
 and no more: will ye not bend hither all your J 
 faculties, and confider profoundly again and again I 
 \^ihat you have feen, until an enduring imprelfion 1 
 
 be 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 2^1 
 
 be left upon your fpirlts? What! fhall your 
 thoughts be fo fuperficial and tranfient, as that 
 you fhall undergo no transformation in the fpirit 
 of your minds, but ftill remain earthly? What, 
 ftill earthly? and prefently back to earth again ? 
 are you like earthly exhalations, which by means 
 of a flight fiery imprefTion, are feen a while aloft, 
 yet ftill retain the drofTy nature, and fall down 
 again ? Shall glory be fo foon forgotten, as if it 
 were like a wonder of nine days ? How are you 
 affected? Arc you not in fome heavenly frame ?, 
 And will you fufFer it to evanifh by negligence, 
 by vain conceits, by worldly thoughts and words^ 
 or fleihly lufts? Shall dunghill-earth eclipfe the 
 Bavifhing view you have gotten? W^ill you be- 
 come as low and creeping in your conception's;^ 
 as you have been ? May fuch a fad fentence be 
 faid of you, 'The glory you have feen to day, 
 * you (hall behold no more ?' Will you prove like 
 Balaam, who fell to his accuftomed bafenefs, after 
 the elevated fight of Ifrael's comely tents ? Shall 
 you be ranked with the apoftate angels, who fell 
 from the highefl to the lowefl places of the 
 world ? Keep your fituation if you be wife; fallen 
 ftars are mofl aborwinable: the higher the exalta- 
 tion, the lower the fall: better you had never 
 known fuch excellent things, than to flight and 
 forget them, and be as bafe and earthly, as if the 
 found of fuch aflonifhing things had never come 
 to your ears. 
 
 5. Jji hivitation to exchange earthly for hea" 
 venly things. 
 
 Launch out further and further into the depths 
 
 of infinite excellencies. Ah ! what can we fpeak 
 
 of fuch mafTy, fublime things ? though we (hould 
 
 write as many volumes as would fill the v^rhole 
 
 H h crea^on^ 
 
242 A GLIMPSE 01^ GLORY. 
 
 creation, eartK's fliallow dialeiH: is infignificant ] 
 and mean to reprefent fuch fubftantial things j i 
 words here are but filent fhadows, and of no ef- ■ 
 ficacy: to come, to fee, to tafte, would be to ^ 
 know the matter. Sirs, have you any thing to \ 
 -fay? Is not the bufinefs paft all debate? Need ■ 
 we fay any more ? Can you be fo mad, as to be 1 
 indifferent and inconfiderate in fuch a weighty ] 
 concern? Sirs, *How long will you halt betwixt ^ 
 ' two opinions?' Stand no more aloof: O come,^ 
 come away, and be everlaftingly blefied! Are i 
 you not out of conceit with time's worm-eaten ^ 
 glory? Are you not lamenting your former va- J 
 nity and madnefs? Are you not wearied of the ^ 
 things that cannot profit? Are you confidering ; 
 things, which never entered within your concep- ' 
 tion before? What lets you then, that you be- ' 
 come not heavenly and divine ? Are you not al- 
 together in love with our Wellbeloved, the au- 
 thor of all? Are you not clofing with him, on his ^ 
 own terms, as he hath offered himfelf in his tef- j 
 tament? Are you not heartily embracing, and 
 ftriving to grow more and more conformable 
 to his lovely image, until you grow up unto thei 
 perfect ftature of his fulnefs ? O then ! welcome, ; 
 a thoufand times welcome unto this glorious , 
 world of Emmanuel's conqueft : you are come , 
 unto the joyful and delightful fide of the creation. ; 
 I dare pawn my falvation, that you will never j 
 repent of fo fweet a tranflation: your 'light {hall; 
 * more and more break forth, unto the perfedl [ 
 ' day :' your progxefs, through all the difficulties i 
 of time, even thro' death it&lf, will be cheerful j 
 and fweet. 
 
 (5. The hp€ of glory /wallows up aU imagmable i' 
 forraWs 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GOLRY. 243 
 
 Be of good courage, ye faints of the Moll High, 
 ye princes of the world; all things are yours, for 
 ye are Chrift's, and Chrifl is God's. It is all one 
 whether dung-hill worms, contemn or efteem 
 you: it is below you to fear fuch feeble beads. 
 Overlook the fcenical graduations of time; it is 
 below princes, bom to fo great things, to take 
 notice of fuch trifles: (land to your royal pre- 
 rogatives; fall not down from your ennobling 
 exercife; * Set the Lord always before you, and 
 
 * you i'hall never be moved: let the world reel to 
 
 * and fro ; let the mountains be caft into the midfl 
 
 * of the fea; let thoufands, and tenthoufands fall 
 ' on every hand;' yet you can undergo no harm. 
 Death, in any garb, is gain unto the perfon who 
 is in heaven already. 
 
 7. Earth worms, who defire to continue fuch, 
 have nothing to do with heaven. 
 
 To you, who will ftill be grovelling upon bafe 
 earth, who though ye fhould read and hear ever 
 fo often, of the only excellent things, will go back 
 to the dung-hill again, and vex and torment yt)ur- 
 felves with the cares and vanities of a tranfitory 
 life, who will endeavour and defire to be laden 
 with thick clay ; we have only this to fay, 
 
 * He that is filthy, let him be filthy ftill.' You 
 have made an excellent choice, poor foojs, your 
 paradife is bafe, empty, hungry, and tranfient,well 
 befitting fuch noble and high fpirits as you; m 
 whatever account you feem to be, in the eyes of 
 a bafe world, you are vile defpicable worms: crawl, 
 and fet up your creft, on your ftately dung-hijl; 
 but know, if ye can underftand, that thefe vue bo- 
 dies and fouls of yours fhall never afcend higher 5 
 under our feet fhall we eternally trample you ; 
 your kingdom being the^ffice-houfeof our palace- 
 
 -H h 2 royal. 
 
244 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 royal. FHl yourfelves with dull, like the ferpentsj ^ 
 let your day-thoughts, and night thoughts inn • 
 out upon dung-hill concerns; add houfe to houfe, ) 
 and field to field; heap up treafures for many i 
 days; and when you encounter death, or a day of, 
 fad affliiftion, call up your great and precious i 
 gains: have you accounted yourfelves unworthy] 
 of fuch unfpeakable bleifednefs? you Ihall never; 
 tafte it, but be everlaftinglv ftiut up in that hor-^ 
 rid, abominable lake, the moft fuitable dwelling ! 
 place for fuch vile wretches: this dark fmoky re-' 
 gion you only love, and to utter darknefs you 
 fhall be^ driven, 'where there is weeping and ■ 
 * gnafhing of teeth.' . 
 
 8. Chrijl (done to he exalted and ejleemedy ujho ' 
 is the purchajer of this noble inheritance, \ 
 
 Let glory and renown remain for ever upon the i 
 head of the author and purchafer of fo great a fal- ■ 
 vationf Can aligels ever enough admire him?] 
 Can the faints ever enough praife hini ? where :j 
 fhall we find a throne upon which to fet this ma- \ 
 jeftic One ? All our glory and excellency is too ' 
 bafe and low a footftool for his feet: thoufands ; 
 of thoufands of excellent worlds, ereifted above \ 
 one another, were too bafe and low a foundation i 
 for him lo trample upon. Men or angels, what ; 
 have you faid, or what can you fay worthy of ' 
 him.^ "Were your hallelujahs tuned up ever fo • 
 many ftages higher, yet flill they would fall in- ' 
 finitely below his matchlefs worth: what can we i 
 do, in extolling fuch a lofty One? He is for ever^] 
 infinitely exalted above all our praifes, yet praife ,* 
 him we {hall, we fhalleternally praife him: all \ 
 our ftrength, foul, and might, muft be fully let i 
 jForthto^his glory; tho' all that we candobe juft \ 
 nothing. Who is worthy of glory, except our ^ 
 ^ ^ellbeloved? : 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 245 
 
 Wellbeloved? whom fhbuld we love, but him ? 
 whom (liould we praife, but him? whom fhould 
 we admire, but him ? Who but he ! none but him. 
 O! let all our powers and faculties be eternally 
 filled with him. Ah!, it is a foul difgrace for the 
 fons of men to think and fpeak, and write fo 
 much of empty nothings j and fo little of this 
 only excellent One ! When fliall our Wellbefoved 
 be great among all nations? Ah! he is none at 
 all, or little known among the fons of men; 
 little do they difcourfe of himj and what they 
 difcourfe is cold and common. Alas! men talk 
 of him, as if he were a common beloved! men e- 
 (|:eem Jefus as fome ordinary one ! they hear of 
 one Jefus, who was flain at Jerufalem, and they 
 are as little affected, as if they read or heard of 
 fome cor^mon hiftory: the news of his excellent 
 kingdom makes fmall imprefTion upon them ; they 
 think they hear of new worlds, never feen, nor 
 travelled to by any. Chrift is an unknown perfon 
 to the mod: the found of his name hath filled 
 the ears of all, the letters of his name are well 
 known, and no more : but who have been ravilh- 
 ed with his good ointments? Who have been fil^ 
 led with the odoriferous emanations of his Leba- 
 non-garments? Who have tailed of his foul-over- 
 coming fweetnefs? Who have had him as a 
 
 * bundle of myrrh all night betwixt their hreafts? 
 
 * Who have found him, and held him, and refufed 
 ' to Jet him go?' Who have been led into his 
 chambers of prefence? Who cannot live (though 
 in ever fo great abundance of earthly things) 
 without a familiar and intimate fellowlhip with 
 him? 
 
 9. Religion is another thing than Jiupid world- 
 lings imagitiej clofe walking with God, is a hidderu, 
 myjlery untQ them* 
 
 Poof 
 
24^ A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 Poof worldlii^gs, the beft of you are but for- 
 maliils, occupied about the outfide and (hell of 
 religion: from cuftom, and a natural confcience, 
 you go through the bulk of the exercifes of god- 
 linefs; you hear, you pray, you read, you confer, 
 you meditate; you perform duties betwixt man 
 and hian, through cuftom and formality, through 
 fname of others, through vain glory, thtough 
 the gnawing of a natural confcience, which you 
 muft fomewhat quiet one way or another. But 
 know you what it is to do all things to the glory 
 of our Wellbeloved ? to be afraid, that, in the beft 
 of our performances, you offend him, and ftir 
 him up before he pleafe ? Know you what it is^ to 
 look more to the manner of your duties, than the 
 bulk cf them? to the principle from whence they 
 flow, than to any thing elfe ? to the intention and 
 frame of your heart in duty? Know you what it 
 is, to watch over your heart, to have a ftricter 
 eye over your thoughts and intentions? to be 
 moft troubled in reile^ling upon, and in guarding 
 againft thefe fecret fins of the thoughts and in- 
 tentions, which no creature can fee but yourfelves? 
 Know you what it is, to keep up a near and in- 
 timate communion with Jefus? to have a mutual 
 intercaurfe with him? Know you what it is, to 
 wreftle with him, to lay hold upon him, and to 
 conftrain him in a manner to blefs you? Know 
 you what it is, to * account all things drofs and 
 * dung unto the knowledge of the excellency of 
 5 Jefus.' the only Wellbeloved? are you indiffer-^ 
 leiit to all things but Chrift? Is the world, in all 
 its glory, pleafure, and profit, a dead and cruci- 
 fied thing in your eyes? Is the cry of your heart, 
 Chrift, Chrift, and only Chrift; give us him, and 
 we dcfye no more ? O Sirs ! have yow feen him ? 
 
 have 
 
A GLIjVIPSE of glory. 247 
 
 have you heard him? have you found him? Know 
 you his fmiles, the lifting up of his countenance^ 
 his love-embraces? Ah! worldlings^ I am fpeak*- 
 ing of ftrange things, uifexperienced by you! 
 
 I o. The faints only knovj the life and mvfieries 
 of godlinefs i fir angers, intermeddle not with their 
 heavenly delights^ and divine joy. 
 
 You faints of the Mod High, you are witneiTes 
 of the truth of all we have fpoken : have we not 
 fpoken poorly and childifhly of fo great things ? 
 We have faid nothing, to that which even you 
 experience in this land of abfence. O then! iin- 
 cere one, hath fiot thy Wellbelovcd written more 
 of this his tranfcendent beauty, fweetnefs, and ex<- 
 cellency upon thy heart, than all the learned of 
 the world can put together in their fine'ft compo- 
 fitions? What can be written or fpoken of fuch 
 great things? Come, fee, tafte, and feel, will 
 manifeft the bufmefs beft. It was not our inten- 
 tion, O ye excellent ones of the earth, to write to 
 you of things which are in another fort of cha- 
 racSlers imprinted on your faculties; but only to 
 put you in mind, left you fuifer fuch noble im- 
 preffions to decay, in the midft of worlcUy affairs, 
 temptations, and difficulties: that you may per- 
 ceive the vaft difference between all expreffion^ 
 and feeling: that you may be ftirred up to ac- 
 quire the noble gift of utterance j that you may 
 manifeft to the ignorant the excellency and love- 
 linefs of yfeur Wellbeloved, and what he hath 
 done to your foul. We have written to you, babes, 
 who are young ftudents in Chriftianity^ even to 
 you, O daughters of Jerufalem, who are inquiring 
 after our matchlefs Bridegroom, having only heard 
 the raviftiing found of his name, but who never 
 have feen his amiable countenance, nor entered 
 
 his 
 
248 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. j 
 
 his plealant beds of fpices. O that \vq might be ; 
 eternally honoured, in leading you by, the hand : 
 unto him! draw near, O draw near! andyelhallj 
 fee more,4en' thoufand times more, than ever you \ 
 heard of j you fhall begin to laugh at your putrid ' 
 and childilh talking of fuch wonderful things. 
 
 II. The w of III Jl ate of vj or Idlings ; the excellency- 
 of holinefs\ and the necejfity of converfion^ with] 
 marks thereof. , 
 
 We have written unto you, worldlings, what^ 
 we have feen and found, that you may know that | 
 there are excellent things indeed, which never fell : 
 under your brutifh fenfes; and to let you know,j 
 that godlinefs is another kind of thing than ever \ 
 entered within your conceptions, that you may| 
 inquire after the reahty of fuch excellent things,! 
 and ftrive to get a fight of him who is invifiblejj 
 that in feeing, you may love him ; and in loving, i 
 you may be blefted for evermore. Poor worldlings, \ 
 we cannot but pity you, who cannot pity your-i 
 felves: you fee not your own bafe and low con- 
 dition*, for if you could, your condition were 
 changed. Were it poffible to demonftrate youir ! 
 vilenefs and mifery ? Are you affected with no- 
 thing fo much as what falls under your fenfgs ? \ 
 What pre-eminence have you above the brutes of] 
 the field "^ the joys, defires, andintentions of both! 
 are confined within an inch of time : both are ; 
 earthly, both are temporal, both decay in a mq- i 
 ment, and come to nought. I appeal to yourfelvesj^' 
 bafe worldlings, if they maybe termed high fpirited ; 
 whofe thoughts and projects are only upon earth, ' 
 the falhionof which palTeth away; as you cannot 
 but p,erceive with your very bodily fenfes. Ah ! i 
 Sirs, is it not even fad? Earth is the centre of all \ 
 your love and defires; earthly glory, earthly rich- \ 
 
 \ ' esJ 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 249 
 
 cs, earthly delight afFe£ls you moft ; let you have 
 abundance of earth, and that eternally, and eter- 
 nally you can live without the enjoyment of Je- 
 hovah and the Lamb: the kingdom above thefe 
 vifible heavens appears ftrange Utopian-like in- 
 ventions, to vi^hich, though ye give an hiftorical 
 faith, yet you are afFecied little or nothing vrlth 
 the nevi^s of fuch aftonifliing things; but labour, 
 and endeavour, and projecfl: more forthefe periih- 
 ing things. This ftiows that you are bafe earth- 
 worms, who have chofen this dunghill for your 
 country; who have defpifed and undervalued the 
 enduring fubftance; and have not ftirred up your- 
 felves, to the deep perfuafion of the truth and 
 reality of fuch wonderful things; but embrace 
 earth, and confefs yourfelves its natives and home- 
 born flaves* May you not at laft fee your own 
 bafenefs and flavery? Are you not alhamed of 
 your former vilenefs ? Are you not beginning to 
 perceive, that the faints are the only excellent 
 and noble perfons? Are you not looking upon it, 
 as thegreateftmiferyand bafenefs, to be earthly in 
 your mind and affe£lions? Are you not account- 
 ing it the only dignity and accomplifhment, to 
 be humble and divine? Again, we befeech you 
 to be ingenuous, and not to lull yourfelves alleep 
 in fecurity*s lap, with a number of carelefs will- 
 be's and may-be's. What, Sirs? Confefs you the 
 reality of thefe wonderful things to come ? Con- 
 fefs you, that heaven or hell is the eternal lot of 
 all mankind? Which of them are you making for? 
 You know, according to your preparations here, 
 fo you are hereafter to be; as you fow, fliall you 
 not reap ? If you fow to the flefh, fhall you not 
 reap corruption? And if you fow to the Spirit, 
 (ball you not reap eternal life? Whether will yau 
 1 1 trvvvei 
 
2^o A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 travel the way to the one, or the other ? Choofe 
 you: God fets life and death before you; beguile 
 not yourfelves; God will not be mocked. Will 
 you remain earthly, and yet think to enter the 
 pure heavenly city? Is there a foot-breadth for 
 earth-worms there? If earthly-minded creatures, 
 remaining earthly, may expect to enter the fair 
 and clean Jerufalem, then fhall heaven be filled 
 with all forts of cattle, and hell fhall be for ever 
 empty. This is really theopinionofftupid world- 
 lings, whofe extenfive charity takes in all men 
 that ever were, or fhall be. They are of fo fweet 
 and mild a difpofition, that they dare not, they 
 cannot judge any, but are not afhamed to fay, of 
 the bafeft dunghill worldling. It may be he has 
 fomewhat good. But, believe it, earthly-minded- 
 nefs is a palpable grofs vilenefs, to all who have 
 their fenfes in the leaft exercifed. Enter your 
 own hearts, poor wretches, and behold your own 
 / practice, and the practice of the generality of all 
 thofe who are about you; and you fhall perceive 
 that you fmell ftrongly of earth. Do not all your 
 aims and proje<^s tend earth-ward? Are not your 
 lail thoughts in the evening, your firft thoughts 
 in the morning, the moil of your thoughts all the 
 day long, running upon low concerns? Earth, 
 only earth fills your bafe minds: few, tranfient, 
 and brutifti are your conceptions of things above : 
 you make eternity your by-aim, and earth the ob- 
 jeft of your chief ambition. Do you not efteem 
 earthly glory and riches mofl ? Are not thefe, 
 who are mofl ladened with the thick clay of the 
 earth, greateft in your eyes? Would you not ra- 
 ther have the wealthiell, the men of moft account 
 and power in time to be allied to you, than the 
 afflidled people? Can you not converfe familiarly 
 
 with 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 251 
 
 with dunghill-worldlings, without any trouble or 
 antipathy ? Yea, have ye not the curfed heart, to 
 become one flefh with a black lump of death and 
 hell, if fo be they be laden with the earth's worm- 
 eaten trafh, or pleafe your carnal inclination, 
 and foolifh fancy? Are you not more taken up 
 with your own private, petty affairs, than with 
 the great concerns of Chrift, and his churth ? 
 Have you not more delight in earthly enjoyments, 
 than in th£ exercifes of godlinefs? Are you not 
 more fenfible of your temporal loffes, than of your 
 fpiritual? Do not your joys ebb and flow, accord- 
 ing to the ebbings and Sowings of worldly things? 
 Are you not ignorant of rejoicing in tribulation, 
 becaufe of the fmiles of Jehovah's amiable coun- 
 tenance ? and of forrowing, in the midjft of earthly 
 abundance, becaufe the Wellbeloved hath *frown- 
 
 * ed, and withdrawn himfelf ?' Worldlings, is it 
 not even thus with you? Let your conicicnces 
 fpeak, men and women: Ol hear them, that God 
 may hear you. I fay, is it not moft evident to 
 yourfelves, that thus it is with you ? And are you 
 for glory? Are you for the clean and holy city? 
 Are you not for * dwelling with everlafting burn- 
 
 * ing ? • Are you for walking with th^ Lamb, clo- 
 thed with the white and beautiful garments of 
 holinefs? Are you for {landing among the fair 
 delightful affembly of faints and angels, who e^ 
 ternally furround the throne of Jehovah and the 
 Lamb? Are you? Ye bafe worldlings, as long as 
 ye are what you are, you have nothing to do with 
 glory: ftand afar off, Toucb not the mount; beads 
 are not to meddle with fo great things: heaven 
 is only for holy ones; for * without holinefs no 
 
 * man (hall fee the Lord.' Believe it. Sirs, you 
 are ten thoufand miles from holinefs; holinefs is 
 
 I i 2; a 
 
S52 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. \ 
 
 a ftrange, unknown thing in the world; the mofl: i 
 refined moralifts, civilians, carnal -gofpellers, and I 
 brave fornialills have fcarce heard the found i 
 thereof: * There is a path that no fowl knoweth^ ; 
 
 * and which the vulture's eye hath not feen; and . 
 5 the lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the i 
 
 * fierce lion pafled by it. But where fliallwifdom 
 
 ' be found? and where is the place of underftand- \ 
 
 * ing.? Man knoweth not the price thereof; j 
 
 * neither is it found in the land of the living: the ] 
 
 * the depth faith. It is not in me; and the fea 
 
 * faith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for \ 
 
 * gold; neither {hall filver be weighed for the j 
 
 * price thereof: no mention fhall be made of coral, ' 
 ^ or of pear^; for the price of wifdom is above ; 
 
 * rubies.' I 
 
 Believe it, hollncfs, or wifdom, is a rare thing; ^ 
 a faint is a wonder. God hath placed them a- ; 
 mong the numerous multitude of mankind, like 1 
 fo many figns and wonders: fo many faints in the ' 
 world, fo many miracle5 of nature: a faint, in the \ 
 eftimation of the generality of profeflbrs is an or- j 
 dinary perfon; but in Chrift's, he is moll extraor- ] 
 (dinary. There are fev^^r real Chriftians, than the ' 
 mod prccife, and ftri61:eft in their cenfures, can ; 
 imagine. If the nature of holinefs were well] 
 known, we fhould wonder, that there is, among : 
 all mortals, one holy one; for in very truth, a faint ; 
 is nothing elle but a piece of heaven, a new crea- | 
 ture, transformed from the image of hell, into 
 that of glory; one whofe converfation is only a- j 
 boVe, who is *come unto mount Zion, and unto j 
 
 * the city of the living God :' a faint hath not the ' 
 ftarnp and fafhion of this world; his heart and \ 
 love are quite gone from him to another place ; j 
 his words^ his adlions, and his deportment, ma- 1 
 
 nifell s 
 
A GLIIVIPSE OF GLORY. 2,-3 
 
 nifeft that he feeks a country above, and that he 
 defpifeth and overlooks all things here, as things 
 inconfiderable, dead and crucified in his eyes : 
 his joys, his pleafures, his fatisfa<fl:ions, his trea- 
 fures, lie not here: his torments, his griefs, his 
 mifery, lies not in temporal things; his mind is 
 elevated far above the laughings or frownings 
 of a tranfitory world: its ups and downs, its eb- 
 bings and Rowings cannot affe6l him : his fubiime 
 mind is fet upon higher objedls; for he Mooks 
 ^ not at the things which are feen, but at the 
 ^ things which are not feen ; for the things which 
 
 * are feen, are temporal; but the things which 
 ^ are not feen, are eternal.* Heaven is his foil, 
 his element, the centre of his love and defires: he 
 longs, he prays, he greatly defires, he weeps to 
 be there. The defire of the full and naked em- 
 braces of the Chief of ten thoufand, overtops and 
 fwallows up his defire and love to all other things. 
 What tlip* he hath fair, pleafant poifefhons of 
 earth, many dear friends, and pleafant compa- 
 nions.? What thp' he have an excellent wife, and 
 hopeful children? All thefe are but drofs and 
 dung unto the very * knowledge of the excellency 
 
 * of Jefus his Lord : thefe are good and pleafant, 
 but nothing to the only Wellbeloved. He can 
 leave them all gladly, to be with him. O my con- 
 fort, my children, my friends, my poffellions, my 
 hopes on earth, my life, I could not, but with 
 exceeding great grief, be thus feparated from you, 
 were I not going to one who is fweeter, dearer, 
 and more lovely to me, above all expreffion, than 
 you all : the lofs of all things is no lofs, if I go 
 to the full enjoyment of him whom my foul lov- 
 eth. * Whom have I in heaven, or in earth, but 
 
 * him ?' Whom do I love and^defire but him.? no 
 
 enjoyments 
 
254 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 enjoym^its whatfoever can quench my longing \ 
 to be with him: he is my all and only One. \ 
 Farewell, all lower enjoyments, the love of my \ 
 faireft Wellbeloved fwallows up all other loves. ; 
 Be clofed, my blefled fenfes, from receiving any 
 more fubiunary objects, that ye may be everlaft- \ 
 ingly filled with his tranfcendent lovelinefs, fweet- 
 nefs, and excellency. And no wonder the faint ^ 
 cannot want Chrift, fmce he is transformed into '., 
 his lovely image, a partaker of his divine nature; i 
 one who is endued with the fame mind that was ^ 
 in him J one who hath Chrift 'dwelling in him; 
 * one who hath the kingdom of heaven within ^ 
 ' him:* fo that it is natural unto him to tend 
 God-ward and heaven- ward*, even as it is natural 
 for.the worldling to tend earth-ward and hell-ward. \ 
 Every thing hath a propenfity and love to its own 
 centre and like, and bends off from its oppofite : ; 
 the fire afcends towards the centre and great ' 
 globe of fire; every bit of earth disjoined, tends ' 
 back to the whole again. Though there vi^ere i 
 neither reward nor punifhment; yet a holy one ' 
 muft love, ferve, obey, praile, and adore his God ; \ 
 for heaven muft operate like heaven, even necef- ■. 
 farily, tho' freely, fweetly, and without compul- ' 
 fion. Again, worldlings muft tend earth-ward, ■ 
 tho' they fhould find ever fo much vexation, tor- 
 ment, and grief in it, tho' he fhould be ever fo 
 often threatened and perfuaded of all the* miferies i 
 that follow an earthly, fenfual, and brutifh way ; 
 of living; fmce he is all fenfe,earth,and corruption, t 
 altogether deftitute of the divine nature. In a 
 word, a worldling is a vifible incarnate devil; a 
 faint, a vifible incarnate angel; only hell, on this 
 fide of time, is not fully accomplifhed in the one; ^ 
 nor heaven fully perfe^ed in the other. The ' 
 
A GLIMPSE GF GLORY. 255 
 
 holy one fmells ftrongly of glory; and the nearer 
 he approacheth to his journey's end, the more 
 refplendent a luflre hath he of heaven: * the 
 ' path of the juft being as the fhining light, that 
 * ihineth more and more unto the perfe(ft day.' 
 O tincture of heaven! their actions have ftill a 
 greater fmeli of glory; but all is nothing equal to 
 the glory and excellency of their invifible and in- 
 ward operation : little or nothing appears with- 
 out, in comparifon of that which is within. O 
 the noble and feraphic thoughts! O the ftrange 
 motions of love, joy, and admiration above all 
 poffible expreffion! O the ravifhing perfumes of 
 pleafing joys and fweetnefs, wherewith the Be- 
 loved fills the heart ! it is impoffible for the faint, 
 to exprefs by words, what he feels on his foul t 
 all the tongues of men and angels cannot mani- 
 feil his fwect and noble thoughts of his only 
 Wellbeloved. • He would gladly exprefs them to 
 all that are about him, but he finds it impoffible* 
 He is fometimes contending with his narrow 
 fancy, that it cannot find out a more fublime, 
 clear, and excellent way of expreffing the match- 
 lefs worth of his Wellbeloved : at other times, he 
 is angry at the cold, fliallow, and putrid manner 
 of others difcourfing: he would have all men 
 fpeak nobly, write nobly, a<ft nobly, for Jefus. 
 Nothing vexeth him more than to perceive the 
 generality of men forget him; or, when they 
 fpeak of him, to talk fo coldly and creepingly, as 
 if he were a common, ordinary beloved. He would 
 have his lovely One to fill the hearts and mouths 
 of all : he hates the fellowfhip where he is not 
 highly efteemed, loved, praifed, and adored : he 
 greatly honours, and loves that, (though other- 
 wife ever fo low and defpicable,) where he is 
 
 praifed^' 
 
25<5 A GLIIVIPSE of GLORY. | 
 
 praifed, worfhiped and much accounted of. It is ] 
 his continual torment and afflicftion, that he hath i 
 fo low and unbecoming thoughts of him: he isl 
 in great rage at his heart, that it fliould, at any 1 
 time, go aftray from fuch an excellent objeft, 
 after vanity: he lays bands on, watcheth over,; 
 and commands his heart, to have noble and ex- ; 
 cellent thoughts of him, and to entertain no other \ 
 beloveds befide him : he defires nothing more ■ 
 than to have his heart wholly fet upon hiip, and i 
 for ever ravifhed and overcome with his love, i 
 And no wonder, fince Chrift and he are one; one ! 
 in nature, mind, aiFeclions, fpirit, and all things ;| 
 as the Lord Jefus is, fo is he, in^a great meafure. i 
 Every one of the faints refembles the children of i 
 the King of kings: among all the fons of Adam, J 
 there are none like them •, for they are 'a choferti 
 ' generation, a royal priefthood, an holy nation,^ 
 
 * a peculiar people : that they fhould fhew forth ] 
 
 * the praifes of him who hath called them out of i 
 
 * darknefs into his marvellous light/ The gene- | 
 rality of mankind hath always, from the very be-; 
 ginning, looked upon them as ftrange manner of] 
 perfons, and nick-named them with Various andj 
 ftrange forts of names, according to the iniquities \ 
 of the times and places they lived in ; becaufe of | 
 their rarenefs in number, fingularity in their way^ 
 of living and practice, precifenefs in their princi-^ j 
 pies, and oppofition to the fins of the times iii ^ 
 which their lot is caft. 
 
 Ah! poor worldlings, do ye not fee, that a; 
 faint is another manner of perfon than you ima-j 
 gined? Do you not perceive, that you are as far J 
 below real holinefs, as earth is below heaven? Is* 
 it not manifeft to yourfelves, that you are not J 
 the creaturesj whofe^ minds and afFedions are': 
 
 lieavenlv : 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 25^ 
 
 heavenly and divine ? that you are not of a more 
 noble and excellent fpirit than your neighbours ? 
 True, your own defperate, deceitful heart will 
 caufe you to imagine yourfelves rare pieces of 
 excellency; yet it will give you no demonftration, 
 but only becaufe I, as fuch, appear great; and fo 
 confound every thing, that you may evade us, 
 one way or another. So defperate are worldlings, 
 that they cannot abide to examine their condi- 
 tions; and when others hold out the light, by 
 ■which they may difcover them, they wink, left 
 they fhould behold their own mifery andvilenefs. 
 But, worldlings, may you jiot fee your nakednefs, 
 if you will but alk ferioufly at yourfelves, a few 
 ordinary queftions, and folve them faithfully, ac- 
 cording to the anfwer of your confcience? 
 
 1. Have you ever felt the pangs of the new 
 birth? Are you ftrangers to this? Know you not, 
 that ^Except a man be born again, he cannot en- 
 
 * ter into the kingdom of heaven ?' This is ftrange ! 
 a faint, a regenerate creature, a man born over 
 again; and yet without pain, or labour: fuch 
 a great mutation, without great fymptoms and 
 concomitants, cannot be. Ah! moft mens reli- 
 gion hath come to them in a night dream. 
 
 2. Were you ever at, 'What fhall I do to be 
 
 * faved?' Here, blefled Jefus, I fubfcribe a blank, 
 put in any thing thou wilt; and, in thy ftrength, 
 I will gladly endeavour the performance of all ; 
 only fave me; O fave me, elfe I eternally perifh. 
 It is ftrange, that you have not come this length 
 which many reprobates have come, and yet ima- 
 gine yourfelves faints. 
 
 3. Hath the great falvation appeared fo gre.*t 
 in your eyes, filled fo your minds, that it hath 
 overtopped and fwallowed up the thoughts of all 
 
 K k ethirr 
 
158 A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 other concerns ? Are you not come thus far, that > 
 fome reprobates have, for a time, attained unto ? ] 
 And can you imagine yourfelves partakers of the ; 
 great falvation? Ah, mad delufion ! ; 
 
 4. Were you ever fick of fm? Have you been \ 
 more burdened under your iniquities, than^ever \ 
 you were under any earthly affliction? Do you ■ 
 not find the grievous weight of a body of death? • 
 Yea, do you not go lightly under your iniquities? 
 Only fome of the groSeft of them torment your \ 
 natural confcience; as for original fin, you know '. 
 it more by fpeculation, than by feeling: this doth : 
 fhow that you are dead in fins and trefpafies, alie- ! 
 nated from the life of God. Can you then ima- ) 
 gine, yourfelf fuch a noble creaj:ure as a faint ? | 
 
 5. Were you ever fick of love for Jefus? Were ' 
 you e\^er running after him, with the tear in your 
 eye, with your hands upon your aking fores ?"i 
 Were you ever weeping, and groaning, and figh- ' 
 ing at his feet, for mercy, and pardbn, and re- 
 conciliation, and the lifting up of his rimiable j 
 countenance ? Were you ever wreftling with fin, ' 
 as for your life, and faying, BlefTed Jefus, I muft , 
 have thee ; thee to be my Lord, my head, my ad- • 
 vocate, my king, my prieft, my prophet, my only ; 
 beloved, or I cannot live ! Ah ! Sirs, you, who J 
 know not experimentally what I am faying, have 1 
 your religion to feek yet. \ 
 
 6. Were you ever crying, as it were, ' O ' 
 ' daughters of Jerufalem, I charge you, if you fee , 
 ' my beloved, that you tell him, that I am fick of] 
 ' love?' Have you been fainting becaufe of an ab-;| 
 fent and withdrawing Lord? Have you had a 1 
 W'Carifome night without fleep for Chrift, becaufe \ 
 you could not find him? Know you not, by ex- ; 
 perience, what I am faying? O then! you are ; 
 grangers to Chrift. i 
 
 7. Are ^ 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 259 
 
 7. Are iTiot your thoughts of Chrift fo high, 
 that you cannot, in the thoufandth part, exprefs 
 them to others ? Are not all things drofs and dung 
 to you, in comparifon of Chrift? If you can ex- 
 prefs all your thoughts of him, you want the 
 mind of a faint. 
 
 8. Tho' an eternal enjoyment of all poffible 
 created paradifes of joy and delight, filled with 
 all fmells, all taftes, all fights, all melodies, all de- 
 lights the heart of man can imagine, were placed 
 on the one hand j and the eternal enjoying, praifing, 
 and adoring Jehovak and the Lamb, on the 
 other : which of thefe two lives would your heart 
 mod defire, and run after? It may be you will 
 fay, ' I had rather enjoy Chrift than all things.' 
 How then comes it to pafs, that you long not to 
 be with him ? How comes it to pafs, that you 
 have more delight in earthly enjoyments, than 
 in the exercifes of godlinefs? Why is. meditation 
 of him, on the excellency of his perfon, and the 
 glory of his kingdom, fo melancholly and unfre- 
 quent an exercife? why are you not making it 
 your ftudy and delight, to keep up a near and 
 intimate fellowfhip with the Father and the Son ? 
 Ah! poor things, you are altogether ignorant of 
 yourfelvesj and therefore you talk, you know 
 not what. 
 
 9. Find you In your foul a ftrong and ardent 
 longing and defire after God, ftill to have more 
 and more of him, till you be filled with all his 
 fulnefs? Have you a greater thirft after him, than 
 ever you had after cold water in an unquenchable 
 thirft, through a burning fever, or great heat, la- 
 bour, and wearinefs? Surely, if you be partakers 
 of his nature, you cannot but bend to him with 
 a ftrong propenfity. Are your defires after him 
 
 K k 2 cold 
 
26o A GLIMPSE of GLORY. 
 
 cold and indifferent, can broken cifterns quench 
 your third ? Then be aflured, )*ou are dead, and 
 have not your fenfes exercifed. 
 
 10. Can you difcern betwixt the exercifes of 
 godlinefs, and God in the exercife? Are you 
 fometimes feeking him, and cannot find him? Are 
 you not calling unto him, whild he gives no an- 
 fwer? Are you ignorant of a mutual converfe 
 with him? Do you not find him fpeaking in your 
 heart, as really as you fpeak to him? Know ye 
 not what it is to receive an anfwer of prayer ? Ah ! 
 then ye are Itrangers to the myflery of godlinefs. 
 
 11. Find you more delight in his fellowfhip, 
 \vhen you are alone, than ever^you found in all 
 your earthly enjoyments? Have you not been 
 brought into his chambers of love, and rejoiced 
 
 "^ and been glad in him ? Have you not found his 
 love better than wine, and the favour of his good 
 ointment moll cheering and refrelhing? Nay, 
 found you not, in fome meafure to your own 
 iweet experience, all the intercourfes, written 
 down in the Song of fongs? What fay you? Are 
 you itrangers to thefe things, and yet an efpoufed 
 foul to Chrift ? that cannot be. 
 
 12. Have you not a refped: to all his com- 
 mandments, fince you have refigned yourfelf 
 wholly over to him, without refervation? Dare 
 you contradidt a known precept, and can you 
 facrilegioufly cut and carve upon his letter-will, 
 and put your own carnal gloifes upon his clear 
 commands, for your own worldly and carnal ends? 
 And yet be faints! and lovers of Jefus! that is 
 impoljible. 
 
 13. Doth your goodnefs reach the faints, * the 
 * excellent of the earth,' iq whom is a]l your de- 
 
 ' light? 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 261 
 
 light? Is there any in your eyes, by a thoufand 
 degrees, fo great as a faint ? Is not a creature the 
 more lovely, excellent, and efteemed in your eyes, 
 the more wife he is, the more he is like the ail- 
 lovely Jefus ? As for the feveral fancies of riches 
 and honour, you value them not, thefe are not 
 the things which heighten and deprefs perfons 
 in your account. But on the contrary, are you 
 the people that efteem perfons according to gay- 
 clothing, heaps of traih, much of earthly honour, 
 power, authority, and renown? Deli re you more 
 to have a really honourable confort, children, 
 kinfmen, and friends, than to have them wife and 
 holy? Art thou fuch a creature, that thou loveit 
 the converfe of the wealthy and profpsrous 5 and 
 canft take a worldling, known to be fuch, to be 
 the infeparable companion of thy life, becaufe of 
 worldly advantages; and canft converfe familiar- 
 ly and merrily with worldlings, without any an- 
 tipathy, or hurt to the frame of thine heart? Art 
 thou fuch an one, and yet a faint ? ah ! poor thing, 
 thou art a ftranger to holinefs. It may be thou 
 art a formalift ; that is, a perfon illuminated, who 
 hath a cuftom of reading, and conferring, and 
 meditating, and praying; and it may be, weeping, 
 and hearing the beft minifters, it may be with 
 jeopardy; but the life and marrow of religion 
 thou art altogether ignorant of. 
 
 14. Do not the affairs of Chrift's church 
 through the world, and ei^pecially through the 
 particular church he doth moft own, lie nearer 
 your heart than all other things? May you ho| 
 fay, *If I forget thee, O Zion, let my right hand 
 * forget her cunning; if I prefer not Jerufalem 
 *to my chiefeftjoyr' Are not your own affairs 
 9ft-times forgotten by you, you are fo much ta- 
 ken 
 
262 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 ken up with the affairs of Chrift ? That Chrift 
 may be great, his interefts glorious, and his peo- 
 ple exalted, is the flower and top of your defires. 
 You are exceedingly angry againft, not only his 
 open pcrfecuting ejiemies, but alfo againft all 
 who are indifferent or lukewarm in his matters ; 
 thou canft abide none but the zealous ones: art 
 thou not, as it were, burnt up with zeal for the 
 glory of the only excellent One ? fo that thou art 
 crying out, 'Let the finners be confumed from 
 ' the earth J let the wicked be no more, let all 
 ' his enemies perifh; but let thofe that love him 
 * be like the fun going forth in his ftrength.' 
 But, on ths contrary, do thine own affairs fhare- 
 largeft of thy thoughts? thou art oft-times, fo 
 occupied with them, that the affairs of Zion are 
 almoft forgotten: it may be, thou wifhelt well 
 unto her, and had rather (he did fwim than fink; 
 yea, wouidft undergo a confiderable lofs, upon 
 condition fhe might be exalted: but, wouldfl 
 thou have the affairs of Chrift great, merely out 
 of defir^e to his glory and exaltation? Doft thou 
 defire the rifing of his interefts, tho* it were upon 
 thy fall and ruin? Are thy great affairs, even 
 what concerneth life, and the greateft affairs of 
 thine own^ fmall, and of no confideration in thine 
 eyes, in comparifon of the fmalleft things of 
 Chrift? Yea, art thou not one, who canft over- 
 look, and cede many things to the enemy? Not 
 an hoof, is too great precifenefs to thee. And is 
 not thy hatred and indignation at his enemies, 
 weak and indifcernible? Thou canft hear his work 
 and people fpoken evil of unconcernedly, and be 
 little or nothing moved: thou art a very meek 
 and moderate man in his caufe; and art thou one 
 of his ? Hath he the flower of thy love ? Is that 
 
 lovQ 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 263 
 
 loVe burning in thine heart, ' which many waters 
 
 * cannot quench?* Art thou a genuine fon of 
 Zion? Never think it; poor deluded creature, 
 thou haft religion yet to feek. 
 
 15. Do all earthly things appear dead and cru- 
 cified unto thee ? Doft thou look upon this earth 
 as a melancholy wildernefs, and haft thine heart 
 and eyes ftill upon thy country ? Yea, doft thou 
 look with a difdainful eye upon this bafe world, 
 fo full of wickednefs, vexation, and vanity, where- 
 in thy Lord, and all his followers, have got fo bad 
 entertainment ? But, on the contrary, doft thou 
 look upon thine enjoyments, in a lovely and 
 warmly manner, and haft fweeter, and more plea- 
 fant thoughts of them, than of the life to come ? 
 "When the world fmiles upon thee, doft thou fmile 
 upon it again ; and canft eafily bear the want of 
 the full enjoyment of God ; being fo well pleafed 
 with an eafy, earthly life, either in reality, or in 
 imagination, as that thou art faying to thyfelf, 
 
 * It is good to be here ?* Art thou thus, and yet 
 a faint, a'pilgrim, who is travelling heaven-ward, 
 a creature whofe heart and love is in another 
 country, and not here ? This is a repugnancy j 
 never think it, man -, think thyfelf the thing thou 
 art, an home-born Have ; and then thou art a ftep 
 in the way to true liberty. 
 
 r6. Art thou longing to be in tlie immediate 
 embraces * of the Chief of ten thoufand,' to behold 
 him face to face, and be fatiated with his Imme- 
 diate fellowfhip ? Is it often the cry of thy long- 
 ing heart, ' When fliall I fee him as he is,' amidft 
 that white and beautiful company following him 
 whitherfoever he goes ? When fhall I fee the 
 Bridegroom and the bride kifs and embrace one 
 another? When iliaU lie fet his majeftic head 
 
 tlxrough 
 
2^4 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 through thefe vifible heavens, and appear in his 
 royal marriage-robes, before the whole creation ? 
 Ah, the envious heavens, that hide him from my 
 longing eyes ! Ah the tedious days, that lie be-* 
 twixt me and him I When fhall we be eternally 
 in others immediate embraces P But, on the con-* 
 trary, canft thou live contentedly, in the midft of 
 earthly abundance, v/ith fmall or no deGres of his 
 immediate fellowfhip ? Is this the ordinary frame 
 of thy fpirit, and yet a faint ? It cannot be. Can 
 the chafte fpoufe not long for her abfent bride- 
 groom ? Can the true lover live patiently, without 
 beholding the belpved's face ? Ah ! Sirs, you 
 have not been really efpoufed to him. You have 
 not received his love-tokens, nor been ravifhed 
 with the fmell of his fragrant ointments ; and 
 what wonder that you are as you are ? 
 
 1 7. Are you depending on God in every thing? 
 Do you acknowledge him in all your ways, and 
 in every exigency that befals you ? * Do you caft 
 ' all your cares upon him, and truft in him' for 
 all things in time and eternity ? So that you find 
 your mind greatly eafed, as having one for your 
 Father who is both able and willing to carry you 
 through all difficulties and aiBicHiions ? Are you 
 endeavouring to do his commandments, and to 
 commit the event of all abfolutely unto hini, who, 
 yo,u know, brings all to a good iflue ? Have you 
 renounced the difpofing of yourfelves, and refign- 
 ed that, with all your other concerns, even unto 
 him ? and dare you not do any thing without his 
 approbation ? Or, on the contrary, do you rely 
 on this thing, and that thing ? If there be money 
 in the purfe, or calves in the flail, then you hope 
 you fhall not want ; you truft in human proba- 
 bilities 5 but if thofe fail you, you are defpondent ; 
 
 thou 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 265 
 
 thou haft not the confidence in God, that may 
 hold up thy heart, in as cheerful a condition, as 
 when corn and wine. abounded unto worldlings; 
 thou canft not lay as much weight on the large 
 promifes, contained in the book of God, as world- 
 lings do on their charters, or earthly pofleffions ; 
 and therefore thou art ever anxious about the 
 event, and commiteft not the difpofing of thyfelf 
 to him : thou walkeft by the compafs of riches, 
 eafe, reputation, &c.: and whether it be the will 
 of Chrift, is thy laft confideration; whether it be 
 a courfe that will moft glorify him, and make 
 thy progrefs fwifter to glory, doth not fo much 
 trouble thee, as whether it be a courfe that will 
 render thee profperous, full of eafe, wealth, and 
 efteem in a world. Doth thine heart whifper 
 thee, that fuch an occupation, fuch a marriage, 
 or fuch an enterprize will bring in great wealth, 
 much worldly joy, a multitude of friends, greater 
 worldly honour, &c. and therefore that it is to 
 be followed. Ah! deluded wretch, walkeft thou 
 by earthly, carnal rules; and yet fuch a noble 
 creature as a faint ? Never entertain fuch fancies : 
 the faints walk as Chrift walked, he is their Fore- 
 runner, and Captain. 
 
 The difference between a faint and a worldling, 
 may, in fome manner, be apprehended from what 
 we have fpoken. Afk ferioufly at yourfelves 
 fuch queftions*, reflect upon your way of walk- 
 ing -, fee what is the conftant frame of your heart, 
 and what your heart moft delights in; what you 
 have been, what you are aiming at, and feeking 
 moft; what you rejoice moft in; what the thoughts 
 and intentions of your heart run out moft upon. 
 O Sirs, be not beguiled in fo weighty a concern : 
 if you err here, you are eternally undone: it is 
 L 1 S atom's 
 
ie>6 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 Satan's great endeavour to hinder you from con- 
 fidering yourfelf, or your condition; he delights 
 to fee you pafs away your time in confidering 
 your natural abilities, your corporal endowments, 
 your eft ate in the world, &c. But he is afraid ' 
 left you confider your fpiritual eftate, how it i 
 ftands betwixt God and you •, whether you be in j 
 friendly terms with him, or not; if not, how you ' 
 may attain unto a near fellowftiip; and how you 
 may keep yourfelf in his love and favour, and grow j 
 more and more familiar with him; he loves, and 
 endeavours to divert your mind off from eternal ^ 
 concerns to temporal. But, Sirs, ought you not ' 
 to give eternity the firft place, the firft, and flower, ; 
 and choice, and might of all your endeavours ? i 
 make fure work in fo great, great a matter: thine ' 
 eternal well, or wo, is upon the wheels, man; i 
 what fliall be your lot throughout endlefs ages, is 1 
 a concern above all that you can conceive, or en- ^ 
 deavour. Knoweft thou not how the matter "^ 
 ftands ? Is not the time ftiort in which thou haft; ' 
 to prepare thyfelf ? Is not thy life moft uncertain ? 1 
 Is not the work of lalvation a great, a long, a \ 
 difficult work? Is it not moft common, that men j 
 die as they live; and moft certain, that their e- '\ 
 ternal condition is as they die ? Knoweft thou not, i 
 that it is written, *To-day, if ye will, hear my 
 
 * voice, harden not your hearts? Thou knoweft ; 
 
 * not what a day may bring forth.' Come, O 
 Come, and embrace fo friendly a call. Have you ] 
 ^ny excufe? Are you about any bufinefs of fuch i 
 importance? Is any fucceeding hour better thanj 
 the prefent? Doth not thine heart grow more ; 
 hard ? Why then, fall to work in good earneft, ' 
 as for life and death: make fure work, build not J 
 upon fand, but upon the rock;, never reft till you 
 
 have , 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 267 
 
 have Chrift indeed, and not fome fancy in his 
 place i be fure that you get an intereft in him: 
 never think yourfelf right, until you have a fa- 
 miliar and lively 'fellowfhip with the Father and 
 ' the Son-,' until there be mutual communications 
 of love betwixt Chrift and you; until you have 
 heartily, and for ever, given yourfelf wholly over 
 to him, and taken him wholly over to you, to be 
 your King, Prieft, and Prophet, to be your all 
 and only One; until you be enamoured with his 
 matchlefs beauty, overcome with his inexpref- 
 fible fweetnefs : until earth, m its beft conditioii, 
 be an empty nothing, and vaaity in your eye: , un- 
 til heaven become your native country, where 
 heart, and love, and all do lie ; fo that it fliall be 
 as natural for you to be heavenly-minded, ai for 
 earth-worms to be earthly, O then! we Ihall 
 greet you, by the excellent and princely name of 
 faints, O then, you fliall be no more beaits, but 
 creatures of an high and feraphic nature, the fons 
 ^nd minions of the high ^nd lofty One; the 
 princes and heirs of heaven, and earth, and all 
 things: for then *all things are yours, whether 
 
 * Paul, or ApoUos, or Cephas, or the world, or 
 
 * life, or death, or things prefent, or things to 
 ' come; all are yours, and ye arc Chrift' s, and 
 ^ Chrift is Qod's/ 
 
 A foliloquy to God, in the form of Prayer. 
 
 DIfpatch, O Wellbeloved, and haften the day 
 of our eternal marriage ; put time and days 
 out of the way : thou haft great things to do, be- 
 fore thou defcendeft vifibly to this lower world: 
 thou haft been making great difpatch lince thou 
 didft afcend; and ftill the nearer thy fecondcom- 
 L 1 ^ ing. 
 
268 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, 
 
 ing, thou ftill haftenefl: thy work the more : thefe 
 few years immediately preceding, how haft thou * 
 put many and great things through thy hand ? ^ 
 and now thy kingdom is upon the advancing \ 
 hand, tho' it feem almoft all tottering and decay- I 
 ing. That great and glorious work which thou \ 
 promifedft of old, is juft now in the birth, and ^ 
 near the breaking forth: thy grand enemies have 
 begun to fall before thee, and have ftill loft ground ', i 
 and tho* they now feem to have the advantage, J 
 it is but in appearance : thou art only making j 
 thyfelf to flee before them, that thou mayeft draw : 
 them all out after thee; but ere ever they ftiall 
 be aware, thou wilt make thine ambufcades to ' 
 alTault them in the rere, and in a trice thou wilt \ 
 environ them on every fide, and give them an ir- 
 reparable rout. Thou art, O mighty Captain, as ' 
 it were, retiring, that thou mayeft come back \ 
 upon thine enemies with the greater force : thou 
 art ready to cry out, * Ah! I will eafe me of mine ; 
 f adverfaries, and avenge me of mine enemies : 1 
 
 * for behold, thou makeft the earth empty, and ^ 
 
 * makeft it wafte, and turneft it up fide down, j 
 
 * and fcattcreft abroad the inhabitants thereof , 
 
 * thou art coming out of thy place, to punifli the 
 
 * inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity j for 
 
 * thou ftialt rife up, as in mount Perizzim, thou ; 
 
 * ftialt be wroth, as In the valley of GibeOn; that \ 
 
 * thou mayft do thy work, thy ftrange work: and J 
 
 * bring to pafs thine a£i:, thy ftrange aft. At the 
 
 * noife of the tumult, the people ftiallflee; atthe \ 
 
 * lifting up of thyfelf, the nations ftiall be fcatter- j 
 
 * ed, and their fpoil ftiall be gathered, like the i 
 f fpoiling of the caterpillars; as the running to \ 
 
 * and fro of locufts, fo ftialt thou run upon them; J 
 
 * for thy fword ftiall be bathed in heaven, it ftiall i 
 
 ^ eome i 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 2^9 
 
 ' come upon Idumea, and upon the people' of thy 
 
 * curfe, unto judgment: thy fword (hail be filled 
 
 * with blood, and (hall be made fat with fatnefs : 
 
 * for thou haft a facrifice in Bozrah, and a great 
 
 * flaughter in the land of Idumea; and the uni- 
 ' corns fhall come down with them, and the bul- 
 
 * locks, with the bulls, and their land fhall be 
 ' foaked with blood, and their dull made fat with 
 
 * fatnefs: for the day of vengeance is in thine 
 ' heart, and the year of thy redeemed is come. 
 
 * Thou art looking, and there is none to help ; 
 
 * and thou wondereft that there is none to uphold-, 
 ' therefore thine arm fhall bring falvation unto 
 
 * thee, and thy fury it (hall uphold thee; thou 
 
 * wilt put on righteoufnefs as a breaft-plate, as 
 
 * an helmet of falvation upon thine head: and 
 
 * thou fhalt put on the garments of vengeance 
 
 * for clothing, and fhalt be clothed with zeal as 
 
 * a cloak, and thou wilt tread down the people 
 
 * in thine anger, and make them drunk in thy fury ; 
 
 * and wilt bring down their ftrength to the earth. 
 
 * Gird thy fword on thy thigh, O moft mighty, 
 
 * with thy glory and thy majefty; and in thy 
 
 * m^jefty ride profperoufly, becaufe of truth, 
 
 * meeknefs, and righteoufnefs: and thy right 
 
 * hand fhall teach thee terrible things: be thou a 
 
 * refuge for the opprefTed, a refuge in times of 
 
 * trouble. When thou makeft inquifition for 
 
 * blood, remember them : forget not the cry 
 
 * of the humble-, that they may fhew forth all 
 ' thy praife in the gates of the daughter of Zion: 
 
 * that thou mayft be known by the judgments 
 
 * thou executeft, when the wicked is fnared in 
 
 * the works of his own hands: let not the needy 
 
 * always be forgotten; O let not the expecflation 
 
 * of the poor perifh for ever, Arife, O Lord, let 
 
 * not 
 
270 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY, 
 
 not man prevail ; put thine enemies in fear, Q 
 Lord, that they may know themfelves to be but 
 men. Behold, they travail with iniquity, and 
 have conceived mifchief, and have brought forth 
 falfehood : they have made a pit, and digged 
 it j let them fail into the ditch which they have 
 made : let their mifchief return upon their own 
 head, and their violent dealing come down 
 upon their own pate. But thofe that truft in 
 thee, let them rejoice, - let them ever fliout for 
 joy, becaufe thou defendefl them. Even let the 
 righteous rejoice, when he feeth the vengeance: 
 let him wafh his feet in the blood of the wicked : 
 f© that a man may fay. Verily there is a reward 
 for the righteous: verily thou art a God that 
 judgeft in the earth. Remember this, that the 
 enemy hath reproached, O Lord 5 and that the 
 fooliih people have blafphemed thy Hame. O 
 deliver not the foul of thy turtle-?dove unto 
 the multitude of the wicked; forget not the 
 congregation of thy poor for ever; have a refpeft 
 unto thy covenant; for the dark places of the 
 earth are full of the habitations of cruelty, Q 
 let not the opprefled return afhamed; let the 
 poor and needy praife thy name : forget not the 
 voice of thine enemies; the tumult of thofe that 
 rife up againft thee increafeth continually. 
 They have taken crafty counfel againft thy peo^ 
 pie, and confuited againft thine hidden ones: 
 they have faid, Come let us cut them off from 
 being a nation, that the name of Ifrael may no 
 more be in remembr^-nce, for they have con- 
 fuited together, with one confent ; they are con- 
 federate againft thee. O make them like a 
 wheel, O my God, as the ftubble before the 
 wind; that men may know that thou, whofe 
 
 ' name 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 2^1 
 
 f name alone is Jehovah, art the Moft High 
 
 * over all the earth. O Lord God, to whom ven- 
 
 * geaiice belongeth, O God, to whom vengeance 
 
 * belongeth, {hew thyfelf: lift up thyfelf, thou 
 
 * Judge of the earth, render a reward to the proud. 
 
 * O Lord, how long fhall the wicked, how long 
 
 * fliall the wicked triumph? how long fhall they 
 
 * utter and fpeak hard things ? and all the work- 
 
 * ers of iniquity boafb themfelves? They break in 
 
 * pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heri« 
 
 * tage: yet they fay, The Lord ihall not fee, 
 
 * neither (hall the God of Jacob regard it. But 
 
 * thou Ihalt arife and have mercy upon Zion; for 
 
 * the time to favour her, yea, the fet time is come^ 
 ' for thy fervants take pleafure in her ftones, and 
 
 * favour the duft thereof: for thy mercy is great 
 
 * above the heavens, and thy truth reacheth unto 
 
 * the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the 
 
 * heavens, and thy glory above all the earth : that 
 
 * thy beloved may be delivered, fave with thy 
 
 * right hand. Wilt thou not give us help from 
 
 * trouble? for vain is the help of man. Through 
 
 * thee we fhall do valiantly \ for thou art he that 
 
 * fhall tread down our enemies. Our mouth fhall 
 ' be filled witii laughter, and our tongue with re- 
 
 * joicing: thou flialt put a new fong in our mouth 5 
 
 * each one of us fhall fmg forth, O Lord, thou 
 
 * art my God, I will exalt thee j I will praife thy 
 
 * name, for thou hafl done wonderful things, thy 
 
 * couufels of old are faithfulness and truth : for 
 
 * thou haft been a flrength to the poor, a ftrength 
 
 * to the needy in his diftrefs; a refuge from the 
 ' ftorm, and a fhadow from the heat; when the 
 
 * blafl of the terrible one is as a florm againft 
 
 * the wall. Lo, this is our God, we have waited 
 
 * for him, and he will fave us: this is the Lord, 
 
 * we 
 
272 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY 
 
 * we have waited for him ; we will be glad and 
 ' rejoice in his falvation. We have a ftrong city, 
 
 * falvation will God appoint for walls and bul- 
 
 * warks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous na- 
 
 * tion, which keepeth the truth, may enter in.' 
 I cannot but fmile, and leap for joy, through the 
 forethoughts of the glorious days we fhall fee a 
 little hence. Verily, Wellbeloved, thou haft per- 
 fuaded me with a ftrong hand, that the glory of 
 the fecond temple fhall far furpafs the glory of 
 the firft; and that fuch a day of thy power and 
 excellency fhall arife very fhortly upon Britain, 
 as fhall dazzle the eyes of all the beholders, as 
 fhall confound and put to fhame all thine adver- 
 faries, as fiiall rejoice exceedingly the hearts of 
 thy now faddened and fainting friends, and have 
 a ftrong influence and refplendency throughout 
 the whole earth. We are thy covenanted peo- 
 pk, thine in a more peculiar manner than any 
 people, nation, or language throughout the uni- 
 verfal world; thy name is called moft fignally o- 
 ver us, thy glory and renown is moft efpecially 
 concerned in our affairs; greater mercy, power, 
 wifdom, and fovereignty haft thou not manifefted 
 to any people, fince thou didft afcend on high: 
 how majeftic and glorious have thy outgoings been 
 among us ? as if this had been the chief place of 
 thy dwelling on earth. Such majeftic banners of 
 mercy and juftice haft thou erefted among us, as 
 have amazed the nations round about us : and 
 tho', ere it be long, thou wilt pour out our blood, 
 like water, by the force of the fword, becaufe of 
 our horrid apoftafies and inventions; yet *thy 
 ' ioving-kindnefs thoufhait never remove from us,* 
 but fhalt erecSt a banner of love over us, until the 
 day of thine appearance. Thou haft manifefted, 
 
 that 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 275 
 
 that tlidou art well pleafed with thine efpoufing of 
 iis^ and that thou ftandeft to the bargain, by thy 
 begetting a progeny of fon&and daughters, which 
 appear to exceed, in number and excellency, all 
 others through the habitable world. Tho* our 
 iniquities teftify againil us, and cry for utter de^ 
 folatioji, until we be like Admah and Zeboim *, 
 yet, what wilt thou do for thy great name, which 
 will be greatly blafphemed throughout the world, 
 if thou utterly confume us? Haft thou begun a 
 work; and fhalt thou not perfect it? Haft thou 
 laid the foundation ; and fhalt thou not build it 
 up unto the cope-ftone, that all may cry, Grace, 
 grace unto it? Haft thou not ever fruftrated the 
 cruel and hellifh plans of thine enemies, and 
 made their devices to fall on their own heads "; 
 and fhalt thou not now plunge them into the midft 
 of their own mifchiefs, fo that the inhabitants of 
 the world may cry out, Higgaion, Selah? Haft 
 thou fuch a numerous and excellent remnant, ac- 
 cording to the eleftion of grace; and fhall they 
 not hold thee from removing altogether from 
 hence; yea, fo hold thee, as that thou fhalt dwell 
 moft glorioufly amongft us, and blefs us with a 
 double bleffing? Art thou the hearer of prayer; 
 and fhall not the fighs and tears, and groans of 
 thine affli£led, perfecuted ones prevail ftrongly 
 with thee ? Are there ^not thoufands of thoufands 
 of prayers lying before the throne, yet unanfwer- 
 ed? How many ftrong wreftlers'have prayed and 
 wept for thy vindicating thy work and people, 
 who died praying? Tho' fighs and tears did not 
 move thee, yet wilt thou not regard the cry of 
 the fouls under the altar, who teftified For the 
 very fmalleft of thine interefts unto the death? 
 Is not thy kingdom now upon the advancing, 
 M m aud 
 
274 ^ GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 and are not the glorious days at hand, which 
 
 of G]d thou haft promifed at the clofe of time ? 
 
 Anon, thou wilt tread upon the high places of the 
 
 earth, and the inhabitants fhall tremble, and be | 
 
 amazed: the loftinefs of man fhall be bowed | 
 
 .down, the haughtinefs of men fhall be made low, 
 
 and thou alone {halt be exalted in that day. Thou | 
 
 art coming forth in great fury, and {halt tread 
 
 thQ wine-prefs without the city, up to the horfe * 
 
 bridles: and the carcafes of the men of this gene- ~ 
 
 ration {hall be like dung upon the earth; for the j 
 
 fword {h^U devour from the one end of the land, ' 
 
 even to the other; no fle{h (hall have peace, be- | 
 
 caufe the earth is de{ikd under the inhabitants 
 
 thereof; fince they have tranfgrefTed the laws, | 
 
 changed the ordinances, and broken the everlaft- ^ 
 
 ing covenant: for, from the leafl of them even i 
 
 unto the greateft of them, every one is given to i 
 
 covetoufnefs; and from the prophet, unto the ; 
 
 prieft, every one dealeth falfely : they have heal- >, 
 
 ed, the hurt of the daughter of thy people Hightly, j 
 
 faying. Peace, peace, when there is no peace : ' 
 
 they be all adulterers, an allembly of treacherous. \ 
 
 men ; they bend their tongues, like their bow, for i 
 
 lies; but they are not valiant for the truth upon ; 
 
 the earth. Behold, thy whirlwind {hall go forth 
 
 in fury, even a grievous whirlwind, it fhall fall ; 
 
 grievoufly upon the head of the wicked. Thou j 
 
 . haft not fent thefe prophets, yet they ran ; thou ' 
 
 haft not fpoken to them, yet th^y prophefied; ! 
 
 therefore wilt thou caft out the carcafes of thefe | 
 
 prophets, and thefe to whom they have prophefi-l 
 
 ed, into the ftreets, and the {ields, to be devour-| 
 
 ed by the fowls of the heaven, and the beafts of j 
 
 the field : for thou wilt cut off from this genera- j 
 
 lion head and tail, branch and rufh, in one day : : 
 
A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 275 
 
 it (hall be as with the people, fo with the prieft; 
 as with the fervant, fo with his mafter; as with 
 the maid, fo with her miftrefs; as with the buyer, 
 fo with the feller; as with the lender, fo 
 with the borrower ; as with the taker of ufury, fo 
 with the giver of ufury to him: for wickednefs 
 burneth as the fire, it fhall devour the briers and 
 thorns, it (hall kindle iiji the thickets of the for- 
 reft; and they (hall mount up, as the Hfting up of 
 fmoke. Through thy wrath the land is d^a-kened, 
 and the people {hall be the fewel of thy fire: no 
 man (hall fpare his brother; they fhall eat every 
 man the flefh of his own arm, ManafTeh Ephraim, 
 and Ephraim Manafleh, and they together fhall 
 be againft Judah; and the flreets fhall be filled 
 with blood, and the fields fhall be foaked with 
 blood and fatnefs; for it is the day of thy fury 
 and revenge for the controverfy of Zion : but yet 
 in it fhall be a tenth, and it fhall return, and fhall 
 be eaten, as a tyle-tree, and as an oak, whofe fub- 
 flance is in them when they cafl their leaves: for 
 the holy feed fhall be the fubftance thereof. And 
 in that day fhall the Branch of the Lord be beau- 
 tiful and glorious ; and the fruit of the earth fhall 
 be excellent and comely, for them that are efca- 
 ped of Ifrael : and in that day fhalt thou be for a 
 crown of. glory, and for a diadem of beauty unto 
 the refidue of thy people; and for a fpirit of judg- 
 ment to him that fitteth in judgment; and for 
 ftrength to them who turn the battle to the gate. 
 For thou in the midft of us art mighty; thou wilt 
 fave, thou wilt rejoice over us with joy; thou 
 wilt reft in thy love; thou wilt rejoice over us 
 with finging: and thou wilt gather them that are 
 forrowful for the folemn alfembly, even them to 
 whom the reproach of it was a burden; and thou 
 M m 2 wih 
 
2f6 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 
 
 wilt create upon every dwellmg-place of mount 
 Zion, and upon her aflemblies a cloud, and fmoke 
 by day, and the fhining of a flaming fire, by night ;r 
 for upon all the glory fhall be a defence. Whor; 
 16 a God like unto thee, that pardoneft iniquity,-| 
 and pafleft by the tranfgreffion of the remnant of-j 
 thine inheritance? Thou retaineftnot thine an-ij 
 ger for ever, becaufe thou delighteft in mercy. 0| 
 may thou be glorious and exalted through Britain^- \ 
 and thro' the vi'hole world ! When fhall the night ; 
 be gone, and thou arlfe with healing under thy j 
 wings ? When (halt thou pour down thy Spirit j 
 from on high, and make unto thyfelf a willing ' 
 people ? Haften thefe days, for thine elect's fake ; ^ 
 he an hiding-place to thy chofen, from the ftormj 
 and tempeft, and the blaft of the terrible ones, ' 
 according to thy promife: cover us with thy fea- ; 
 thers, and under thy wings make us to truft : let- \ 
 thy truth be our fhield and buckler. Then fhall : 
 we. not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for : 
 the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the pefli- I 
 lence that walketh in darknefs, nor for the dcr ^ 
 ftru£lion that wafteth at noon-day : a thoufand 
 ihall fall at our fide, and ten' thoufand at our \ 
 right hand j but it fhall not come near us ; only \ 
 with our eyes fhall we behold, aad fee the re- \ 
 ward of the wicked. O let us fee the good of I 
 thy chofen, and rejoice with thy nation, and be i 
 :glad..with thy people : let us fee good, according ; 
 .to the days v/herein we have feen evil, andaccordmg ] 
 to the days thou hafl afflicted us. And perform j 
 thy great promifes, now in the end of time and i 
 days. As thou hafl already poured the vials of 
 thy wrath on the feat of the beaft: now, our ^ 
 mighty One, dry up the river, the great river ; ; 
 and let there come a great voice from the temple \ 
 of heaven, from the throne, kis done: that thou ; 
 
 mavfl ■ 
 
The Dying SAINT's Song. %jf 
 
 mayil have a glorious church of Jews and Gen^ 
 tiles; fuch a day of thy power, and beauties of 
 holinefs, as that the cleareft days we or our fa- 
 thers ever faw, fhali be but days of darknefs 
 and ignorance in comparifon of them. Hafte, O 
 Wellbeloved, that thou mayft put an end to time 
 and days, and become all in ail unto thy chofen, 
 throughout eternity. 
 
 The Dying Saint's Song. 
 
 FArewell, you beauties of the lower ftory 
 Of God's great all; adieu, you painted glory 
 Of filly earth; farewell, you dreams, you toys, 
 Cloth'd in the garb of true delights and joys: 
 Yet, were you fuch, as to the world you feem, 
 What place now can you have in mine efteem? 
 Since all you lefTer beauties difappear. 
 In weftern point of my heart's hemifphere; 
 You rofe, fhone, fet, yet fliall you not ag^iin 
 Shine on my foul, while heav'n of heaven's remain: 
 No more fhall painted loves my foul bereave. 
 No more (hall glift'ring fhades my mind deceive, 
 No- more {hall empty hopes caufe difcontent. 
 No more fhall carking cares my foul torment; 
 No more (hall pain caufe me to groan and fob. 
 No more fhall fears caufe ftifled heart to throb: 
 No more fhall crackling joys my fp'rits exhal. 
 No more fhall vain conceits my thoughts inthral; 
 No more fhall vain delights choke folid pleafure, 
 No more fhall ftore of clay appear a treafure; 
 No more fhall childifh rage my blood inflame, 
 No more fhall fond defires poiTefs the fame ; 
 No more fhall my conceptions be obfcur'd. 
 No more fhall my affections be obdur'd : 
 No more fhall damps afleep my fenfes lull. 
 No more fhall clubbifh earth foul's alliens dull; 
 
 No 
 
278 The Dyiistg SAINT's Song. 
 
 No more (hall ficknefs my clay-houfe poflefs, \ 
 
 No more (hall exercife caufe wearinefs : ! 
 
 No more (hall filly body caufe a loathing, ■ 
 
 No more fhall't ftand in need of food and clothing ; 
 
 No more fhall men contemn, if thefe fall low, i 
 
 No more fhall men efteem, if thefe overflow : \ 
 
 No more fhall (in remain, fource of all ill, ' 
 
 No more fhall fm man's glorious ftru61:ure fpill; ] 
 
 No more fhall fin lodge near to heav'nly grace, i 
 
 No more fhall fm eclipfe Chrifl's lovely face: ] 
 
 No more fhall fin pull heart from things divine, i 
 
 No more fhall fm my heart to earth incline. j 
 
 Wouldft thou, in fhort, exprefs all faid before? ' 
 
 Bleft felf, fay, this, That fm fhall be no more. 
 
 Welcome, O gentle death, I think thy face ! 
 
 Appears not grim, but hath a pleafant grace ; i 
 
 What tho* thy looks are ghoftly, fad and four ; 
 
 Unto the wicked, whom thou doft devour? 
 
 Not fo to us, fervants cannot appal; 1 
 
 Forouraare death, life, heav'n and earth, and all: 
 
 Firft fight of thee, friend death, caus'd languid heart I 
 
 Leap for exceeding joy, and ev'ry part i 
 
 To fpring with floods of pleafure; I was flain i 
 
 With fad delays, but am reviv'd again : ^ 
 
 I'll no more call thee death, but life; I find i 
 
 In thee, not death's but life'ii fymptoms combined, i 
 
 True, death thou art unto the wretched band, ;i 
 
 Stark dead in fm, and under thy command. i 
 
 O but all things have chang'd their kind and face l 
 
 Unto the fons of light, and life, and grace ! 
 
 SweetChrifl hath turn'd for us, all blacks to white, .i 
 
 All woes to joys, all fadnefs to delight: \ 
 
 He paft the lifls with foes, and gave the foil, i 
 
 And made all foes to friendfhip back recoil. •' 
 
 With thee, O death, he grappled hand-to hand, ; 
 
 And led thee captive from thy native land: 1 
 
 Now ; 
 
The Dying SAINT's Song. 279 
 
 Now thou art tamM, and loft thy fatal fting ; 
 Foes without harm can no difafter bring. 
 Enter this heart, friend death, and thou (hall hear 
 Thy praifes fung, with a melodious cheer. 
 
 O fweet beginner of all joys and pleafure, 
 Of all content, and fulhefs pafling meafure 1 
 O joyful ev'ning-pericd, without morrow, 
 O wants, and pains, and tears, and griefs, and for- 
 And, which is moft, O blefled utmoil border (row ! 
 Of all corruption, finning and diforder ! 
 Once pad this march, I may with boidnefs cry, 
 All fin is gone, adieu all mifery. 
 O fafe refuge ! O fweet eternal port ! 
 To which all weary'd pilgrims do refort. 
 O filver ftream! O pleafant paffing ftrand 
 From clowniih earth, to fair Immanuei's land! 
 O gladfomc boatman ! giving fafe convoy 
 From weeping earth, unto the land of joy. . 
 O quiet fleep ! which weary*d fenfe aflails, 
 And fp'rits and powers with fweet immortal gales. 
 O juft umpire, which doth the march dcfcry 
 Of flying time, and vaft eternity. 
 O (kilful fower of earth's mortal grain! 
 That it in heav'nly glore may rife again, 
 O noble ufher, who by th' hand doll bring 
 Us to the hall of the immortal King. 
 Would I thy praifes in one word exprefs? 
 I'll only fay, O fource of happinefs ! 
 From thee did never-fading glory grow : 
 From thee did ever-blooming joy overflow : 
 By thee eternal death was vanquifhed. 
 By thee eternal life did it fucceed. 
 
 O ftrange ! the Source of life did purchafe more. 
 By dying than ail creatures loft before: 
 Yea, more by infinite tranfcendent ftages. 
 Than can be told through eadiefs ftore of ages. 
 
 By 
 
28q The Dying SAINT's Songj. 
 
 By thee the faints their heritage poflefs: i 
 
 By thee earth's too too num'rous folks decreafe. ; 
 Thou art more mild, of a more pleafant nature, . 
 In thr.fe lad ages of the lower creature, I 
 
 Than in the firft, when thou did fuffer men . 
 
 To run a longfbme race of fin and pain. i 
 
 O! without thee our ftrongeft hope would fail, i 
 Our joys would die, defpair would us aflail. i 
 
 The thoughts of thee brought to my heart relief, ; 
 In all my wanderings through the vale of grief : 
 Indeed my longing foul was fore opprefs'd ' 
 
 With fad delays, when thou feem'd not to hafte ; 
 Thy wifhed courfe, and to forget thy call : ^ 
 
 Now, now thy coming hath redrefled all. ^ 
 
 now my heart's rejoic'd! fweet death and I < 
 Are in each other's arms; thrice happily, - 
 
 1 bravely fly out o'er the march of time, - 
 Unto .that happy, happy, glorious clime: 
 Where ftored are enduring boundlefs treafure j 
 Of loves, and joys, and heart contenting pleafures. ] 
 All joy, death's fhady vale, in drawing near ^ 
 Thy dark'ned borders, ftrange ! thou doit appear ' 
 Another thing than what I did conceive: 
 Miftakes caufe needlefs fears, and joys bereave: i 
 Thee did my thoughts prefent an ugly den, \ 
 O'erfpread with horror, fadnefs, fear, and pain. ; 
 Sight tells the truth. O thrice delightfome place I ' 
 Stor'd with refrefhing (hades of fweet folace. 
 Call by thefe ftately trees of fragrant fume, ; 
 Which do o'erfpread this true Eiyfium, 4 
 And do av orn this trance, which pilgrims brings ; 
 Into the paradife, which ever fprings. \ 
 Now do I fet my feet within this vale. 
 
 What gales of joys are thefe, which me alTail ; 
 In this firft entry ? O this grave might be , 
 
 A ravifliing repofe through all eternity! 
 
 All; 
 
The Dting SAIITTs SoNGf. tBi 
 
 All here do laugh and fmile, and fpring and fingj 
 Were Mnefs here, it could not fadnefs bring: 
 Were placed here all griefs and woes of creatures^ 
 Would they not change unto melodious natures ? 
 
 And can, O faireft One, thy word command 
 Death's faddeft vale unto a joyful land? 
 How doth the place, where thou doll ever dwell. 
 In glory, beauj:y, and all things excel? 
 But what if this be it? O heavenly frame! 
 My mind's enlarged, my heart is in a flame! 
 O fweet afpects ! with what a pleafant grace 
 Do heav'nly hofls furround me, in this place ? 
 Tm ravifh'd with the raiment of that One, 
 Whofe fragrancy tranfcendeth Lebanon: 
 His voice, his foul-tranfporting emanation 
 Strikes me in an eternal admiration! - 
 No, this is glory's port, I fee the hall, 
 Where lovely Chrift, with crownin handjdothcall^ 
 
 Come, come, my fair, thy princely head I'll cro wii 
 With thefe great bays of glory and renown; 
 I'll thee adorn, in fuch a brave attire. 
 That all, who thee behold (hall thee admire. 
 O love, thou ever haft been in my fight, 
 A mafs of beauty, fweetnefs and delight ; 
 But now, my fair, I'll thee fo beautify 
 With the refplendent rays of majefty. 
 And palling glory's beauty; I'll fo fill. 
 With ftore of heav'nly grace ; thy mind and will, 
 And all thy pow'rs; thy glore fo flourilh (hall. 
 And bloom, and fliine and ray, through ages all, 
 That moft envying feers fhall confefs. 
 Thou art a mirrour of all happinefs. 
 O haft thou fought thy foes, and vanquifhed. 
 By off'ring vi'Ience unto all, who did 
 Thy courfe to heav'n oppofe? And fhall not I 
 Put in thine hands thefe palms of viiSlory ? 
 
 Nn 01 
 
282 The Dying SAINT*s Song. i 
 
 O! didft thou gladly fufFer, and defpife J 
 
 All loffes, pains, and woes, that did arife i 
 
 For my name's fake, O love ? And fhall not I \ 
 Caufe thee to reign in glorious majefty? 
 Waft thou to all created things deny'd, ^ 
 
 Efleeming them but drofs and duHg, and ey'd : 
 Me as the only One ? And fliall not I \ 
 
 Thee with my matchlefs beauty fatisfy? '1 
 
 O ! haft thou bid farewell, for evermore, 
 To earthly things, which thou enjoy'd before, .! 
 That thou might'ft come to me? And (hall not I ; 
 Give full enjoyment through eternity? , 
 
 O then, arife, my fair, and come away; ^ 
 
 Behold, the eaftern beams of this fair day ] 
 
 Of vaft eternity dart in thy face; 
 Caufing all ftiades retreat and flee apace. 
 O come, and enter this thrice happy place, ^ 
 
 Thou now behold'ft. What ravifhing folace 
 Dwells here! what pafling joys! what boundlefs i 
 pleafures ' I 
 
 Flow in this land, like fountains, floods and rivers I \ 
 Nay, nothing here but fweetnefs ! ev'ry part 
 Is fiird with all delights of mind and heart: 
 Here ev'ry ray's a white and joyful day; 
 Here ev'ry bloom's a fragrant fmelling May: 
 If once thou enter here, thy rain is gone. 
 Thy winter's paft, and all thy woes are done 
 This is the holy place, within the vail. 
 Wherein once ent'red, fhalt for ever dwell: 
 This is the place of old I did prepare 
 To be the ftage, whereon I might declare 
 My beauty, glory, and excellency. 
 Before this glorious, ftately company 
 Of men and angels^ who fhall fee my face. 
 And fhall for ever in my fight find grace: 
 Lo, here, below thefe rofy, fragrant groves. 
 We'll fatiate ourfelves with mutual loves. 
 
 Of 
 
The Dying SAINT's Song. 2S3 i 
 
 O ! here our bleflednefs (hall bloom for ay ! 
 A rife, my love, my fair, and come away. 
 
 Thus (peaks my Lord, this is his invitation, j 
 
 Thus founds his voice j O endlefs admiration I i 
 
 Tranfporting all: O fires dart from above, ; 
 
 Transforming all into a flame of love ! .' 
 
 His foul alluring voice, his heav'nly grace, \ 
 
 That fhines in ev'ry look, his faireft face, < 
 
 His lovely eyes his countenance divine I 
 
 Hath ravifh'd quite away this heart of mine: 
 At firft afpcifl his fhade, a draught might prove. 
 Would quite eclipfe ten thoufand worlds of love. 
 Thrice blefled faints, thrice blefied angels, you \ 
 
 Who (land within the near immediate view 
 Of fuch an One, all in your proper places, I 
 
 Encircled with elTential lovers embraces ! 
 'Tis like two heavens of joy, to think upon. 
 That I (hall be within thefe arms anon! 'j 
 
 More folid joy the hope of glory brings, ■ 
 
 Than all enjoyments of created things. 
 
 N n a LET- 
 
LETTERS 
 
 WRITTEN BY 
 
 J^Ir Andrew Welwood from London, a little 
 before his death. 
 
 I. A Letter to his Mother. 
 
 Dear Mather, London. 
 
 IF I were able to di£late now, when I am en- 
 tering into eternity, I could tell you the con- 
 folations wherewith I am comforted of God, even 
 when the chiefeft delights of the world, thefe 
 trifles upon which the fons of men dote, can be 
 no comfort to me. Alas ! what are all the comforts 
 that flee away at death ? Even the vanities of time, 
 which cannot convoy a man without the borders 
 of time •, and far lefs endure with him through 
 eternity. My death would feeni judicial like to 
 blind worldUngs, who fee no judgment, but to be 
 fdeprived of the empty and taflelefs vanities of 
 time; but I fee that 'all things work together for 
 
 * good to them who are the called according to 
 
 * his purpofe :' even diflScultjes, temptations, 
 griefs, and woes, have all an happy end to the 
 godly: 'Oi;t of the eater cometh meat, and out 
 
 * of the ftrong cometh fweetnefs :' fo, even eat- 
 ing and confuming griefs, (icknefs, and lofles, 
 which niake the outward man decay, renew the 
 inward man, and make him flourifh; even the 
 jftrongeil difficulties, temptations, and foes, when 
 pvercome, yield the fweeteft viftory: and the 
 thoughts of having rufhed through fo many ene- 
 Biies, and fo ftrong, wi}} be fweet throughout e- 
 
 ternity. 
 
To his Mother. 28^ 
 
 ttrmty. I fee clearly, that all the fteps of divine 
 providence toward me, have confpired. to a blef- 
 ied clofe; even the moft difficult of them, efpeci- 
 ally this half-year: I would not, for ever fo much, 
 but that I die where I die, and am fick in this 
 place; for his difpenfations have a wonderful 
 depth in them, and cannot Vv^ell be difcerned, but 
 by eyes enlightened from above. But worldlings 
 are blind, and vary fcrangely in their judgment 
 of things; and even the faints, while here, are 
 much blinded with fin and infirmities of thig 
 overpowering mortality. Death has indeed a ter- 
 rible face to thefe that place all their happinefs in 
 this life; but I fear it not; it is not death, but an 
 harbinger of glory unto me : it is an hard-favour- 
 ed meflenger fent from my fweet Lord to me; it 
 is a dark and fad chariot carrying to the land of 
 light and joy. My Lord hath done to me, what 
 he hath determined from eternity; and all his 
 purpofes, even all the thoughts of his heart, are 
 full of love, infinite love, to thole that wait upon 
 him. I refolved to glorify him on earth, and de- 
 dicated my life wholly to my Lord's ferrice; and 
 I know it is all one with him, as if 1 1 'id done it: 
 and I fhall, in another manner, exalt and ferve 
 him above, than I could have done here below, 
 encumbered with mortality, and with innumer- 
 able infirmities. My Lord hath faid to me, it 
 would weary thee to ftay too long in this valley 
 of tears and mifery: I take it, as if thou hadft 
 done me many years fervice: I have abridged thy 
 days, but not thy life: I have (hortened thy toil, 
 but not thy reward. And O what a blefled thing 
 if is, that he takes the talk of many weary years 
 fervice from otFmy hand ! My warfare is ended; 
 O the joyful change I am undergoing! when 
 
 (hall 
 
286 Mr A. Wel wood's Letter 
 
 Ihall I fee him as he is? when (hall I get my fill 
 of lovely Jefus? O his beauty, his beauty, his 
 bea uty ! Men and angels may admire the freenefs 
 of his grace, and admire it, and ever admire it ! 
 but what can they faY> or comprehend of it? O 
 the freenefs of his grace ! that he fhould admit 
 the like of me to ftand eternally before him, and 
 to be for ever in his prefence; to be one of his 
 honourable train; nay, to enjoy him, as near as 
 can be. O think ye, I lofe any thing, who get the 
 fore-ftart,and become poffeffor of that inheritance? 
 the inheritance of many a more excellent and 
 ancient faint than I; nay, the inheritance of the 
 Heir of all things ? It is little of heaven I know, 
 being obfcured with mortality, and living by faith, 
 and not by fight : but O to think of the expref*- 
 fions of fcripture concerning it! *Eye hath not 
 
 * feen, nor ear heard, nor hatli it entered into the 
 
 * heart of man to conceive, what God hath pre- 
 
 * pared for thofe that love him :' if heaven could 
 be conceived by us, I fhould not fo much efteem 
 it. But O it is a mafiy thing! O ftrange ! that 
 God fhould make bits of mortal men (and what a 
 poor worthiefs thing man is, let any behold in a 
 dying and dead carcafe) not only as happy as we 
 can defirc, or conceive, but as happy as can be I 
 
 to behold the face of the Ancient of days! But 
 
 1 know in whom I have believed, and that he is 
 able to prefent me fpotlefs before the Father, 
 with exceeding great joy. If I perifli, let him fee 
 to his promife ; I have laid all upon him : If I 
 perifh, (through the ftrength of my Lord, by 
 whom I can do all things,) I fhall periih believing. 
 I cxpeft much of heaven, more than I can con- 
 ceive ; but O I think I fhall be exceedingly de- 
 ceived, (O fweet deceit!) for I ihaU find more 
 
 than 
 
To his Mother. 287 
 
 than ten thoufand worlds can comprehend. I (hall 
 fee my Father ere long: many fweet days have he 
 and I had upon earth, many innumerable ages 
 jQiall we have in heaven together. O heaven! O 
 the difference betwixt this melancholy, fmoky inn, 
 and the m.agnificent hall of glory ! O the change 
 I am undergoing! I go from the twilight of the 
 fun and moon, to the noon-day of the fplendor 
 of glory; from a dunghill, to a throne; from 
 bodily infirmities, diftreffes, difeafes, and pains, 
 to a land, whoie inhabitants do not fay, I. am fick; 
 from wearifome labour and toiling, into an in- 
 conceivable fweet paradife, where I fliall reft for 
 evermore; from a mortal company, to an innu- 
 merable immortal ^company of angels, to the ge- 
 
 * neral affembly, and church of the firlt-born, 
 
 * which are written in heaven; and to God the 
 
 * Judge of all, and to the fpirits of juft men made 
 
 * perfect:; and to Jefus the Mediator of the new 
 
 * covenant.' O v/hat thinii ye, to be eternal- 
 ly, even for ever and ever, among fuch fweet 
 company? Are there any more Honourable, and 
 amiable company, than they? O what (hall I fay? 
 what (hall I think? that fihhy, and unv/orthy I 
 fhould (hew my face among fo glorious an affem- 
 bly. What is here, but vanity and grief of heart? 
 O do you not long to be gone, to be in that fweet 
 and inconceivable paradifs? Caft your anchor 
 within the vail, and then you need not fear death, 
 come when, it will. But, O long life, or death 
 rather! for the fooner we arrive at our journey's 
 end, the better, and the longer we are clogged 
 with fin and mifery, the worfe; for the more we 
 will love to linger in this Sodom. It is hard to get 
 our hearts drawn quite ofFtime; we look kindly 
 to the baftard's inheritance; and therefore we 
 
 abhot. 
 
■2B8 Mr A. Wbl wood's Letter 
 
 abhor death, and can be contented to want hea- 
 ven longer than any thing el fe: but if we could 
 get a fight of the King in his beauty, and of the 
 land that is afar off; then, O to be gone ! O to 
 be up above thefe vifible heaveiis, and amongft 
 thefe gliftering companies, who enjoy him to the 
 full! O if mzn knew how vain a world this is! O 
 but they are happy, and inconceivably happy, 
 who efcape fairly the temptations, fnares, and 
 difficulties that are in this valley of tears, and 
 who are fairly landed on that odoriferous, flowery 
 land, on that raviiliing land, which infinite ^nd 
 eternal love did contrive to be the royal theatre, 
 whereon fliould be fhown, to men and angels, 
 the 'height and breadth, the depth and length, of 
 * that love that paffeth underftanding/ If you 
 run fall, you cannot be long behind me; and we 
 {hall fee one another immediately; death is no 
 reparation to the faints; for time is nothing: 
 what is it to them who are to dwell eternally to- 
 gether, to be feparated for a few hours? What 
 is tranfient time to a never-ending eternity of 
 joys? Death is far miftaken by the moft part of 
 faints, they have a wrong conception of it; it is 
 a fweet repofe to a weary foul, and loofeth the 
 foul from the bands of mortahty, letting it out 
 from a filthy, {linking prifon, unto the fweet and 
 fragrant air of glory; it ends all forrows and figh- 
 ings, and begins unfpeakable joys: it is but a 
 dark cloud ufhering in the bright dawning of eter- 
 nal glory. O but my Lord hath excellently cir- 
 cumftantiated my death! O I admire his love! I 
 could tell many fweet paffages of providences he 
 hath caften in my way: but I delay, until I be fit- 
 ting upon the brink of the river of life ; and then 
 1 (hall nuraber them. I cannot now praife him; 
 
 al»^ 
 
To his Mother. 289 
 
 alas that I am fo ftupid and dull; but I (hall praife 
 i him anon, I {hall eternally praife him ! ' O be glad 
 I* and rejoice in our God!* O fweet! that poo t dy- 
 ing, miserable I was not left to Uncertainties, not 
 to kno\t^ what to do; but to have fuch a fweet 
 and kind Lord to repofe on ! Had I flayed longer 
 in this M'^retched life, I was refolved to have fhown 
 myfelf as faithful to you as I could: but I commit 
 you unto his grace, who hath cared for me, even 
 unto death; commit yourfclf to him, he will bring 
 all to a good iflue that is trufted to him. We arc 
 not our own; therefore we are not to difpofe of 
 ourfelves. Chrift is a good tutor and governor, 
 and tarries all thefe well through, that commit 
 themfelves to him. See that Mary negled: not 
 to feek God, to pray, and read the fcriptures ; let 
 her not frequent ill company. O the worth of a 
 foul! and the reward of thefe that are inftru- 
 mental in gaining of a foul! our bodies mull go 
 to the dud; but our fouls are of more worth than 
 ten thoufand worlds. I am not able to fay more, 
 1 1 am fo weak. Ol run fail, death is at the door. 
 i We are all ftepping into eternity; what is time, 
 [ but a preparation for it? Overlook time, and live, 
 I die daily, as one that muft pafs away immediately, 
 and never be here any more. They build caftles 
 I in the air, who imagine they (hall find any reft 
 I here: let wt)rldlings dream of reft on earth; ours 
 is above ; our hearts are gone ; and we are dead 
 to the world. Farewell for a few days. Thefe 
 are the words of, 
 
 Your dying Son, 
 
 A* Wei wood. 
 
 O d II. A 
 
2.90 Mr A. We l w o o d's ,Lcttcr 
 
 II. A Letter to his Brother James. 
 
 Dear Brother, 
 
 I Hope, the laft words of your brother, who is 
 now ilepping into eternity, will have fome 
 weight with you; and that this confideration will 
 make you not to neglect them. Know you why 
 you came into the world? I am fure, and you are 
 as fure, not to eat, and drink, and pafs away your 
 time in earthly bufinefs; but to get the work of 
 your falvation well wrought and finifhed, before 
 death aflault you: it is moll uncertain, and fteals 
 iipon men, as a thief in the night, when they arei 
 feciire, never dreaming of fuch a great change : ^ 
 though truly my gracious Lord lets me fee death | 
 ftill approaching nearer and nearer, that I may ; 
 draw ever nearer arid nearer to him who is life* ? 
 O it concerns you to try. Whether you fhall be a ; 
 bafe mifcreant, crawling in the bottomlefs pit with j 
 unfpeakable torments, in the midft of wicked men ^ 
 and devils, blafpheming Jehovah and the Lambi 
 to eternity; or, a glorious faint, conformed unto 
 the image of the Son of the eternal God, loving^ ^ 
 praifmg, and adoring him that fitteth on the] 
 throne, and the Lamb, for ever and ever. Con--^ 
 fider what I fay, the bufinefs is fo weighty, fo ex- 1 
 ceeding weighty, that time, with all its well and! 
 wo, is to be overlooked in comparifon of this ab- i 
 folutely and only neceflary thing: I tell you, there : 
 is an abfolute neceflity that you be holy; (let not i 
 the poor name affright you, for holinefs is the \ 
 . fweeteft and moil eafy thing in the world to them ; 
 that are holy;) for, 'Without hoHnefs no man \ 
 * fhall fee the Lord:' and falvation muft be nearer; 
 your heart, by many degrees, than all other con- ; 
 
 ccrns> 
 
To his Brother. 291 
 
 ccrns, tho* they were ten thoufand worlds. You 
 muft know the bargain of the new covenant, and 
 clofe heartily with it, in all its fulnefs, without 
 the leaft refervation: upon it, I recommend unto 
 you Mr Guthrie*s trial of a faving intereft in 
 Chrift j and defire you to read it, till you become 
 fuch an one as he defcribes. Believe it, 'Godli- 
 ' nefs is profitable for all things, having the pro- 
 * mifes of this life, and of that which is to come.' 
 Tho' it may fecm troublefome in the beginning, 
 and tho' Chrift's fweet and eafy yoke may feem 
 an hard wreath j yet, believe me, there is nothing 
 in the world but it which can give reft, and full 
 fatisfaifbion to the foul: all things here are un- 
 fatisfying, tho' you had all that you can delire of 
 them. O this is a vain world! thefe who are near 
 eternity will fay fo. O the vaft difference betwixt 
 time and eternity! I aflure you, if you had all 
 that your heart could wifh, or defire of the pomp, 
 treafures, and pleafures of time, you would find 
 no contentment in them: and when you fhall be 
 in fuch a condition as I am in, when pale death, 
 Ihall be ftaring you in the face ; then all the glory 
 of time will be, in your eyes, nothing but a wither- 
 ed flower. But alas ! we are drunk with this worlds 
 and we never know well what we are doing, till 
 death make us fober. I muft fay again, and a- 
 gain, O the difference betwixt time arid eternity? 
 they that get heaven, can get no more; for, alas! 
 what are all additions of time? What is a few 
 days eating, and drinking, and trifling ? yea, 
 what are all the mafly exercifes of time, compared 
 with the exercifes of glory ? We place too mucH 
 of our happinefs in this fide of time, and there- 
 fore death is a great difappointmeht: but we 
 (liould be indifferent to all things in time, and 
 O o 2 have. 
 
29? Mr A. Wel wood's Letter 
 
 have our eyes ever fixed upon the thoughw of c- 
 ternity. Then it is not at all to be regarded, in 
 what time of a man's life he die, if he die in the 
 Lord: yea, it is an invaluable blefling for the pri- 
 foner, or weary pilgrim, to have all his toil at an 
 end, and to reach his native foil. You may think, 
 I put a hard talk upon you-, becaufe pur nature 
 is all polluted, and we are accuftomed to do evil: 
 but the ways of holinefs are fweet,and all its paths, 
 are peace: if you were once acquainted with the 
 ways of it, you would fay, that fin is the moft 
 bafe and vile thing in the world: and that holi- i 
 nefs is the moft noble ornament. And confider ^ 
 this, the more you fet your mind on holinefs, the 
 more fweet and eafy you will find it. As for tem- 
 porary things, take no care fo^r them; thej are 
 but additions to the fon's inheritance. I may fay 
 by experience, he hath made good his word tq 
 me in all the fe things of time; he hath made it 
 good unto the end of my race, in a moft ftrange 
 ind wonderful way: fp that I have tafted more 
 of my Lord's goodnefs, and wonderful providence, 
 in this laft half-year of my life, than in many years 
 before : I think it a merciful difpenfation, tha^ 
 ^e hath weaned my heart from the world, more 
 in;this half-year's ficknefs, than in many years 
 health: ;this whole half-year of my life hath been 
 ? continual winter, for bearing down my corrupt 
 |ions, both original and adual: and now th^ 
 -world hath no reliih to me. Farewell, vain 
 world, I heartily fubmit unto, dpath, if it were 
 for no more but becaufe it is the good pleafur^ 
 of my Lore}, who moft mercifully tak^s me away 
 from the bondage of my corruption, and from the 
 dreadful eyfls^ tp come. Meditate ferioufly on 
 4^ath: it- is^ a t)\ifinefs moll weighty, ^ bufinefs 
 
 upon 
 
To his Brother. 292^ 
 
 upon which your eternal well or wo depends: 
 the end crowns the work ; die well, and you are 
 well, even well for evermore. And O! is not 
 Evermore a mafly word? You fhall find death 
 eafy, if you be a diligent feeker of God in your 
 life time: if oth^rwife, you (hall find it the forefl 
 battle that ever you fought 5 and you fhall quake, 
 when you fhall hear an avenging God fpeaking 
 audibly in your confcience, 'He is not mine, take 
 * his evil foul, devils, pull him to pieces, and hale 
 'him away to utter darknefs :' the poor foul 
 wreftles in vain, but an avenging God leaves it 
 for a prey to devils. Look not on death as afar 
 off: little will be the difference betwixt my death 
 and yours. This generation will quickly be gone : 
 time is a gliflering ftar, appearing fomething be- 
 fore hand, but indeed it is a tranfient nothing. 
 And one that dies at fixty years of age, and ano-» 
 ther that dies at twenty years, think both alike, 
 their bypaft time is a dream. Short, or long time 
 is not to be regarded, but in preparation to eter- 
 nity: and he that is prepared, hath lived long 
 enough. I could give you many inftru^tions, 
 were I not very weak : beware of ill company, 
 never think to fee God, if you walk with ill com- 
 pany: companions in time, are companions in e- 
 ternity. Lay fome vows upon yourfelf; but re- 
 member this, that you vow to do nothing in your 
 own ftrength; for you fhall find, that when you 
 are weakeil in your own eyes, then you are 
 ftrongeft: I lay, lay fome vows upon yourfelf, as 
 to pray thrice a-day ferioufly and confcientiouily ; 
 to read fo much fcripture; and to meditate. Not 
 that men are tied to particular times, but it is 
 moft profitable to lay bands upon our loofe cor- 
 ruptions, which elfe will plead for too much li- 
 berty. 
 
294 Mr A. Wel wood's Letter 
 
 berty. Imagine not your thoughts to be free; 
 vain thoughts are the fource of vain v/ords, and 
 unprofitable aftions; the mind is the fpring of 
 all. Beware of the fins of the time, as you would 
 jQmn the terrible judgments that threaten an a- 
 poftate generation : the paftors are become brutifh, 
 they are 'fons of Belial, and know not the Lordj' 
 therefore they who hear them, are partakers of 
 their abominations, I need fay no more. You 
 never have rightly fought God, until it be your 
 chief delight to feek him; therefore never reft till 
 you can fay, *I will go to God, my chiefeft joy.* 
 O then you are as happy as God can make you, 
 (to fpeak fo, with reverence to that 'high and 
 . * lofty One, who inhabits eternity:' and can you 
 be more happy? I take to witnefs againft you, 
 your own confcience, and the great Judge of the 
 quick and the dead, That, if you continue in any 
 vain imagination, 'living without God in the 
 
 * world, negleOing fo great a falvation, you arc 
 
 * a trampler under foot of the blood of the cove- 
 
 * nant,' and a defpifer of all admonitions: but all 
 this will do little, until he, who made heaven and 
 earth, regenerate you. It may be he will hedge 
 up your way on every fide by affliction, that you 
 may be conftrained to flee unto him, who is a 
 ' prefent help in time of trouble.'' This, if you 
 follow it, is the beft legacy I could have left you; 
 for if you knew the danger of the pelf of this 
 world, a little of it would fuffice, I would not for 
 a world, that I had been born to be rich: the 
 lighter burdened with thick clay, the better ; it is 
 hard to get up the mount, though ye had but a 
 very fmall weight upon your back: for our cor- 
 ruptions are weighty enough without any addi- 
 tion. If you neg]e£l that, which not I, but Chrill 
 
 commands 
 
To his Sister. 295 
 
 commands you, farewell for ever. If you obey, 
 farewell for a few days; and then you and I fhall 
 meet in the only paradife, the flower of the whole 
 creation: we fhall fit down upon the flowery 
 banks of the riv^r of life, and ravifh ourfelves for 
 ever an'd ever, with everlafting and unfpeakablc 
 joys. This is from^ 
 
 Your dying brother, 
 
 A. Wei wood. 
 
 III. A Letter to his Sifter Helen. 
 
 Dear Sijler, 
 
 I Am forry I did not write fooner, before my 
 ftrength and fpeech did fail*, but I would be 
 glad to fpend my laft breath upon you, if I 'could 
 do you any good. I cannot forget you, even when 
 I have forgotten the vanities of the world; you 
 are precious unto me, fmce I knew you to be in 
 fome meafure a feeker of God. O what advant- 
 ages there are in feeking of him! I defy men and 
 angels to number and comprehend them: endlefs 
 eternity fhall be fhort enough to lay open the in- 
 conceivable gains of godlinefs. If you feek him 
 diligently, fincerely, and conftantly, you fhall have 
 all things: and O is not that a vaft word, all 
 things P All (hall be ^ yours, whither the world, life, 
 * or death, things prefent, or things to come;' all 
 thefe fhall be yours, even the great All, and \vhat- 
 foever is his. O but the faints have a long, large, 
 and full charter! if you had a charter for many 
 lands, it were but a narrow thing: but now every 
 place where you tread on is yours; and what can 
 yd*u dcfae more?- Behold the heaven, and confi- 
 
 der 
 
izg6 Mr A. We l w o o d's Letter. 
 
 der even the heaven of heavens, for thefe are yours: 
 is it poffible, that a faint, the- heir of all things, 
 and joint-heir with the Son of the Eternal j is it 
 poffible, I fay, that he can want any thing? Nay, 
 the great Eternal, the Maker of all things, he is 
 yours J and what can you'defire more? Is it pof- 
 iible, that a faint can want any thing, whither fpi- 
 ritual or temporal ? I mean any thing that is good 
 for him : and God alone knows what is bed for us. 
 When I look through the paflages of my life, I 
 fee that my Lord and guide hath led me in the 
 beft way; and thefe have been the fweeteft dif- 
 penfations, which crofTed mofl my natural difpo- 
 (ition ; and which feemed moft judgment like to 
 carnal eyes. We are like ignorant children, that 
 have no judgment to make choice of things; but 
 would fwallow down fweet poifon, and give away 
 a rich inheritance for painted trifles. No won- 
 der then, if the world fhew themfelves to be 
 fools and mad-men in their choice. My life 
 hath been but a track of affliftions^ and I would 
 not for a thoufand worlds it had been otherwife : 
 tho* my old man defired ftill to be fwimming in 
 the eafe and vanities of the world; yet I fee my 
 Lord hath been kindeft, when I efteemed him moil 
 cruel. The laft part of my life may feem judg- 
 ment-like: but O you would wonder, if you 
 knew what I know, and what my Lord hath done 
 for me, in this laft half year of my life, both as 
 to things temporal and fpiritual: I cannot under- 
 ftand them now, butLfhall very fhortly; and they 
 ihall be to me matter of eternal praife. Though 
 I had abounded with all the eafe, delights, pomp, 
 glory, and riches of time ; yet would I be glad to 
 die, to leave the puddle of fwinifh pleafures, and 
 drink of the pi^re river of everfafting joys, that 
 
 floweth 
 
To his Sister* 2^7 
 
 floweth from beneath the throne of God. This 
 world quite miftakes death: O who would not 
 willingly leave fuch a vain perilhing world ! where- 
 in we are ftill difhonouring our God! a world 
 wherein the faints get bad entertainment; a world 
 wherein the Lord of glory wasj'and is daily, cru- 
 cified. What is here ? All the glory and excellen- 
 cy of the creation is above ; a few imperfeft faints 
 are only here. But it is above, where I (hall fee 
 and embrace all thefe worthies, the courtiers of 
 the King of glory. You need not be fad for my 
 death; and will not if you pofl hard after me, 
 and follow on to know the Lord; for time is juft 
 nothing. We fhall be glad and rejoice, with joy 
 unfpeakable and full of glory, throughout all eter*^ 
 nity, in that land of glory, and inconceivable joys. 
 O if you knew but a little of the excellency of 
 that land of bleflednefs! you would in a manner 
 envy thofe who go before you ; tho' you fliould 
 pafs ever fo many fweet days, ere you can get 
 thither, you would weary. For yourfelf, you 
 are yet in an hell of forrow and fm, while out of 
 heaven, and while they are in an heaven of joy 
 and pleafure. O! beware of worldly-mindednefs, 
 and carking cares; commit all to your Father : 
 ' Seek firft the kingdom of heaven, and the righ- 
 
 * teoufnefs thereof; and then all other things fhall 
 
 * be added unto you. Fear not, it is your Father's 
 
 * good pleafure to give you the kingdom :' and he 
 that gives heaven, will give as much earth, as will 
 fuffice you; and more than is fufficient, is a heavy 
 weight, that will pull you down the mount. O 
 mark this! * He that gave his only begotten Son,' 
 out of his bofom, to be tormented unto death for 
 you; *will he not alfo with ; hiin freely give you 
 
 * all things ?' even every thing that pertains to. life 
 
 P p anJ 
 
298 Mr A. Welwood's Letter ; 
 
 and godlinefs. As for things temporal, the lefs of : 
 the world the better: all the faints will teftify it, .; 
 at leaft when they are about to leave it : I can put \ 
 my feal to it now, when I am entering into eter- i 
 nity, that it is moft dangerous to be intangled . 
 either with riches, honours, orpleafures, and that ] 
 it is the fweeteft difpenfation to be affiidied, and { 
 cut fhort of them: for profperity is the enemy of ^ 
 a. life of godlinefs; as the experience of many 2l[ 
 deceived profeffbr may teftify; whofeemed to be j 
 fomething, v/hen affliAed, but when once they got ■ 
 the bag, betrayed Chrift. It is hard f^r a * camel' 
 
 * to go through a needle's eye:' the more we are''^ 
 inveigled with this deceitful world, the lefs do we ; 
 value heaven: now nothing more glews a man's-j 
 heart to the earth, than riches, which have weigh-j 
 cd many a man down to the pit; where he is' 
 weeping and gnafhing his teeth, curfing riches,- 
 and tormenting himfelf, that ever he defired them ; J 
 ■vv-hereas, if he had been poor, he would have been ] 
 now (as men may conje^ure) rejoicing amongft , 
 thefe glorified ones. Remember, that it is utter-' 
 ly impolFible to ferve God and mammon. And . 
 if your treafure be not in heaven, neither will | 
 
 vyour heart be there. I blefs my Lord for mine 1 
 v?tffli61ions, (which have been ftill greater and1 
 ''greater, till now that I am leaving them all,) as \ 
 much as for any mercy I ever received, for now I ' 
 reap the peaceable fruits of righteoufnefs. And j 
 tho' I be now vt^eeping, while I fow; yet fhortly^ 
 Ifhall have as much as I can bear of the maflyj 
 flieave^^;iiiponceivable glory. * Weep and howl, ^ 
 ^ ye rioiiC^I^, for your mifery that fhall come up- 
 
 • on ypu'i JTor you now receive your good things* 
 and ther'-faints their evil things; therefore imme- 
 diately^ fliall *^^e be aiSi^l^d and tormented, and 
 
 / - * they 
 
To his Sister. 299 
 
 < they {hall be comforted. Bleffed are they that 
 
 < mourn now, for they ihall be comforted.' The 
 faints weep, while the world rejoiceth: but our 
 forrow fhall be turned into joy, and their mad 
 mirth into unfpeakable and eternal horror. O if 
 men did confider this, they would not toil for the 
 eafe and pleafures of fm, which are but for a mo- 
 ment; nor would they envy the rich gluttons, 
 but rather the poor Lazarus' s, who are defpicable 
 in the eyes of all. Fret not, when you fee the 
 wicked profper; nor repine at poverty, {hame, 
 and contempt; fmce the only excellent ones, 'of 
 « whom the world was not worthy, wandered a- 
 
 < bout in fheep-lkins, and goat-fkins; being def- 
 
 < titute, afflicted, and tormented:' and the honour- 
 able apoftles, and followers of the Lamb, were 
 accounted the offscourings of all things. O if th^ 
 .faints would take time, fit down and confider 
 
 thefe thiegs! they would find it fweet to be con- 
 formed, in fufFerings, to their Lord, « who was a 
 « man of forrows, and acquainted with grief :' that 
 they might alfo be conformed to him in glory. I 
 fear earthly-mindednefs may be your predomi- 
 nant; therefore ftrive moft againft it: for how 
 can one fet their heart upon trafh, and earneftly 
 defire it, and heaven alfo? I tell you, the only 
 way to have as much of the world, as is neceffary 
 and good for you, is to commit your temporal 
 lot wholly to Chrift, without the leaft refervation: 
 this is belt; for nothing can be committed to him, 
 and go wrong: try him, and if you do not find, 
 that he will carry you well through, fo that you 
 (hall lack nothing that is good for you, then call 
 him a liar: yet never any of the faints could fay, 
 that he failed them' in a jot of what he promifed 
 them. And how great are his promifes.'' as you 
 P p 2 will 
 
300 Mr A." Wel wood's Letter 
 
 will find in fcripture: they are all comprehended 
 in this, ^The Lord is a fun and fhield, he will 
 ^ give grace and glory: and no good thing will he 
 
 * with-hold from thern that love him, and walk 
 
 * uprightly.' Truft all to him; for whether Ihould 
 you, or he, tutor yourfelf ? Which of you is 
 wifeft? Call all upon him, to the Icaft bit of 
 bread; and ye fhall find great eafe; They are 
 miferable, who muft care for themfelves, andi 
 what concerns them, and have not a God to run - 
 to, on whom they may lay themfelves and all 
 their burdens. O learn to truft in God for all j 
 things, temporal and eternal: it is an hid myilery ] 
 to many faints, in many things, efpecialiy, to \ 
 truft againft fenfe, to hope againft hope; when ■ 
 there is no human probability, to rely upon the ' 
 bare word of him who is true, is a difficulty; 
 where his providence ieems to contradi(^ his pro^ \ 
 jnifes, or to make his promife a liar. But will you \ 
 truft him for heaven, and not for a moment of i 
 time? think you that he will with-hold journey- \ 
 bread, if you be a traveller to the higher Canaan .'* 
 It were a great abfurdity, to command any to go 
 a journey, and not to give what is neceftarv for it. ' 
 Go on to heaven, hold your face ftill thitherward, . 
 ^nd Chrift will ftill be fupplying all your wants: \ 
 indeed he will not fatisfy your, carnal difpofition, ; 
 nor give you more that a pilgrim needs; fo that 1 
 you Ihould forget the race fet before you, by be- \ 
 ing intangled with a number of fuperfluities. I \ 
 would fay more, if breath and ftrength would ; 
 permit: you know not what a world you are in ; \ 
 it is full of fnares and difficulties. You will find i 
 it hard to keep clean garments, unlefs you commit \ 
 yourlelf unto him, who can carry you, as with \ 
 eagles wings; and ftrengthen and fupport you, | 
 
 when i 
 
To his Sister. 301 
 
 when you are ready to fall. Tho' you fhould be 
 the precifeft of all round about you, you will find 
 all little enough when you come to death: O death 
 is a weighty bufinefs! You have fcarce time to 
 prepare for it: all our time is little enough for 
 preparation; though we fhould deny ourfelves 
 our indifferent earthly exercifes. What need have 
 we then to beware of paffing our time vainly? 
 Every moment of it, is precious, as having a re- 
 lation to eternity. O eternity! eternity! get fome 
 fight of it, and your thoughts will be wonderfully 
 changed: for I tell you, could you get a glimpfe 
 of that maffy thing, called eternity, all the things 
 in time would be no more in your eyes, than a 
 childifh toy, in the eyes of a man. Even the world 
 decked in its belt robes, feem fuch a poor thing 
 to me, that I would not be at the pains to ftretch 
 out my^ hand, if I had it for the taking up j and 
 fuch will it feem ere long to many. Worldlings 
 are but beads; and the richeft and mod flourifii- 
 ing of them, could you fee them with my eyes, 
 are but mean dunghill-worms ; their meditations 
 cannot flee over time. Then look upon the world, 
 as mad, they know not what they are doing; they 
 value only time, and yet they know not how to 
 get it pafied away. Be a great reader of the fcrip- 
 tures; for there you will find inftruO:ion, to make 
 you wife to falvation; and thereby you may guide 
 your fteps warily, in an evil time; there you fliall 
 find threatenings to roufe you up; and promifes 
 to comfort and fuftain you in the faddeii of con- 
 ditions. Reverence the ordinances adminiftered 
 by faithful pallors; for they are the ambaffadors 
 of the Lord, our King: but abhor falfe prophets, 
 which lead men into deflruclion. Alas! that there 
 fhould be any of Chrifl's fervants, who give an ill 
 
 example 
 
302 Mr A. Wel wood's Letter 
 
 example tothefe that are fimple, counfelling them, 
 by their praiftice, to follow thieves and robbers ; 
 whofe voice Chrift's fheep will not hear. Set, at 
 leait, three times a day apart for prayer; for when 
 we negledl that, our hearts arc cold all the day 
 long; and then we are eafily enfnared with any 
 temptation we meet with. Sometimes meditate, 
 and confider yourfelf and others; that fo you may 
 not go on in your journey, like the world, who 
 never ponder their way, but are led to deftru61:ion 
 by their earthly defires, rufhing into it, as horfes 
 to the battle. What have you to do here but to 
 mind falvation ? Confider this; for death will ftrip 
 you naked of ail earthly things; but choofe the 
 
 * one thing needful, that fhali never be taken a- 
 ' way.* Remember then, that all things here are 
 fubordinate to falvation: our time is fhort and 
 imcertain, we flee away. Death will be upon you 
 ere yoh be aware; it furprifeth alike all ages, 
 young and old: choofe you, whether you will have 
 death fweet or bitter. For my part, I fear not 
 death; my Lord hath faid to me, ^Son, be of 
 
 * good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee.' O who 
 would not go hence! if it were but to fland at 
 one of the gates of the golden city, and fee the 
 Lord, with all the ranfomed ones, the noble com- 
 pany of priefts and kings, ftanding round about 
 the Lamb, crowned with honour and glory? One 
 hour of heaven, yea, one fight of the face of thei^n- 
 cient of days, would do, more than make up for 
 all the bitter affliftions I havefwimmed through in 
 time: nay, I think the very forethoughts of glory, do 
 already fwallow up all the impreffions of the tri- 
 bulations of time that have feized on me: they 
 are nothing now; they are gone, and fhall never 
 return again; yea, they are as if they hat^not been. 
 
 This 
 
To his Sister. 3^ 
 
 This {hall be matter of high praifes, through an. 
 endlefs eternity, for evermore. O vaft eternity! 
 but O filly time ! no wonder that Paul faid, * We 
 
 < look not at the things that are feen, but at the 
 
 < things that are not feen; for the things that are 
 « are feen, are temporal, but the things that are 
 « not feen, are eternal;' the things that are feen, 
 were not from eternity, neither fhall they be to 
 eternity. O then overlook them: clofe your eyes, 
 as it \vere, upon them, and you fhall fee ftrange 
 fights, which will make your courfe to glory, 
 fwift and cheerful. O what think you of Chrift ? 
 Is there any like unto him? is there any but he? 
 If you have him, you have all things: his worth 
 cannot be told. What think you of it, to be faved 
 from everlafting burnings? What think you of it, 
 that fmful wretched we, fhould be as happy as 
 can be? even eternally and inconceivably happy! 
 and 'all this purchafed by the death and blo©d of 
 our kindeft Lord Jefus?' O who would not love 
 fuch an one ? Surely, it is impoflible to know him 
 aright, and not to love him; he is the ravifhment 
 of men and angels. Uncreated glory fhines 
 through the vail of his human nature; we cannot 
 enjoy God more fweetly, familiarly, and fully, 
 than through him: he is the bleffed Day's-man 
 betwixt God and man; the man Chrift Jefus; 
 I wifti I could declare him evermore ; but my laft 
 words, tho' they were fewer, may have a ftrong 
 jmprefTion upon you: run faft, lofe not the crown; 
 heaven is well worth an inch of time's running. 
 Crofs corrupt nature's difpofition; as you fow, fo 
 fliall you reap; and confider, that death will teach 
 you, that all that you do is fruitlefs, which tends 
 not to the great falvation : all other mercies are 
 not worth, in comparifon of this great falvation; 
 
 and 
 
304 Mr A. Welwood's Letter 
 
 and a ihort time will fpend them all: but this fliall 
 endure for evermore. O but the news of heaven, 
 fuch a fweet heaven to weary pilgrims, fuch a 
 raviihing paradife, to thefe that are in this fmoky 
 dunghill are agreeable j I fay, they are the great- 
 eft news that can be ! and this whifpered in your 
 ears, * Run, for you fhall have the crown,' is a- 
 nother kind of news, than Run, and you fhall have 
 riches, honour, and pieafures. Blefs him at all 
 times, who hath difpofed your lot fo, that thefe 
 only great, things have taken you by the heart. 
 Be not weary in well doing; for <in due time you 
 * (hall reap, if you faint not ;' and we (hall fee 
 one another fliortly, in the midft of fuch joys, as 
 the tongues of men and angels cannot in the leaft 
 exprefs; therefore you have no caufe of fadnefs, 
 but of rejoicing, that you have another friend 
 gone before you, who will welcome you fliortly 
 into the joy of your Lord. Grace be with you. 
 Account it all one, as if I had fpoken all this to 
 you face to face. Thefe are the words of. 
 
 Tour dying brother^ 
 
 A, Wel-mcod. 
 
 IV. A Letter to his Coufm Thomas We l w o o p 
 
 My Dear Coujin, 
 
 THO' I be almoft amidft death's pangs, i 
 cannot forget you, becaufe of the fweet 
 friendfhip we have had together; and becaufe you 
 are ^I am perfuaded) one of the heirs of glory, and 
 among thofe who wreftle through manifold tempt- 
 ations, unto the land of eternal confolations. O 
 
 that 
 
To his Cousin. . jo^ 
 
 that I could tell you what my Lord hath done for 
 me unto this very hour; and much more fince I 
 came hither, than in many foregoing years. I think 
 if I had time, I could fill a whole volume with 
 wonderful experiences of his loving-kindnefs, 
 ftrange providences, and fweet chaftlfements; fo 
 that an half year may be better than an hundred. 
 It is not the length of time we are to look to ; we 
 have a race to run to heaven, and when we have 
 finiflied it, we have done. Oh Coufin, even a faint 
 may live long, and make very fmall progrefs to 
 glory; yea, many go backward!; and it were bet- 
 ter for them, if they died ere that be, before they 
 diflionoured God by their backfliding carriage ; 
 therefore run faft, 'Look to the joy that is fet be- 
 
 * fore you,'andpaitently endure all the temptations 
 and troubles in time, for your Lord hath promifed, 
 that * he will never leave you, nor forfake you ; 
 
 * and none ihall be abl? to pluck you out of his 
 
 * hand.' Indeed you may have fore trials, both 
 outward and inward; but 'be of good courage, 
 
 * and he fhall ftrengthen your heart;' for you arc 
 not to bear your own burden, but to caft it fully 
 over upon him. And I promife you, in my Lord's 
 name, that you (hall be fuftained: he is our 
 ftrength, our wifdom, our righteoufnefs, and our 
 all; even all that we want, all that we can de- 
 fire. Never regard a long or a fhort life; but 
 live to die, and then you die to live eternally : O 
 think much upon etrrnity, and you fhall think 
 nothing of time. Alas, alas! the things of time 
 fill our eyes fo, that we never regard eternity; 
 yet time will be at a clofe ere ever we be aware. 
 I have fomewhat the advantage of you, in getting 
 the fore-ftart : but we fhall be together perpetual- 
 ly jufl now, and we fhall have another manner 
 
 Q q •« 
 
2o6 Mr A. WELwooiy*s Letter 
 
 of converfe, than poffibly we could have had on 
 earth. In heaven they are not confined, to mo- 
 ments, days, and years; we fhali have eternity 
 to rejoice and to be glad in. O what a life fhall 
 >ve have, when you and I fhall ' follow the Lamb 
 whitherfoever he goes!' when we fhall have fm, 
 temptations, and miferies done away! We know 
 not the excellency of our invaluable inheritance ; 
 and therefore we are fo much taken up with earth- 
 ly trifles, and (hadows, which are nothing-, which 
 bewitch all the worldlings out of their wits, and 
 the faints too, in a great meafure; it were more 
 wifdom in us, to ufe the world as not abufing it, 
 as not fctting our hearts upon it. Beware of the 
 cares of the world, and of the deceitfulnefs of 
 riches, wherewith you may be entangled, in your 
 prefent Condition; if you take not heed, your 
 courfe to glory will be the more flow, and you 
 will drive your chariot-wheels heavily up to the 
 higher city; yea, the thick clay will make them 
 come back upon you. O confider how great a 
 bufinefs falvation is! we can never coiifider it 
 enough. You will think fo, when you come to 
 death, which you ought to look upon as at the 
 door. 
 
 I fpeak not thefe things, as if you knew them 
 iiot already; but I put you in remembrance, de- 
 firing to communicate a little of my mind to you, 
 now when I am at the brink of time; becaufe 
 Providence hath fo ordered it, that I cannot fpeak 
 face to face thefe things, which are the true and 
 genuine thoughts of my heart. . Beware of the 
 pollutions of the times; it is comfortable to me 
 that I had little or nothing to do, as to outward 
 things, with this horrid, curfed defe^ion. Hate 
 the garments fpotted with the flefhc clean gar- 
 ments 
 
Te his Cousin. 307 
 
 ments are of great worth; and thefe few, in thi* 
 woful time, that have kept their garments clean, 
 
 * fhall walk with our Lord in white; for they are 
 
 * worthy.* To keep clean garments, that is, to 
 be pious alone; pious in your family, in your 
 worfhip ; pious in your worldly employments, full 
 ©f charity, defpifing the world; walking wifely 
 towards thefe that are without, and towards thefe 
 that are within. And as to the times, let your 
 zeal be wife, and your wifdom zealous- You may 
 believe a dying man, I am fully perfuaded that 
 this Prelacy is abominable Antichriftianifm; that 
 the prelates and curates are the minifters, not of 
 Chrifl, but of Antichrift and Satan ; and that it 
 is utterly unlawful to hear them, or do any thing 
 which may fhew that you efteem them minifters, 
 or in any way ftrengthen their hands. O the 
 dreadful wrath which is hanging over thefe lands 
 like a cloud, and which will fall down in a deluge 
 of divine vengeance. God will niake this land to 
 fwim in blood; even the blood of all forts, great 
 and fmall, rich and poor, old and young, Ihall be 
 poured out, like water; he will be a ftrange man, 
 that Ihall happily efcape fuch a confumption. I 
 will not fpeak much of the matter, but I fee fear-- 
 ful things coming. But, O the glorious days fucr 
 ceeding thefe! I cannot apprehend the glory that 
 (hall (hine in Britain, which fhall lighten to the 
 ends of the earth. I fear not death; it is fin only 
 that we ought to fear; the fting of death is fin; 
 that being taken away, it is moft harmlefs. It is 
 fweet to die in Chrift ! O what an exchange do I 
 make ! I fhall fee him, and that glorious company 
 of faints and angels, ^following him whitherfoe^ 
 ver he goes ;* the firft hour of glory fhall, in a man- 
 tier, make me forget that ever I was upon ^arth. 
 
 Q q 2 My 
 
3o8 Mr A. Wel wood's Letter 
 
 My affliftions have been greater than the fpe<n:a- 
 tors could imagine; and (till will be greater, and 
 greater, until I arrive at the haven of eternal 
 reft. O it is fweet! O it is fweet! after a great 
 toil and labour. My Lord is taking me in the 
 fitteft time; for both body and foul are very weary 
 and fore tofled; but this body fliall get a found 
 fleep, and a ravifhing wakening. O the great 
 difference betwixt what it is now, and what it 
 iliall be {hortly! who can conceive what Chrift 
 hath done for the faints? O the depth of free, 
 altogether free love and grace! it fhail take up 
 eternity, to extol the inconceivable love of Jeho- 
 vah and the Lamb. O to think that bits of clay, 
 (inful clay, like you and me, {hould be conform- 
 ed unto the image of our only Lord Jefus ! that 
 is a wonderful exaltation! wonderful in the eyes 
 of all thefe that fee their own emptinefs and vile- 
 nefs» O admire ! O praife ! O adore ! let thefe 
 things be ilill imprinted on your heart ; all other 
 things are but trifles. "Look upon the world, as 
 a number of mad bodies : they are beads, whofe 
 conceptions are confined within ah inchof tim.e; 
 they are poor fpirits, who gape after earth's riches, 
 honours^ and pleafures. If the w^orld knew what 
 they were doing, they would wonder at them- 
 fclves; at leaft, they would begin to queftion, 
 whether their life on earth was real, or only emp- 
 ty, and a night-dream. O fwch a fight as I have 
 gotten of the world! O it is but vain, vanity of 
 Vanities: the flower and choice of it is curfed, and 
 altogether vanity. O if I could tell you of the 
 nothingnefs of the world, and of things tempo- 
 ral; and of the malfinefs of things eternal ! com- 
 pare them together, and you will wonder at the 
 difference! The mod part of profefTors (among 
 
 whont 
 
To his l^isTES. 309 
 
 whom I put myfelf) take an eafy way to heaven; 
 and O where will you find the man or woman, 
 that ftudies a clofe walk with God ? It is recorded 
 of Enoch, that he walked with God three hundred 
 years: but who can fay, he hath walked with God 
 one day? We lofe God in the midft of our world- 
 ly employments, and cannot fay, * We have fet 
 
 * the Lord always before us -,* therefore we can- 
 not fay. We fliall not be moved. We approach 
 to him, in the morning, evening, aad at other 
 times; but we negle6t our thoughts: whereas to 
 live full of holy, divine thoughts, is to live a faint: 
 as the man is, fo are his thoughts. Alas ! I may 
 fay it by fad experience, thoughts unwatched o- 
 ver have made me, many a time, not to differ much 
 from a worldling. Keep .your thoughts right, and 
 all (hall be right; *Keep thine heart with all dili- 
 
 * gence, (faith the Spirit of God,) for out of it 
 
 * are the iiTues of life/ If your thoughts be right, 
 your prayers will be feafonable, your words and 
 adlions will be feafonable; *for out of the abund- 
 
 * ance of the heart, the mouth fpeaketh,' and the 
 hand afteth. Commit all your affairs, temporal, 
 fpiritual, and eternal, wholly to your heavenly 
 Father, without the Icafl refervation: *he cares 
 
 * for you ; therefore be careful for nothing, but 
 
 * in every thing give thanks.' Run, run with 
 
 * patience the race that is fet before you: laying 
 
 * afide every weight,' that may bear you down: 
 entangle not yourfelf with the world, have as little 
 to do with it as you can: 'The righteous fhall 
 
 * fcarcely be faved;' they who gamofl uprightly, 
 (hail find hard enough work; we are fo full of 
 corruptions original and aiflual, that holinefs is 
 quite contrary to our corrupt natures; I mean 
 frot the common holinefs, which even thofe that 
 
 are 
 
jio Mr A. "Wel wood's Letter 
 
 are ftri6t are thought to have ; but that which our 
 Lord commands; *He that loveth father or mo- 
 
 * ther, filler or brother, or the world or himfelf, 
 
 * better than me, is not worthy of me.* O it is 
 an unknown thing, to *deny ail, to take up their 
 ^ crofs daily, and follow Chrift.' I had a great 
 defire to preach Chrift; but he will accept the 
 will for the deed : I go to better exercifc, where- 
 of one hour is better than all the preachings be- 
 twixt this and Chrift's fecond coming, compen- 
 dized into one. All here are but fhadows; all 
 above is fubftance. O what elevated divines are 
 above ! they are all filled with all the fulnefs of 
 God ; and do preach and extol the tranfcendent 
 excellencies of Jehovah and the Lamb: there 
 is a perpetual extolling of Chrift. In Canticles, 
 he can never enough fpeak of his fpoufe; above, 
 his fpoufe can never enough fpeak of him. There 
 all are ravifhed with the Antient of days I Who, 
 but the Antient of days ? who, but Chrift ? who, 
 but the faints? Then, let never earth and hea- 
 ven be compared together; for I tell you, earth 
 is but a tormenting hell, in comparifon of that 
 unfpeakable delightful, and altogether raviftiing 
 land, unto which unworthy, but happy I am go- 
 ing. O methinks I am touching the fkirts of the 
 fragrant breathings of the mountains of fpicesj 
 and O how muft I be ravifhed, when I fhall draw 
 in no other air, but the breathings of the higher 
 paradife? They have the ^dvantag^, that get the 
 fore-ftart to heaven, and fee the face of Jeho- 
 vah firft; as being more antient poffeiTors of 
 that excellent inheritance. Why fhould any be a- 
 fraid to go to heaven too foon? Why fhould any 
 be afraid he be too foon happy? Let worldlings 
 defire to crawl long^.upon their dunghills : but let 
 
 us 
 
To Mr Davidson. 311 
 
 HS ev€r be longing 'to be diflblvedj and to be with 
 ' our Lord^ which is beft of all.* I commit you, 
 your mother-in-law, your wife and children, to 
 the prote<fl:ion of the Almighty, and pray for tem- 
 poral, and eternal bleflings to be poured out upon 
 you. Thefe are the words of. 
 
 Your dying coufm, 
 
 A. Welwood. 
 
 V. A Letter to Mr Davidson. 
 
 Right Reverend, 
 
 THO' I be ftepping into eternity, and was 
 thought to have been juft entering into it 
 about half an hour ago, I could not but remem- 
 ber you, and diftate a little of my mind unto you : 
 not that I intended to write any inftruftions untO' 
 you, but only to fhew, that God is good to them 
 who feek him; and that in his providence, his 
 prOmifes are all accomplifhed, to the full, to me. 
 I cannot tell what he hath done for my foul; but 
 I think he hath brought me to the end of my days, 
 to the end of my race, by fuch a wonderful chain 
 of divine providence, that I would not for ten 
 thoufand worlds that he had brought me any 
 other way; or, that my race had been either 
 longer, or fliorter. He liveth long enough, who 
 liveth till he obtain heaven : all other things are 
 but pendicles. He liveth a fhort while who is 
 imprepared for it, of whatfoever age he be: there- 
 fore my death needs not offend any man; for, 
 what can I g^t more than the 'kingdom immove- 
 • able, undefiled, and that fadeth not away?' I 
 de'iired to live for no other end, but to preach 
 my Laifd to the great congregation; and think you 
 
 not 
 
312 Mr A. Wel wood's Letter 
 
 not that he will accept the will for the deed? I 
 dedicated my life to his fervicej and I hope he 
 will gracioully take it off my hand, as if I had 
 done him many years fervice. And I muft tell 
 you, he hath many wonderful ways of bringing 
 his children unto glory : I could tell you of it by 
 fweet experience, if my weaknefs and breath 
 would permit. I would not, for all the glory, 
 riches, and pleafures of a vain world, that my lot 
 had been another than my Lord hath appointed 
 it; yea, my laft half-year's providence hath been 
 a golden chain, which neither I, men, nor angels 
 can fufficiently value. Would you know what I 
 think now of heaven ? Tho' I were out of this 
 ftate of mortality, I could never think enough of 
 it. O! O! O! the joy of being with Jehovah 
 and the Lamb! O! the ' excellency of the know- 
 
 * ledge of Chrift Jefus,* even on this fide of time ! 
 but to fee him as he is, O who can tell what a 
 frght it is ? Even thefe who fee him face to face, 
 fee as it were the fkirts of his beauty and excel- 
 lency : and let them pry ftill deeper and deeper, 
 till eternity, as it were, be at an end, they (hall 
 ftill be but beginning; and yet never well begun. 
 To (hew the great love and refpe£l I have ever 
 had for yoa, both formerly and now, I write un- 
 to you, even when the dead-rittle is in ray throat: 
 and tho' I be in a great agony, I find the way to 
 heaven, even that new and living way, is only by 
 the bJood of the Son of God: there is no other 
 way, but, to Believe in Chrift, and be faved. But 
 it is a lively, purifying, laving, and believing way. 
 J cannot fay much, I am in death's pangs. But, 
 
 * O death ! where is thy fting ? O grave i where 
 
 * is thy victory?' I am likely to have a iharp 
 combat; but, I hope^ Chrift will not be an indif- 
 ferent 
 
To Mr Davidson. 313 ■ 
 
 ferent fpefl:ator. The end crowns the work. And \ 
 if once I were within Emmanuers furpafling fweet 
 land of conqueft, then I fhould trample death and 
 
 hell under foot, and triumph over all the miferies ] 
 
 and aiBi£lions of time, which feemed to triumph ■ 
 
 over me. O death, what art thou in mine eyes I I 
 
 my Lord hath fw'allowed thee up invi£lory: and j 
 can a free-born fon, and conqueror^ through the 
 
 blood of the everlafting covenant, be afraid of ar i 
 
 conquered flave ? Rev. xiv. 13. Hell, fi,n, devil, \ 
 
 and death, are conquered flaves. I reft, ] 
 
 Dear Sir, ^ 
 
 i 
 Yours, 
 
 A, Welwoqd; 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 R r 
 
i 
 314 A N I N D E X. ; 
 
 'TT^ H E prelude introdu6lory Page 1 7 1 
 
 1 Some JeStions exciting to this divine Jiudy i 
 Se(^. 7. Necejfity of fe eking ever lofting life 20 i 
 j8. Negledl of glory proves us carnal ib, 
 
 9. Students of glory overlook time 22 ' 
 
 I o. Theftudy of glory is very alluring ib. \ 
 
 1 1. Creatures are ejteemed by their knowledge 23 '' 
 \2, A clear view of glory excites to duty 24 \ 
 
 13. The more wejiudy heaven, the fitter for it 25 j 
 
 14. Right apprehenfions of glory are pojfeffwn in \ 
 
 part ib, . 
 
 15. Heaven is the place of all excellency y <bc, 16 \ 
 
 16. Our minds fhould be wholly there, 6fc. 27 j 
 
 17. As is our knowledge, fo our aHivity, <bc, ib, ' 
 
 18. A^ we know, and affect, fo we are, <bc, ib, { 
 
 19. A flight view of glory, infufUcient , <bc. 28 i 
 
 20. Scripture difcovers things beyond time 30' 
 
 21. Supernatural glory not to be naturally con- ; 
 
 ftdered 31 
 
 22. All creatures fome way capable of elevation 32 
 
 23. Grace, the fore-runner, leads to glory, <bc. ib,' 
 24» Saints get difcoveries called glimpfes of glory 33 
 
 25. All things invite to this rare ftudy, <bc, 34! 
 
 26. Knowledge is from above, and to be afked, <bc. 3 5 : 
 An invitation in heroic verfe 36; 
 A gofpel difcovery of EmmanuePs land 37^ 
 
 SecTl:. I. and 2. Invocation and admiration, <bc. \ 
 
 3. The foul to be elevated in heavenly meditation 38] 
 
 4. Glory more to he admired than underfood ib,' 
 
 5. We call but conceive childifhly of glory 39- 
 
 6. Higher conceptions of glory attainable 42 
 
 7. Chrifl, the defre of all, fully manifefled, 6^. 441 
 
 8. No manifefiation ofGodfofuljas throughChriJi 45' 
 p. One fight of Chrift is ravifhing to all 46' 
 
 10. All enjoyment s'nothing, till we fee him ib,\ 
 
 1 1 . The foul not happy till it refi in his love 47 , 
 
 ^ 12. The}, 
 
A N I N D E X. 315 
 
 12. ^he inter eft of Chrift and his chofen mutual ib. 
 
 13. The glorified look on timer's things as childijh 49 
 
 14. They ever commemorate Chrift' s excellencies ih. 
 ic.To be beftde Chrift inconceivable dignity 53 
 
 16. The glorified' s nearnefs to God aftonift^ing 55 
 
 17. No knowledge to the evidence of glory 56 
 
 18. To behold the Lord's glory is a dignity ib> 
 
 19. Eis manifeftationsy and the manner thereof 
 
 ivonderful 57 
 
 20. The change Chrift underwent, a ravifbing^ 
 
 confideration ^^• 
 
 21. Cod manifeftedin thefiefh, a lafting myftery 59 
 
 22. Wonderful that God exalts man's nature by ftn 60 
 
 23. The relation betwixt God and us amazing 63 
 
 24. The glorified admire God manifefted, be, 64 
 
 25. They only capable to underft and glory 65 
 
 26. Thefubjtftance of the divine perfons a myftery 67 
 
 27. Oceans of joy overflow Emmanuel's land 72 
 
 28. This land of joy is filled vnth dyvours 75 
 
 29. The glorified refleH on the way to the kingdom 7(7 
 
 30. Familiar fellowfhip betwixt Chrift and his 78 
 ,31. Fiftble things imperfe^ly reprefent inviftbk 8£ 
 
 32. Jll excellency augmented in glory ^ he, 82 
 
 33. A^o manifeftation of God, to that in glory, <bc. 84 
 
 34. Saints in glory conformed to Chrift 8<S 
 
 35. Full enjoyment of God is complete bleffednefs 88 
 
 36. Chrift ever his people's king,prieft, and prophet 90 
 
 37. Aftonifhing that God fhould look on creatures 93 
 
 38. Earth and heaven quite oppoftte things ib, 
 
 39. Onlyfongs to Jehovah and the Lamb in glory 96 
 40.. The faints happinefs fuper abundant 99 
 41 . All divine attributes add to their bleffednefs 102 
 42'. That, we are wholly Chrift' s is our happinefs 105" 
 
 43. God manifeftedin eternity moft, <bc, ^ 108 
 
 44. All the prfmifes fully accomplifhedin eternity 1 1 5 
 45* God' s attributes allfeenindamningthewickedi 19 
 
 R r 2 46' S^^"^^' 
 
^iS An I n t) e X. 
 
 4(5. Sovereignty thefirft mover of all things 1 24 
 
 47. y^ '«;or/^ of redeeming grace moji excellent 127 
 
 48. The work offalvation moft admirable I34 
 
 49. C'z/r bleffednefs an eternal a6l^ <bc, 137 
 
 50. The full enjoyment of God in nearnefs^ <bc, 146 
 ^i*The life of glory the only excellent life 149 
 
 52. iVo need of creatures in heaven,Jehovah is all 1^1 
 
 53. 6'/(3ry fj ^w eternally blooming thing 154 
 
 54. Emmanuel* s land is of free grace, <bc, 1 57 
 
 55. All things are fully difcovered in glory, 6c. 168 
 
 56. Fellowfhip of men and angels, a pendicle of 
 
 5 7 . The faints eternally acquitted, andjilled 6-^:. 1 7 2 
 
 58. Reprobates are judged, condemned, andter- 
 
 rified 1^8 
 
 59. The creatures fhare in the joy of that day 187 
 
 60. All things are renewed and glorified, <bc, 189 
 <5i. Triumphing over the -wicked, part of faints 
 
 62. Refleaions on the power of faith, 6"f. 209 
 
 63. The reality of all things in heaven 216 
 
 64. A frowning time, the prelude to eternity 220 
 
 65. Glory totally changeth all the faculties, 6 c. 221 
 
 66. Heaven t he fw e et er t he mor e danger sefc aped ii^ 
 
 67. The inhabitant fhall not fay, I amfick 225 
 
 68. Grace an excellent prelude to glory, 6c. 227 
 
 69. Praifes to Godfor fulfilling his premife,6c. 231 
 
 The conclufton in fever al feBions 237 
 
 Sed. I. *Sz/<:^ />6m^j to be written of with fear ib. 
 
 2. A faint fhould be heavenly minded 238 
 
 3. Earthly-minded perfons to be convinced, 6c. 239 
 
 4. Tranfient thoughts of glory infignificant 240 
 
 5 . Invitation to changeearthlyf or heavenly things2^ I 
 
 6. -fi^o/)^ of glory difpels allforrow 242- 
 
 7. Earth-worms have no place in heaven 243 
 
 8. Chriji, the pur chafer ofheaveuy to be praifed 2j\ji^ 
 
 9. i?^/i- 
 
A N In i) E x. 317 
 
 m. Religion an hidden myflery to -worldlings 245 
 
 10. Saints only know the myjleries of godiinefs 247 
 
 11. rhefadftate of -worldlings^ the excellency 
 
 ofholinefs. <bc, , 248 
 
 Jfoiihquy to God; in the form of prayer 267 
 A fpiritualfong of the dyin^ faint 277 
 
 1. The Author's letter to his mother 284 
 
 2. A letter to his brother 290 
 
 3. A letter to his fifter Helen 295 
 
 4. A letter to his coufin Thomas IVel-wood 304 
 
 5. A letter to Mr Davidfon minifter 3 ^ * 
 
SUBSCRIBERS NAMES 
 
 GEORGE BOWIE, Merchant, Kilmarnock. 
 Matthew Barr, Do. there 
 George Fergufon, do. there 
 Robert Wallace, do. there 
 Daniel M'Kachin, Shoe-Maker there 
 Alexander Wallace, Collier there 
 James Parker Farmer Barleith, Riccarton Parifh. 
 Andrew Howat, Wright Noufebank. 
 Jean Mitchell in Gree, Fenwick Parifh. 
 David Dunlop Farmer there . 
 
 Robert Tannahill, Farmer, Aitkenhead i 
 
 John Gemmel, Weaver in Fenwick j 
 
 William Hodge do. there ' 
 
 Andrew Fulton, Shoe-Maker there ; 
 
 William Walker, Weaver there ! 
 
 William Fulton, Shoe-Maker there i 
 
 Hugh Gemmel do. there 
 Matthew Muir do. there 
 
 Thomas Gemmel do. there i 
 
 John Tannahill, Wright there ,j 
 
 Thomas Barr, Merchant there 
 John Anderfon, Smith there j 
 
 James Brown, Farmer, Moorgate 1 
 
 Hugh Steel, Farmer, Clunch j 
 
 Andrew Wylie, refidenter in Collorey , 
 
 Robert Rodger, Farmer, Whitecraig, Dalray 
 
 Parifh. 
 Thomas Gregg do. Muclemire ^ 
 
 David Muir, Flax-drefTer, Linn 
 George Boyle of Blackfycke 
 
 Robert Brown, Farmer, Linn ^ 
 
 Robert Montgomery, Shoe-Maker, Kilburnie \ 
 
 Charles White of Woodfidcj Kilwinning Parifh, 
 Alexander White of Woodfide, ; 
 
( 3^9 ) 
 John S te wart, Farmer,Over to wn,Tarbolton ParifH 
 William Reicl do. Auchinweet 
 William Reid Mafon there 
 William Lambie Farmer, Knowhead> Galfto||? 
 
 Parifti. 
 Robert Connol, Smith, Liffnock 
 John Wallace, Cairnhill Mill, Craigie Parifh 
 James Larmont, inn-keeper, Kilmarnock. 
 Jofiah Shields there 
 James Foulds there 
 John Anderfon, Merchant thexe 
 George Nimoe there 
 John Kennedy there 
 James Fairbarn, Weaver there 
 Thomas Ruflell, Preacher of the Gofpel. 
 James Steven, Student of Divinity, there 
 John Graham, Shoe-Maker there 
 William Breakenridge, Weaver there 
 David Murdoch, Wright there. 
 James Taylor, Shoe-maker there 
 William Adam, Bonnet-maker there 
 ' William Brown, Copper-fmith there 
 John Dickie, Weaver there 
 John Richmond, Shoe-maker there 
 Robert Fergufon, Merchant there 
 John Dunlop, Shoe-maker there 
 William Brown there 
 Robert Marchal there 
 Thomas Brown, Smith, Nethertonholm 
 David Wright, Weaver 
 Robert Stewart, Carter 
 James Lindfy, farmer, Riccartoa 
 
 In Saltcoats. 
 Robert Steel, (hip builder 
 John Carfwell do. 
 John Johnfton, fhipmafter 
 John Taylor, failor 
 
( 320 ) 
 
 William Brien do. 
 Allan Stevenfon, fhipmafter 
 John Ritchie do. 
 fHugh Brown do. 
 Robert Hunter 
 Elizabeth Mitchell 
 John Kinnier, fhipmafter 
 Archibald Henry do. 
 George Service do. 
 Sarah Crawford 
 John Baird, Weaver 
 Robert King, failor 
 John Body do. 
 John Davidfon, Carpenter 
 Alexander Dun do. 
 William Miller^ Weaver 
 JohnMqCellip do. 
 Andrew Coulter do, 
 Daniel Vickar, Wright 
 James Baillie, Taylor 
 Archibald Steel do. 
 Margaret, Cuthbextfon 
 Mary M'Millan 
 John Kelfo, Coalhewer 
 George Auld, Sailor 
 Robert Steel do. 
 James Rafide, Rop-maker 
 John Andrew do. 
 Duncan Kerr do. 
 Margaret Wilfoi^ 
 Ann M«Tyre 
 Widow Service 
 Robert Watt, Shoe-maker 
 Duncan Robertfon, Sailor 
 ^Robert Porter, Weaver 
 
 idam Kelfo do. 
 
 obert Thomfon, Cooper 
 
r -;■' 
 
 t^m^Ji 
 
'H'-