and the other creatures, to declare his excellency, his greatness, and his goodness?

In the day of visitation-the beholding of your good works may work this in them, that they may be gained to acknowledge and embrace that religion, and that God, which for the present they reject; but that it may be thus, they must be visited with that same light and grace from above, which hath sanctified you. The day-spring from on high must visit them.

And behold, one came and said unto him, Good master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God.-Matt. xix. 16, 17.

SOME indeed accuse this young man, as one dissembling and ill-minded, and coming with a temptation to Jesus, but I, though I would not say that he was not fond of money, and under subjection to his wealth, since Christ in fact convicted him of being such a character, yet a dissembler I would by no means call him, both because it is not safe to venture on things uncertain, and especially in blame, and because Mark hath taken away this suspicion; for he saith, that, having come running unto him, and kneeling to him, he besought him, and that Jesus beheld him, and loved him.

But great is the tyranny of wealth, and it is manifest hence; I mean, that though we be virtuous as to the rest, this wins all besides. With reason hath Paul also affirmed it to be the root of all evils in general. For the love of money is the root of all evils, he saith.

Wherefore then doth Christ thus reply to him, saying, There is none good? Because he came unto him as a mere man, and one of the common sort, and a Jewish teacher; for this cause then as a man he discourses with him. And indeed in many instances he replies to the secret thoughts of them that come unto him; as when he saith, Ye worship ye know not what; and, If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. When therefore he saith, There is none good; not as putting himself out from being good doth he say this, far from it; for he said not,

Why dost thou call me good? I am not good; but, there is none good, that is, none amongst men.

And when he saith this selfsame thing, he saith it not as depriving even men of goodness, but in contradistinction to the goodness of God. Wherefore also he added, But one, that is, God; and he said not, "but my Father," that thou mightest learn that he had not revealed himself to the young man. So also further back he called men evil, saying, If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children. For indeed there too he called them evil, not as condemning the whole race as evil, for by ye he means not "ye men"-but comparing the goodness that is in men with the goodness of God, he thus named it; therefore also he added, How much more shall your Father give good things to them that ask him? And what was there to urge him, or what the profit that he should answer in this way? He leads him on by little and little, and teaches him to be far from all flattery, drawing him off from the things upon earth, and fastening him upon God, and persuading him to seek the things to come, and to know that which is really good, and the Root and Fountain of all things, and to refer the honors to him.

Since also when he saith, Call no one master upon earth, it is in contradistinction to himself he saith this, and that they might learn what is the chief sovereignty over all things that are. For neither was it a small forwardness the young man had shown up to this time, in having fallen into such a desire; and when of the rest some were tempting, some were coming to him for the cure of diseases, either their own or others, he for eternal life was both coming to him, and discoursing with him. For fertile was the land and rich, but the multitude of the thorns choked the seed. Mark at any rate how he is prepared thus far for obedience to the commandments. For "by doing what," he saith, "shall I inherit eternal life?" So ready was he for the performance of the things that should be told him. But if he had come unto him, tempting him, the Evangelist would have declared this also to us, as he doth also with regard to the others, as in the case of the Lawyer. And though himself had been silent, Christ would not have suffered him to lie concealed, but would have convicted him plainly, or at least would have intimated it, so that he should not seem to have deceived him, and to be hidden, and thereby have suffered hurt.

If he had come unto him tempting, he would not have departed sorrowing for what he heard. This was not at any rate ever the feeling of any of the Pharisees, but they grew fierce when their mouths were stopped. But not so this man; but he goeth away cast down, which is no little sign that not with an evil will he had come unto him, but with one too feeble, and that he did indeed desire life, but was held in subjection by another and most grievous feeling.

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.—Luke xxiii. 46.

LET us consider more particularly what is contained in this blessed privilege. The reception of the soul into God's hands, implies three things:

1. Entire safety. After death the separate soul of the true believer immediately passes through the airy and ethereal regions to the highest heaven, the temple of God, the native seat and element of blessed spirits. The air is possessed by Satan with his confederate army, who are rebels to God, and enemies to the souls of men: he is styled the Prince of the power of the air. He often raises storms and tempests, discharges thunder and lightning, the woful effects of which are felt in the lower world. The numbers, the strength, and the malice of the evil angels to the souls of men, render them terrible. We may conjecture at their number, from what is related in the Gospel, that a Legion possessed one man. They are superior spirits to man, and though stripped of their moral excellencies, holiness, goodness, and truth, yet they retain their natural power at least in degrees. Their malice is unquenchable. It is said of the Devil, He goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. All the joy those malignant spirits are capable of, is the involving of the souls of men in their desperate calamity. And though they know their opposing God will increase their guilt and torment, yet their diligence is equal to their malice, to seduce, pervert, and ruin souls for ever. Now when the saints die, all the powers of darkness would, if possible, hinder the ascension of their souls to God. What David complains of his cruel enemies,

is applicable in this case, Their souls are among lions; and if destitute of divine preservation, the danger would be the same; as if a little flock of lambs were to encounter with a great number of fierce lions, or fiery dragons. Anger sets an edge upon power, and makes a combatant of but equal strength to overHow dangerous then would the condition be of naked souls, opposed by over-matching enemies, armed with rage against them? How easily would they hurry them to the abyss, the den of dragons, the prison where lost souls are secured to the day of judgment.

come.

But all the potentates of hell are infinitely inferior to God. They are restrained and tortured by the chain of his powerful justice. A legion of them could not enter into the swine without his permission, much less can they touch the apple of his eye. That black prince with all his infernal host can not intercept one naked soul from arriving at the kingdom of glory. Our Saviour assures us, None is able to pluck them out of his Father's hands. The Lord Christ our Head and Leader, having vanquished in his last battle on the cross, principalities and powers, made his triumphant ascension to glory. Thus his members having overcome their spiritual enemies, shall by the same almighty power be carried through the dominions of Satan, in the sight of their enemies, to the place of glorious residence.

I shall also observe, that as the Lord is a God of power, so is he a God of order, and uses subordinate means for the accomplishment of his will. Our Saviour has revealed, that the angels transport the separate souls of the righteous to heaven. Those glorious spirits, who always behold the face of God, such is their exact obedience to him, and perfect love for his children, that they disdain not to protect his little ones in this open state. They rejoice at the conversion of sinners, at their first entrance into the way of life, and with tender watchfulness encompass them here, never withdrawing their protecting presence, till they bring them to their celestial country, and resign their charge to the Lord of life. How safe are the departed saints, when conveyed through Satan's territories by the royal guard of angels that excel in strength!

2. Heavenly felicity. The receiving holy souls into God's hands, is introductive into his presence, which is both a sanctu ary to secure them from all evil, and a storehouse to furnish

them with all that is good. The Lord is a sun and a shield: he is to intellectual beings, what the sun is to sensitive, communicates light and life, and joy to them. In his presence is fullness of joy, at his right hand are rivers of pleasures for ever. All that is evil and afflicting is abolished-all that is desirable, is conferred on his children. A glimpse or reflected ray of his reconciled and gracious countenance, even in this world, infuses into the hearts of his children a joy unspeakable and glorious. A taste of the divine goodness here causes a disrelish of all carnal sweets, the dreggy delights which natural men so greedily desire. And if the faint dawn be so reviving and comfortable, what is the brightness of the full day? None can understand the happiness that results from the full and eternal sight of God's face and the fruition of his love, but those who enjoy the presence of God in perfection. His goodness is truly infinite; the more the saints above know it and enjoy it, the more they esteem it, and delight in it. His complete and communicative love satisfies the immense desires of that innumerable company of blessed spirits that are before his throne: there is no envy, no avarice, no ambition, in that kingdom, where God is all in all.

The divine presence is an ever-flowing fountain of felicity. The continual reflection upon this makes heaven to be heaven to the blessed. Their security is as valuable as their felicity. They are above all danger of losing it. Methinks the belief of this should cause us, as it were with wings of fire, with most ardent desires, to fly to the bosom of God, the only centre of our souls, where we shall rest for ever.

3. The reception of the soul into heaven is a certain pledge of the resurrection of the body, and its re-union with the soul in a state of glory. The covenant of God was made with the entire persons of believers; therefore under the law the sacred seal of it was in their flesh. To be the God of promise to them, implies his being a blessed rewarder to them. Our Saviour silences the Sadducees, who disbelieved the resurrection, from the tenor of God's covenant, I am the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, which title he was pleased to retain after their death; now God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. The immediate inference from thence is, that their souls did actually live in blessedness, and that their bodies, though dead to nature, were alive to God with respect to his promise and