Rev. iii. 4. They shall walk with me in white.' And these last do, in a very particular manner, point at the inconceivable glory of the state

of the faints in heaven.

The Lord is pleased often to reprefent unto us the glorious ftate of the faints, under the notion of their being clothed in white garments. It is promised to the overcomer, that he fhall be clothed in white raiment, Rev. iii. 5. The elders about the throne are clothed in white raiment, chap. iv. 4. The multitude before the throne are clothed with white robes, chap. vii. 9. arrayed in white robes, ver. 13. made white in the blood of the Lamb, ver. 14. I own the last two teftimonies adduced, do respect the state of the faints on earth; but withal the terms are borrowed from the ftate of the church in heaven. All garments, properly fo called, being badges of fin and fhame, fhall be laid afide by the faints, when they come to their state of glory. But if we confider on what occafions white garments were wont to be put on, we fhall find much of heaven under them.

First, The Romans when they manumitted their bond-fervants, gave them a white garment, as a badge of their freedom. So fhall the faints that day get on their white robes; for it is the day of the glorious liberty of the children of God, (Rom. viii. 21.) the day of the redemption of their body, ver. 23. They fhall no more fee the house of bondage, nor ly any more among the pots. If we compare the state of the faints on earth with that of the wicked, it is indeed a state of freedom; wheras the other is a state of flavery: but in comparison with their ftate in heaven, it is but a fervitude. A faint on earth is indeed a young prince, and heir to the crown; but his motto may be, I serve, for

he differeth nothing from a fervant, though he be lord of all," Gal. iv. 1. What are the groans of a faint, the fordid and bafe work he is fometimes found employed in, the black and tattered garments he walks in, but badges of this comparative fervitude? But from the day the faints come to the crown, they receive their compleat freedom, and serve no more. They thall be fully freed from fin, which of all. evils is the worst, both in itself, and in their apprehenfion too: how great then must that freedom be, when thefe Egyptians whom they fee today, they fhall fee them again no more for ever? They fhall be free from all temptation to fin: Satan can have no accefs to tempt them any more, by hinfelf, nor by his agents. A full anfwer will then be given to that petition, they have fo often repeated, Lead us not inte temptation. No hiffing serpent can come into the paradise above: no fnare nor trap can be laid there, to catch the feet of the faints: they may walk there fearlefly, for they can be in no hazard: there are no lions dens, no mountains of the leopards, in the promised land. Nay, they fhall be fet beyond the poffibility of finning, for they shall be confirmed in goodness. It will be the confummate freedom of their will, to be for ever unalterably determined to good. And they fhall be freed from all the effects of lin; "There fhall be no more death, neither forrow, nor crying, neither fhall there be any more pain," Rev.

xxi. 4: What kingdom is like unto this? Death makes its way now into a palace, as eafily as into a cottage: forrow fills the heart of one who wears a crown on his head. royal robes are no fence against pain, and crying by reafon of pain. But in this kingdom no mifery can have place. All reproaches fhall be wiped off; and never fhall a tear drop any more from their eyes. They fhall not complain of desertions again; the Lord will never hide his face from them: but the Sun of righteoufnefs thining upon them in his meridian-brightness, will difpel all clouds, and give them an everlasting day, without the least mixture of darknels. A deluge of wrath, after a fearful thunder-clap from the throne, will fweep away the wicked from before the judgment-feat, into the lake of fire: but they are, in the firft place, like Noah brought into the ark, and out of harm's way.

Secondly, White raiment hath been a token of purity, Therefore the Lamb's wife is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, Rev. xix. 8. And those who flood before the throne washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, chap. vii. 14. The faints fhall then put on the robes of perfect purity, and fhine in fpotless holiness, like the fun in his ftrength, without the leaft cloud to intercept his light. Abfolute innocence fhall then be restored, and every appearauce of fin banished far from his kingdom. The guilt of fin, and reigning power of it, are now taken away in the faints; nevertheless fin dwelleth in them, Rom. vii. 20. But then it fhall be no more in them: the corrupt nature will be quite removed, that root of bitterness will be plucked up, and no veftiges of it left in their fouls: their nature hall be altogether pure and finlefs. There fhall be no darkness in their minds; but the understanding of every faint, when he is come to his kingdom, will be as a globe of pure and unmixed light. There fhall not be the leaft averfion to good, or inclination to evil, in their wills: but they will be brought to a perfect conformity to the will of God; bleft with angelical purity, and fixed therein Their affections fhall not be liable to the leaft diforder or irregularity: it will coft them no trouble to keep them right: they will get fuch a set of purity, as they can never lofe. They will be fo refined from all earthly drofs, as never to favour more of any thing but heaven. Were it poffible they fhould be fet again amidst the enfnaring objects of an evil world, they thould walk among them without the leaft defilement; as the fun thines on the dunghill, yet untainted, and as the angels preferved their purity in the midft of Sodom. Their graces fhall then be perfected; and all the imperfections now cleaving to them, done away. There will be no more ground of complaints of weakness of grace: none in that kingdom shall complain of an ill heart, or a corrupt nature. It doth not yet appear what we fhall be, but---when he shall appear, we fhall be like him, 1 John iii. 2.

Thirdly, Among the Jews, thefe who defired to be admitted into the pricitly office, being tried, and found to be of the prieft's line, and without blemish, were clothed in white, and enrolled among

the

priests.

priefts. This feems to be alluded to, Rev. iii. 5. "He that over"cometh-the faints fhall be clothed in white raiment, and I will "not blot out his name out of the book of life." So the faints fhall not be kings only, but priests withal; for they are a Royal Priesthood, 1 Pet ii. 9. They will be priests upon their thrones. They are judicially found defcended from the great High-Priest of their profeilion, begotten of him by his Spirit, of the incorruptible feed of the word, and without blemish: fo the trial being over, they are admitted to be priests in the temple above, that they may dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. There is nothing upon earth more glorious than a kingdom, nothing more venerable than the priesthood: and both meet 'together in the glorified state of the faints. The general affembly of the firft-born, (Heb. xii. 23.) whose is the priesthood and the doubl portion, appearing in their white robes of glory, will be a reverend and glori ous company. That day will fhew them to be the perfons, whom the Lord has chofen out of all the tribes of the earth, to be near unto him, and to enter into his temple, even into his holy place. Their priesthood, begun on earth, shall be brought to its perfection, while they thall be employed in offering the facrifice of praife to God and the Lamb, for ever and ever. They got not their portion, in the earth, with the reft of the tribes: but the Lord himself was their portion, and will be their double portion, through the ages of eternity.

Fourthly, They were wont to wear white raiment, in a time of "triumph; to the which also there feems to be an allusion, Rev. iii. 5. "He that overcometh, the fame fhall be clothed in white raiment." And what is heaven but an everlafting triumph! None get thither, but fuch as fight, and overcome too. Though Canaan was given to the Ifraelites, an inheritance: they behoved to conquer it, ere they could be poffeffors of it. The faints, in this world, are in the field of battle; often in red garments, garments rolled in blood: but the day approacheth, in which they fhall stand before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, (Rev. vii. 9.) having obtained a compleat victory over all their enemies. The palm was used as a fign of victory; because that tree, oppreffed with weights, yieldeth not, but rather shooteth upwards And palm-trees were carved on the doors of the most holy place, (1 Kings vi. 32.) which was a fpecial type of heaven; for heaven is the place, which the faints are received into, as conquerors.

Behold the joy and peace of the faints in their white robes. The joys arifing from the view of paft dangers, and of riches and honours gained at the very door of death, do moft,fenfibly touch one's heart; and this will be an ingredient in the everlafting happiness of the faints, which could have had no place, in the heaven of innocent Adam, and his finlefs offspring, fuppofing him to have flood. Surely the glorified faints will not forget the entertainment they met with in the world a it will be for the glory of God to remember it, and alfo for the heightening of their joy. The Sicilian king, by birth the fon of a potter,

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acted a wife part, in that he would be ferved at his table, with earthen velfels: the which could not but put an additional fweetnefs in his meals, not to be relifhed by one born heir to the crown. Can ever meat be fo fweet to any, as to the hungry man! Or can any have fuch a relish of plenty, as he who has been under pinching straits: The more difficulties the faints have passed through, in their way to heaven, the place will be the fweeter to them, when they come at it. Every happy ftroke, ftruck in the spiritual warfare, will be a jewel in their crown of glory. Each victory obtained against fin, Satan, and the world, will raife their triumphant joy the higher. The remembrance of the crofs will fweeten the crown: and the memory of their travel through the wilderness, will put an additional verdure on the fields of glory; while they walk through them, minding the day, when they went mourning without the fun.

And now that they appear triumphing in white robes, it is a fign they have obtained an honourable peace; fuch a peace as their enemies can disturb no more. So every thing peculiarly adapted to their militant condition is laid afide. The fword is laid down; and they betake themselves to the pen of a ready writer, to commemorate the praises of him, by whom they overcame. Public ordinances, preaching, facraments, fhall be honourably laid afide; there is no temple there, Rev. xxi: 22. Sometimes these were sweet to them: but the travellers being all got home, the inns, appointed for their entertainment by the way, are fhut up; the candles are put out, when the fun is rifen; and the tabernacle ufed in the wildernefs is folded up, when the temple of glory is come in its room. Many of the faints duties will then be laid afide; as one gives his staff out of his hand, when he is come to the end of his journey. Praying fhall then be turned to-praising: and, there being no fin to confefs, no wants to feek the fupply of; confeffion and petition fhall be swallowed up in everlasting thanksgiving. There will be no mourning, in heaven; they have fown in tears, the reaping time of joy is come, and God ball wipe away all tears from their eyes, Rev. xxi. 4 No need of mortification there; and self-examination is then at an end. They will not need to watch any more; the danger is over. Patience has had its perfect work, and there is no ufe for it there. Faith is turned into fight, and hope is fwallowed up in the ocean of fenfible and full enjoyment. All the rebels are fubdued, the faints quietly fet on their throne; and fo the forces, needful in the time of the fpiritual warfare, are difbanded; and they carry on their triumph in profoundeft peace.

Laftly, White garments were worn, on feftival days, in token of joy. And fo fhall the faints be clothed in white raiment; for they fhall keep everlafting fabbath to the Lord, Heb. iv. 9. There remaineth therefore a reft (or keeping of a fabbath) to the people of God. The fabbath, in the esteem of faints, is the queen of days: and they fhall have an endless fabbatifm in the kingdom of heaven; fo fhall their garments be always white. They will have an eternal reft, with an uninterrupted joy:

for

for heaven is not à refting place, where men may fleep out an eternity; (there they reft not day nor night) but their work is their reft and continual recreation, and toil and wearinefs have no place there. They reft there in God, who is the centre of their fouls! Here they find the complement, or fatisfaction of all their defires; having the full enjoyment of God, and uninterrupted communion with him. This is the point, unto the which till the foul come, it will always be reftlefs: but, that point reached, it refts; for he is the laft end, and the foul can go no farther. It cannot understand, will, nor defire more; but in him it has what is commenfurable to its boundless defires. This is the happy end of all the labours of the faints; their toil and forrows iffue in a joyful reft. The Chaldeans measuring the natural day, put the day first, and the night laft: but the Jews counted the night firft, and the day laft. Even fo, the wicked begin with a day of reft and pleasure, but end with a night of everlasting toil and forrow: but God's people have their gloomy night firft, and then comes their day of eternal reft. The which Abraham, in the parable, obferved to the rich man in hell, Luke xvi. 25. "Son, remember that thou in "thy life-time receivedit thy good things, and likewife Lazarus evil "things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."

III. If one enquires where the kingdom of the faints lies? It is not in this world; it lies in a better country, that is, an heavenly, (Heb. xi. 16.) a country better than the best of this world; namely, the heavenly Canaan, Immanuel's land, where nothing is wanting to complete the happinefs of the inhabitants. This is the happy country, bleft with a perpetual spring, and which yieldeth all things for neceffity, conveniency, and delight. There men fhall eat angels food; they fhall be entertained with the hidden manna, (Rev. ii. 17.) without being fet to the painful gathering of it they will be fed to the full, with the product of the land falling into their mouths, without the leaft toil to them. That land enjoys an everlafting day, for there is no night there, Rev. xxi. 25. An eternal fun-fhine beautifies this better country, but there is no fcorching heat there. No clouds fhall be feen there for ever: yet it is not a land of drought; the trees of the Lord's planting are fet by the rivers of water, and shall never want moifture, for they will have an eternal fupply of the Spirit, by Jefus Chrift, from his Father. This is the country from whence our Lord came, and whither he is gone again: the country which all the holy patriarchs and prophets had their eye upon, while on earth; and which all the faints, who have gone before us, have fought their way to; and unto which, the martyrs have joyfully fwimmed, through a fea of blood. This earth is the place of the faints pilgrimage; that is, their country, where they find their everlasting reft.

IV. The royal city is that great city, the holy Ferufalem, defcribed, at large, Rev. xxi. 1o. to the end of the chapter. (It is true, fom learned divines place this city in the earth: but the particulars o

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the