Certainly then, it will not become us to be bitter in our spirits against those that are enemies to us, and have injured and ill treated us, and though they have yet an ill spirit towards us. Seeing we depend so much on God's forgiving us, though enemies, we should be of a spirit of forgiveness towards our enemies. And therefore our Saviour inserted it in that prayer which he dictated as a general directory to all; "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," to enforce the duty upon us, and to show us how reasonable it is. And we ought to love them even while enemies; for so we hope God hath done to us, We should be the children of our Fa ther, who is kind to the unthankful and evil. Luke vi. 35.

If we refuse thus to do, and are of another spirit, we may justly expect that God will deny us his mercy, as he has threatened! "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matth. vi, 14, 15. The same we have in the parable of the man who owed his lord ten thousand talents. Matth. zviii. 23.....35.

SERMON IV.

The true Christian's Life, a Journey towards

Heaven.

HEBREWS XỈ, 13, 14,

AND CONFESSED THAT THEY WERE STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS ON THE EARTH. FOR THEY THAT SAY SUCH THINGS, DECLARE PLAINLY THAT THEY SEEK A COUNTRY.

THE apostle is here setting forth the excellencies of

the grace of faith, by the glorious effects and happy issue of it in the saints of the Old Testament. He had spoken in the preceding part of the chapter particularly of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Jacob. Having enumerated those instances, he takes notice that "these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers," &c.

In these words the apostle seems to have a more particular respect to Abraham and Sarah, and their kindred that came with them from Haran, and from Ur of the Chaldees, by the 15th verse, where the apostle says, " and truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned." It was they that upon God's call left their own country.

Two things may be observed in the text.

1. What these saints confessed of themselves. viz. "that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

Thus we have a particular account concerning Abraham. "I am a stranger and sojourner with you." Gen. xxiii. 4.

And it seems to have been the general sense of the patriarchs, by what Jacob says to Pharaoh. "And Jacob said to Pharaoh, the days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." Gen. xlvil. 9. "I am a stranger and a sojourner with thee, as all my fathers were." Psal. xxxix. 2.

hence, viz. "For they

2. The inference that the apostle draws from that they sought another country as their home. that say such things, declare plainly, that they seek a country.” In confessing that they were strangers, they plainly declared, that this is not their country; that this is not the country where they are at home. And in confessing themselves to be pilgrims, they declared plainly, that this is not their settled abode; but that they have respect to some other country, that they seek and are travelling to as their home.

DOCTRINE.

This life ought so to be spent by us, as to be only a journey towards Heaven.

Here I would observe,

I. That we ought not to rest in the world and its enjoyments, but should desire heaven.

This our hearts should be chiefly upon and engaged about. We should seek first the kingdom of God, Matth. vi. 33. He that is on a journey, seeks the place that he is journeying to. We ought above all things to desire a heavenly happiness: to go to heaven, and there be with God, and dwell with Jesus Christ. If we are surrounded with many outward enjoyments, and things that are very comfortable to us; if we are settled in families, and have those good friends and relations that are very desirable; if we have companions whose society is delightful to us; if we have children that are pleasant and hopeful, and in whom we see many promising qualifications; if we live by good neighbors; have much of the respect of others; have a good name; are generally beloved where we are known; VOL. VII.

2 C

and have comfortable and pleasant accommodations; yet we ought not to take our rest in these things. We should not be willing to have these things for our portion, but should seek a higher happiness in another world. We should not merely seek something else in addition to these things, but should be so far from resting in them, that we should choose and desire to leave these things for heaven; to go to God and Christ there. We should not be willing to live here always, if we could, in the same strength and vigor of body and mind as when in youth, or in the midst of our days; and always enjoy the same pleasure, and dear friends, and other earthly comforts. We should choose and desire to leave them all in God's due time, that we might go to heaven, and there have the enjoyment of God. We ought to possess them, enjoy and make use of them, with no other view or aim, but readily to quit them whenever we are called to it, and to change them for heaven. And when we are called away from them, we should go cheerfully and willingly.

He that is going a journey, is not wont to rest in what he meets with that is comfortable and pleasing on the road. If he passes along through pleasant places, flowery meadows, or shady groves; he does not take up his content in these things. He is content only to take a transient view of these pleasant objects as he goes along. He is not enticed by these fine appearances to put an end to his journey, and leave off the thought of proceeding: No; but his journey's end is in his mind; that is the great thing that he aims at. So if he meets with comfortable and pleasant accommodations on the road at an inn, yet he does not rest there; he entertains no thoughts of settling there. He considers that these things are not his own, and that he is but a stranger; that that is not allotted for his home. And when he has refreshed himself, or tarried but for a night, he is for leaving these accommodations, and going forward, and getting onward towards his journey's end. And the thoughts of coming to his journey's end, are not at all grievous to him. He does not desire to be travelling always and never come to his journey's end; the thoughts of that would be discouraging to him. But it is pleasant to him to think, that so much of the

way is gone, that he is now nearer home; and that he shall presently be there; and the toil and fatigue of his journey will be over.

So should we thus desire heaven so much more than the comforts and enjoyments of this life, that we should long to change these things for heaven. We should wait with earnest desire for the time when we shall arrive at our journey's end. The apostle mentions it as an encouraging, comfortable consideration to Christians, when they draw nigh their happiness."Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."

Our hearts ought to be loose to these things, as it is with a man that is on a journey. However comfortable enjoyments are, yet we ought to keep our hearts so loose from them, as cheerfully to part with them, whenever God calls. "But this I say, brethren, the time is short. It remaineth, that both they that have wives, be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it; for the fashion of this world passeth away." 1 Cor. 29, 30, 31.

We ought to look upon these things as only lent to us for a little while, to serve a present turn; but we should set our hearts on heaven as our inheritance forever,

II. We ought to seek heaven, by travelling in the way that leads thither.

The way that leads to heaven is the way of holiness. We should choose and desire to travel thither in this way and in no other. We should part with all those sins, those carnal appetites that are as weights, that will tend to hinder us in our travelling towards heaven. "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race set before us, Heb. xii. 1. However pleasant any practice, or the gratification of any appetite may be, we must lay it aside, cast it away; if it be any hinderance, and stumblingblock in the way to heaven.

We should travel on in a way of obedience to all God's commands, even the difficult as well as the easy commands. We should travel on in a way of selfdenial; denying all our