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النشر الإلكتروني

But where is home thy father's house? It is not here. It is beyond the flood. Earth is not home. Heaven is home. Living is not being at home. Dy. ing is going home. We must die to reach our father's house. And yet we are reluctant to die!

Do you dread the way? Do you tremble at the thought of the valley of the shadow of death? What, when you are sure of such company as that of Jesus? Will you fear with him at your side? Do not talk of the cold arms of death. Think rather of the warm embrace of Jesus. Does he not say he will come for you? "If I go.... I will come again, and receive you unto myself." Angels may minister to the saints on common occasions, but when a Christian dies, Jesus himself attends.

But death has a sting. You mean he had one. To those who believe in Jesus, no sting of death remains.

Fear you the consequences of dying? Does the thought of the presence into which you are to go appal you? But you have often been into that presence in prayer-you have appeared already before God on his mercy seat, and then you have wished the veil away. Why then so unwilling that death should withdraw it? Were you not gladdened by those transient glimpses of his glory which you saw? And dread you now the full and fixed gaze of his glory? Have you not often sighed for those brighter views, and those nearer and clearer discoveries which death will afford you?

Surely it cannot be the judgment you fear. What, when you are "accepted in the beloved!" If accepted in yourself, you should not fear. How much less, when accepted in him! If God would honor your own righteousness, had you a righteousness of your own, will he not much more honor Christ's righteousness, now become yours? What if you cannot answer for yourself! Cannot he answer for you? But who is the judge? Is it not Jesus, your advocate? Will your advocate condemn you? Are you afraid to meet your Savior? He that summons you to judgment, is the same that said "Come unto me, and I will give you rest." Would you live always? I know you would not. But you would live longer, perhaps you say, for the sake of being useful to others. But who knows that you may not be more useful in heaven? Who can say but your death may do more good than your life? Besides, if God can dispense with your services, should you not be willing to have them arrested?

Do you not desire to be freed from all sin? But know you not that only he "that is dead is freed from sin?" If you cannot be perfectly holy until you die, ought you to be so unwilling to die? Is your desire of perfect holiness sincere, while you are so averse to the condition of it?

45. Heaven's Attractions.

I have been thinking of the attractions of heavenwhat there is in heaven to draw souls to it. I thought of the place. Heaven has place. Christ says to his disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you." It is a part of the consolation with which he comforts them, that heaven is a place, and not a mere state. What a place it must be! Selected out of all the locations of the universe-the chosen spot of space. We see, even on earth, places of great beauty, and we can conceive of spots far more delightful than any we see. But what comparison can these bear to heaven, where every thing exceeds whatever eye has seen or imagination conceived? The earthly paradise must have been a charming spot. But what was that to the heavenly? What the paradise assigned to the first Adam, who was of the earth, earthy, compared with that purchased by the second Adam, who is the Lord from heaven? It is a "purchased possession." The price it cost the purchaser every one knows. Now, having purchased it, he has gone to prepare it to set it in order to lay out his skill upon it. O what a place Jesus will make-has already made-heaven! The place should attract us.

Then I thought of the freedom of the place from the evils of earth. Not only what is in heaven, should attract us to it, but what is not there. And what is not there? There is no night there. Who

does not want to go where no night is? No nightno natural night-none of its darkness, its damps, its dreariness and no moral night-no ignoranceno error-no misery-no sin. These all belong to the night; and there is no night in heaven. And why no night there? What shines there so perpetually? It is not any natural luminary. It is a moral radiance that lights up heaven. "The glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." No need have they there of other light. This shines every where and on all. All light is sweet, but no light is like this.

And not only no night there, but "no more curse." Christ redeemed them from the curse of the law, being made a curse for them. And "no more death." The last enemy is overcome at last. Each, as he enters the place, shouts victoriously, "O death -O grave!" "Neither sorrow." It is here. O yes. It is here-around, within. We hear it; we see it ; and at length we feel it. But it is not there. "Nor crying"-no expression of grief. "Neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." And what becomes of tears? Are they left to dry up? Nay, God wipes them away. And this is a sure sign they will never return. What shall cause weeping, when he wipes away tears?

I have not said that there is no sin in heaven. I have not thought that necessary. If sin was there,

night would be there, and the curse, and death, and all the other evils-the train of sin. These are not there. Therefore sin is not. No, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

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What is there then, since these are not? Day is there and there is the blessing that maketh rich— and there is life, immortality-and since no sorrow, joy-"fulness of joy-joy unspeakable"-and smiles where tears were-and there they rest, not from their labors only, but from cares, and doubts and fears. And glory is there, an "exceeding and eternal weight."

Then I thought of the society. It is composed of the Elite of the Universe. The various orders of angels who kept their first estate-as humble as they are high-not ashamed of men. Why should they be, when the Lord of angels is not ashamed to call us brethren? The excellent of the earth alsoall the choice spirits of every age and nation-the first man the first martyr-the translated patriarch -the survivor of the deluge-the friend of God, and his juniors, Isaac and Israel-Moses, the lawgiver, and Joshua the leader of the host-the pious kingsthe prophets the evangelists and apostles, Paul, John-the martyrs-the reformers-the Puritan fathers the missionaries, Swartz, Brainerd, MartynCarey and Morrison have just gone up; and the young brothers, who ascended from Sumatra-and another, connected with missions, Wisner, has been suddenly sent for to heaven..

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