The saints everlasting rest

First, It excludeth nothing more directly than sin; whether original, and of nature; or actual, and of conversation: for there entereth nothing that defileth, nor that worketh abomination, nor that maketh a lie. What need Christ have died, if heaven could have contained imperfect souls? For to this end cam• he into the world, that he might put away the works of the devil. His blood and spirit have not done all this, to leave us after all, defi•ed. For what communion hath light with darkness? And what fellowship hath CHRIST with Belial? He that hath prepared for sin the torments ⟨p. 58⟩of hell, will never admit it into the blessedness of heaven. Therefore, christian, never fear this: if thou be once in heaven, thou shalt sin no more. Is not this glad news to thee, who hast prayed, and watched, and laboured against it so long? I know, if it were offered to thy choice, thou wouldst rather choose to be freed from sin, than to be made heir of the world. Thou shalt have thy desire: that hard heart, those vile thoughts, which thou couldst no more leave behind thee, than leave thyself behind thee, shall be now left behind for-ever. If they accompany thee to death, they cannot proceed a step further. Thy understanding shall never more be troubled with darkness: ignorance and error are inconsistent with this light. Now thou walkest like a man in the twilight, ever afraid of being out of the way: but then will all darkness be dispelled, and our blind understandings fully opened.

O what would we give to know clearly all the profound mysteries in the doctrine of redemption, of justification, of the nature of grace, of the divine attributes! What would we give to see all dark scriptures made plain; to see all seeming contradictions reconciled! Why, when glory hath taken away the veil from our eyes, all this will be known in a moment; we shall then see clearly into all the controversies about doctrine or discipline that now perplex us. The poorest christian is presently there a more perfect divine, than any is here. We are now through our ignorance subject to such mutability, that in points not fundamental, we change as the moon: but when once our ignorance is perfectly healed, then shall we be settled, resolved men; then shall our reproach be taken from us, and we shall never change our judgment more. Our ignorance now doth lead us into error, to the grief of our more knowing brethren, to the disturbing the church's quiet, to the scandalizing