The mourner directory, guiding him to the middle way betwixt the two extremes, defect,…The mourner directory, guiding him to the middle way betwixt the two extreams, defect,…

3. How long? for ever. Blessed shall they be, whoever they be, that thus shall be with the Lord for ever.

1. It is the Lord himself with whom these shall be: And to be with him is the sum of all our Hopes, the end of all our Prayers, and the top of all our Happiness. The Misery of the Ungodly and Impenitent when raised, judged and condemned, is, that they must depart from the Lord, and be in flaming fire, and then with Devils. The Happiness of the Godly then acquitted and absolved, will be to be called to come to the Lord, and to go with him into Glory, and there abide and remain with him. Mat. 25.34, 41, 46. Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World. 41. Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. Some are called to come to him, the others commanded to depart from him; some to be with Him, the rest to be with Devils, therefore those are declared to be blessed, the other accursed; for 46. These shall go away into everlasting Punishment, but the Righteous into Life Eternal. Do we believe these ⟨p. 194⟩things, or do we not? All these things are spoken of Men when raised from the Dead, and judged and sentenced, and the Sentence put into Execution; and do not you by Faith see with whom they shall have their abode that now do sleep in Jesus? enjoying the beatific Vision, living in the comfortable, glorious and immediate Presence of God the Father, of Christ the Redeemer, and of the Eternal Spirit their Sanctifier. Now your Thoughts run to the Grave, look down into it, and you see them with Worms and with Rottenness, and therefore sorrow: Let your Thoughts run as far as the day of Christs coming, and then suppose you look for them in the Graves, you will not find them. The Voice will be, They are not here, for they are risen, come see the places where they lay. Where are they? Look up, they are gone to meet the Lord in the Air, and whither are they next to go? to be with the Lord: And is there nothing in the belief of all these things, not only to assuage Sorrow, but also to beget great Joy? but because we are of so little Faith, therefore we are of so much Sorrow?