out of Paradise, and which still doth keep men out of heaven. Nothing doth hinder men's happiness here, nothing can deprive them of happiness in the other world, but this evil of evils, sin : hence, then, it will undeniably follow, that pardoned persons, who are delivered from sin, must needs be blessed, there being nothing which can procure their misery or prevent their blessedness, because in the forgiveness of sin their sin is removed with the evil consequences and effects thereof. "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm ciii. 12.)

REASON III. Such men must needs be blessed whose iniquities are forgiven, because they are taken into covenant with God; God is their God, and they are his people.-The promise of the new covenant, "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more," is coupled with the other promises, "I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jer. xxxi. 33, 34.) Wherever God fulfils the one promise, he doth fulfil the other too. God forgiveth iniquity to none, but at the same time he becometh their God, and brings them into the blessed relation of his covenant-people. They are blessed that have

the Lord for their God: "Happy is that people that is in such a case : yea, happy is that people whose God is the Lord." (Psalm cxliv. 15.) "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." (Psalm xxxiii. 12.) Such as are taken into covenant with God are blessed, because, 1. They are taken into God's favour. 2. They are taken into God's family. 3. They are under God's providence. 4. They have free access unto God in prayer. 5. They have communion with God in all his ordinances: and thus it is with all pardoned persons, and therefore they are blessed.

1. Pardoned persons, being taken into covenant, are taken into God's favour. Nothing doth hinder God's special favour but unpardoned sin, nothing but that which is the only object of his hatred, and cause of his displeasure; and this is nothing else but sin. Although God's love have many objects, yet his hatred hath but one, and that is sin. God hateth none of his creatures, as they are creatures, but as they are sinful. Never did any thing offend or displease God but sin; nothing else hath power to enkindle God's anger, and to blow it up into a flame, When God forgiveth sin, his hatred ceaseth, his anger is removed, and he receiveth them whom he pardoneth into the arms of his special love. God's favour is the peculiar privilege of God's pardoned people; "Remember me, O Lord, with the favour which thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation." (Psalm cvi. 4.) Therefore all pardoned persons being in God's favour, they are blessed because his favour is the fountain of blessedness: "In his favour is life." (Psalm xxx. 5.) Yea, "his loving-kindness is better than life." (Psalm lxiii. 3.) The favour of an earthly king is counted a great privilege, but the favour of the King of heaven is really a great blessedness. The God of heaven, who is so powerful, wise, faithful, good, merciful, hath a special favour and kindness for them, and doth love them with an incomparable, incomprehensible, unchangeable, and eternal love; therefore they must needs be the happiest people on the earth.

2. Pardoned persons, being in covenant, are taken into God's family.

-Being "reconciled by the cross of Christ, they 66 are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." (Eph. ii. 16, 19.) And being of God's household, they are God's children: "I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. vi. 18.) This is a privilege which rendereth all those, above all others, most blessed who partake of it: "To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John i. 12.) To them gave he power-The original word, Eovia, signifieth" right or privilege." It is the greatest privilege in the world to be numbered amongst God's children; hence it is that John, writing of it in his epistle, doth break forth into an exclamation of joy and wonder: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." (1 John iii. 1.) He seems to be in an ecstasy of joy at the greatness of this privilege, and the happiness of such as had attained it. If beggars were lifted up from the dunghill to be adopted children of the greatest prince upon the earth, it would not be so great an honour to them, as this honour and dignity which is conferred upon pardoned persons, in their being advanced into the number of the adopted children of the great Jehovah, the Lord of heaven and earth. And will any question whether they are blessed?

3. Pardoned persons, being in covenant, are under God's special providence. There is a general providence that doth attend all the children of men; but God's especial providence doth attend his own children, and his peculiar people, who are reconciled unto him by Jesus Christ. Such are under God's especial providence; "they dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm xci. 1.) God's name is their "strong tower, unto which they run and are safe." (Prov. xviii. 10.) God is frequently called their Rock, and Fortress, Buckler, Shield, and Deliverer; and hath made many promises unto them of defence and deliverance. They are under God's special provision. As a father provideth for his children, so God provideth for his people: He provideth for their bodies: when "the young lions lack, and suffer hunger, THEY shall not want any good thing." (Psalm xxxiv. 10.) He promiseth to feed them, and clothe them, and to " withhold no good thing from them :" and if they always have not as much in the world as they wish, they shall be sure to have as much as God seeth they do really need. But more especially he provideth, for their souls, the robes of his Son's righteousness to clothe them, sweet and precious promises to feed and nourish them, jewels of grace to enrich and adorn them, the guard of angels to attend them, Himself and his Son to be companions to them, the peace and joys of the Holy Ghost to cheer them, and to sweeten their passage through the valley of the world, and the dark entry of death. This is the privilege of pardoned persons; and surely then they are blessed.

4. Pardoned persons, being in covenant, have free access unto God in prayer." Through him we have access by one Spirit unto the Father." (Eph. ii. 18.) "In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." (Eph. iii. 12.) "Let us therefore come boldly to

the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. iv. 16.) Being pardoned and reconciled through Christ, they may with boldness and confidence come daily to the throne of grace, and there "by prayer and supplication make known their requests unto God;" and they shall be sure to have both acceptance and audience. God who hath given them a pardon, will deny them nothing that is really for their good. Having interest in Christ, who hath such interest in heaven, whatever they ask of the Father in his name, if it is according to his will, they may be assured, because Christ hath faithfully promised it, that he will do it for them. Surely then such persons are happy.

5. Pardoned persons, being in covenant, have communion with God in all his ordinances.-Not only in prayer, but hearing of the word, singing, and at the table of the Lord: when others rest in the outside of ordi

nances, they meet with God there. Sin being removed, which before made a separation, they now attain communion with God, and their hearts close with him as their Chief Good. There is nothing more sweet in the world than communion with God; hence David doth account those most happy that had the liberty of God's house and ordinances, where they did or might enjoy so great a privilege: "Blessed are they that dwell in thy house." (Psalm lxxxiv. 4.) And, Psalm lxv. 4: "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: he shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple." Such only are truly blessed that find satisfaction: it is not the enjoyment of creatures [which] will give this. But in the enjoyment of and communion with God in his ordinances, which is "the goodness of God's house," true satisfaction may be found; and therefore pardoned persons, who do attain this, are truly and the only blessed persons.

REASON IV. Such must needs be blessed whose iniquities are forgiven, because they are in a better state than Adam was in his first creation.—— None will deny, who read and believe the scriptures, that Adam was blessed before he sinned. There was no curse of the law upon man, until the law was broken by him; and as God made all other things good, so man, as he came out of God's hand, was made both good and happy.

The primitive blessedness of Adam consisted chiefly in two things: First. In the innocency which was in him. Secondly. In the image of God which was upon him; whereby he was capacitated for, and had a nearness of communion and fellowship with, God. In both respects pardoned persons are in a better estate than Adam.

First. In respect of innocency.-Although they cannot so properly be called "innocent" in themselves, doubtless they are not so innocent as Adam before his fall; yet, upon their pardon, they are guiltless, they are reputed innocent in the sight of God, and (however God may chastise them for sin here) they shall no more be punished for any sin in the other world, than if they had never offended, than if they had never committed any the least sin from their birth unto their death, but had been as white and clean, as pure and innocent, as the first Adam before his fall, or the second Adam who never fell. And herein their con

dition is better than that of Adam in innocency, because no guilt shall be charged upon them unto their condemnation; whereas Adam had no such security against condemnation; for afterwards he, falling into sin, would certainly have fallen into hell, had not pardoning mercy prevented it.

Secondly. In regard of the image of God, that is repaired in all those that are pardoned.-When God forgiveth their sin, he changeth their nature; and that faith which justifieth the person doth also "purify the heart." (Acts xv. 9.) Indeed, pardoned persons are renewed but in part; and the inherent righteousness and holiness, which they attain unto in this life, is but imperfect. Yet in this they are in a better condition than Adam was at first; because, although Adam's inherent righteousness were perfect, yet it was left to his own keeping, and he quickly lost it, and fell quite off from God, putting himself out of God's favour and out of covenant together; and there was no salvation attainable by him, until God had promised Christ, and made a new covenant of grace with him. But the inherent righteousness of pardoned persons, although it be far short, many degrees, of absolute perfection, yet it is committed to the keeping of Christ by the Spirit in them, who is both able and hath promised to bring it unto perfection: so that they shall never totally fall from grace, but grow-up from one degree of grace unto another, until they arrive unto heaven, where they shall be absolutely perfect both in holiness and happiness; and, in the mean time, they are accepted as complete and perfect in their Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose perfect righteousness is through faith imputed unto them, whereby the defects of their righteousness are supplied, and they adopted to eternal life. Pardoned persons are in a better state than Adam, therefore they are blessed.

REASON V. Such whose iniquities are forgiven are blessed because they shall be blessed.-The blessedness of pardoned persons is chiefly in hope of future blessedness, without which hope in some circumstance of time, they would be, as the apostle saith, "of all men most miserable; (1 Cor. xv. 19;) and therefore I shall chiefly speak of the future blessedness of the pardoned; and here, FIRST. Show what the future blessedness is which pardoned persons shall have. SECONDLY. Prove that pardoned persons shall most assuredly attain this blessedness. THIRDLY. Show how this future blessedness doth render them blessed at the present; and this will be a full proof that pardoned persons are blessed.

FIRST. The first thing is, to show what the future blessedness is which pardoned persons shall have.—And here I must premise that there is but little of this future blessedness revealed in comparison of what it really is, and what pardoned persons will find it to be. Ministers have preached and written much concerning it; but they have not told one half, no, nor the thousandth part of the glory and excellency thereof and it must be but little, then, that I have time or room to speak of it in this discourse. Yet something I must say; and it is no difficult thing to set it forth, by scripture-light and in a few words, as far exceeding all outward happiness and earthly felicity. The blessedness which pardoned persons shall have doth lie in three things: 1. In the blessed and glorious

place where they shall live. they shall converse withal. shall attain to.

2. In the blessed and glorious company which 3. In the blessed and glorious state which they

1. Pardoned persons shall live and take-up their eternal abode in a most blessed and glorious place." Here they have no continuing city, but they seek one to come." (Heb. xiii. 14.) The most strong and flourishing cities in the world may be demolished by the hands of men, or overthrown by earthquakes, or consumed and turned into ashes by the devouring flames of fire. But the city they shall dwell-in cannot be demolished, overthrown, or consumed; that city will abide and continue so long as God shall abide, the maker of it. They look for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Heb. xi. 10.) The foundations of this city are sure and strong, such as shall never be moved. The cities and houses they now dwell-in are made by man, and therefore are but mean; but the city they shall dwell-in is of God's building and making, and therefore is very glorious. It is "the New Jerusalem which they shall hereafter inhabit, "the Jerusalem which is above;" the walls and gates thereof are pearls, and "the streets thereof pure gold;" as it is described, Rev. xxi., at the latter end of that chapter. But the place is beyond all comparison, and doth exceed in glory whatever description may be made of it.

2. Pardoned persons shall have most blessed and glorious company to converse withal in heaven.

(1.) In heaven pardoned persons will have the company of all the saints.-There they will find all their godly friends and acquaintance, and that both such as die before them, and those that die after them; in whose society they will have a mutual sweet complacency, and their joy one in another will exceed what tongues can express. There they shall have the company of all those godly ministers, either whom they have known and heard, or whose writings only they have seen and read. And how will the spiritual children delight to see the glory, and live always in the company, of their spiritual fathers, whom God hath made instrumental for their conversion! Then they will rejoice indeed that ever they saw their face, that ever they heard their voice, that ever they believed their report, that ever they were persuaded by them to repent of their sins, and to accept of God's Son, to come into and to keep in God's ways, when they see whither those ways have brought them. There they will meet with all the holy martyrs, so famous in their generations for their courage and constancy; with all the holy prophets and apostles; the penmen of the scriptures, so famous in their time for the large and plentiful effusion of the Spirit of God upon them; with all the good kings and princes, and all the righteous persons whatever, that have lived in all ages and generations, of all kindreds, nations, and languages: they shall then be gathered all into one body under Christ their Head, and join together in blessing, and praising, and singing Hallelujahs unto the Lord for ever.

(2.) In heaven pardoned persons will have the company of all the glorious angels.-Here the angels guard them, and are ministering spirits unto them. (Heb. i. 14.) Hereafter they will be their companions, and there will be mutual and most sweet converse between them. Some