so many trophies and monuments of thy transcendent power, in its high victory? Much of thine excellence was to be seen in thy kingdom of nature; much more in thy kingdom of grace; but most in this of glory: here shine forth thy infinite excellences, in their noonday splendour.

27. Nothing but ri

overflow Emmanuel's

land.

Oh joy inexpressible, and altovers, oceans of joy, gether glorious! Now, now I find to the full, by sweet, sweet experience, that "in thy presence there is fulness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore!" Psa. xvi. 11. In the days of my pilgrimage, thou didst put more joy and gladness into my heart, than in the time when worldly enjoyments abounded in worldlings, Psa. iv. 7. Then have I been so delighted with the glimpses of thy countenance, that earthly joys could take no place; so that I could not but imagine myself in heaven already; thinking that the vintage had come in place of the first-fruits. Now, oh now! I am in thy immediate presence. Thy sweetness, oh thy transporting sweetness! the floods, oceans, worlds of eternal rapturous delights treasured up at thy right hand, wherein I am entered and swim for ever and ever! Thy land, O Emmanuel, overflows with pleasures. Never, never did I know what joy was, until now. Now I feel, "light hath been sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart," Psa. xcvii. 11. Joy is come to its May-blooming vigour. Oh the rivers of pleasures, that sweetly run through all the faculties of the soul and body! Oh the full gales of the Spirit of consolation! am I not almost joy itself? are these the joys

that were

so much spoken and written of, on the other side of the water? Surely, earth's idiom has come wonderfully short! thy word was written to children, and therefore did express all in a manner suited to childish capacities; but nothing low and childish here! Oh massy, solid, substantial, enduring joys! oh sublime, high, vigorous frame ! none to the "joy of my Lord!" Heretofore I was sometimes filled with joy; but now I am entered into joy itself. I live and dwell in joy; nothing but joy for evermore! thou hast brought me into these glorious mansions of glory: how shall we for ever be glad, and rejoice in thee! "As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood," so art thou among the assembly of men and angels, Sol. Song ii. 3. Öh surpassing delights," in sitting under thy shadow!" the sweetness of thy fruits, the fragrancy of thy perfume, no tongue can express! those who come under the covert of thy wings never desire to remove from thence. Sirs, is not this a life of unmixed joy and sweetness, to sit under the boughs of this Tree of life? Is it not good to be here? Have not "the lines fallen unto us in pleasant places?" Have we not "a goodly heritage?" Psa. xvi. 6; and after such a world of woe and tribulation, to enter entirely into these superabundant joys! Oh sweet dispensation! first to be afflicted, and then comforted; to weep, and then to rejoice; to run, and then to rest! Oh high tide of overflowing joys! which has swallowed up all former griefs and sorrows. The first sight of thy countenance, O my God, made me, as it were, forget that ever I was on earth! this land has a sweet aspect: pain and sadness

should be converted here into joy and delight. Here is an eternal spring: "for the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land," Sol. Song ii. 11, 12. Now we have everlasting joys for sorrow, the oil of gladness for the spirit of heaviness. We exceedingly rejoice with Jerusalem, who have loved her; we delight ourselves with the abundance of her glory: for the Lord extendeth grace to her like a river. Our

he

eyes do see this, our hearts do rejoice. He has made us an everlasting excellency, a joy of many generations. "Sing, O heavens, for the Lord hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song, also is become my salvation: therefore with joy will I draw water out of the wells of salvation. Cry out, and shout, O ye inhabitants of the higher city; let your joys sound throughout the whole creation." O sirs, is not our lot far changed? Nothing on earth was heard amongst us, but the confused noise of warriors, the sighs and groans of men in an agony. Now the heaven of heavens are filled with the joyful melody of heroic conquerors: we sowed in tears for a moment, and now reap in joy for evermore! "Thou hast made us glad inconceivably above the days thou hadst afflicted us thou hast arisen, and thine enemies are scattered, and all thy haters are fled before thee as smoke is driven away before the wind, so are they evanished before thy terrible presence: but all the righteous are glad, and they

rejoice before thee; yea, they exceedingly rejoice," Psa. xc. 15; lxviii. 1-3.

is filled with undone

Glory, glory, glory to the Pur- 28. This land of joys chaser of this everlasting blessedness! debtors. let the crown flourish on his head throughout all ages. Oh my happiness, who shall ever praise thee! and was I elected before all ages, to be the everlasting beholder and extoller of thy infinite glory? Hadst thou such wonderful thoughts of love to me, when I was not? Were I in the place of my deserving, should I not be even now blaspheming thine all-glorious and exalted name? Oh thy free, free love! oh the unsearchable riches of thy grace! who didst choose abominable me, out of the base mass of mankind, to be a vessel of glory and honour, in the high hall of glory. Lord, what hast thou done? Oh wonderful bargain of the new covenant! oh the infinite depths of all wisdom, power, and excellency, to be seen in this great salvation! Oh the con

trivance! oh the carrying on! oh the top-stone thereof! Strange! how hast thou brought me hither? I see thy counsels cannot in the least be frustrated by all the power of creatures. When I was a wretched, lost creature, lying in my blood, and no eye pitying me; then didst thou, when passing by, cast a look of love on me, and said unto me, 66 Live" and that time became 66 a time of love," Ezek. xvi. 6, 8. Free love was the rule thou walkedst by; not my deservings, or willingness. Had I been left to my evil will, I should for ever have destroyed myself; but thou sweetly and connaturally, ere ever I was aware, didst seize heart and all from me; so that

my will could not but stoop to thy overcoming loveliness. When I was following after the monstrous imaginations of my evil heart, debauching my loves and joys on creature enjoyments, despising the only excellent things, then didst thou discover thy irresistible loveliness unto me; which bowed, transformed, and enamoured all the faculties of my soul; so that I could not but yield, most willingly yield: connaturally did the influences of thy Spirit work on the powers of my soul; so that I closed with thee on thine own terms, as freely as I had been absolute sovereign of myself; and yet as infallibly as if I had been no intellectual agent. Verily thou, thou alone, art the absolute Sovereign of all things. Oh thy wonderful way of working! who can trace thee in all thy proceedings?

to the kingdom, see

ceivable design of

29. The glorified, re- Oh piercing joys and sweetness, flecting on the way that ever I heartily and sincerely it to be an incon- received thee, on thy own terms! Divine wisdom. how well hast thou kept what I have committed unto thee, and presented it spotless and glorious before the Father! Now I behold all thy promises completely accomplished. Thou hast ever held me in thine hand, through all the dangerous wilderness I have overpassed: Thou hast guided me by thy counsel, and at last brought me to glory, Psa. lxxiii. 24. How has thy strength been seen in weakness! how many temptations have I overcome! how many crosses have I wrestled through! how many floods have I overpast! how many boisterous storms have I set my face against how have I escaped through all the assaults of the devil,