those who are, and shall be heirs of falvation, will be found to be very confiderable, Heb. i. 14. whom angels, by appointment, will minister to by the way, and Jesus Christ receive in the end. The kingdom of grace shall be still emptying into the kingdom of glory, and heaven stand open, till the last saint be enter'd in. We are assured, that in the prefence of God there is fulness of joy, Pfal. xvi. 11. which will not be leffened by the number of poffeffors. They that are already there, shall have nothing taken off from their felicity, by the coming of others: nor need they, who at any time, see themselves in the narrow way that leads to life, Mat. vii. 14. admit a fufpicion, that their entrance shall be prevented, or the happy feats be all fill'd by fuch as have got the start of them, and are gone before. Heaven is vastly large and capacious: the fealed and faved of God make a multitude which no man can number, Rev. vii. 9. but there are mansions enough for them all: places prepared and reserved against the coming of the children of the kingdom that are yet behind, who are also kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, I Pet.i. 4, 5. so that poffeffion is fure. At whatsoever diftance, as to time and place, they move thro' this world, the ransom'd of the Lord shall meet at last, in one general body, Ifa. xxxv. 10. when he who hath kept them from falling, will present them faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy, Jude xxiv. There angels and faints shall be together, and find room enough. As noting the certainty of this, the church church militant and triumphant, are spoken of as one: and believers said to be come unto Morint Sion, and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerufalem; and to an innumerable company of angels; to the general affembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven: to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jefus, the mediator of the new covenant, Heb. xii. 22---24. whose blood open'd the way to this, and tells all his members, that the promise of it is fealed, and shall be made good. To all this they are come by relation and title, and begun participation now; and in faith and hope of the rest, as these shall, e'er long, be changed for fight and full fruition: upon which they thall all join in the triumphant fong, saying, Bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever, Rev. v. 13. Thus I have gone through the first general, shewing, in fix instances, where there is room. Namely, in the mercy of God: in the merits of Chrift: as to the efficacy of the spirit, to renew and change the heart, which spirit may be had : in the covenant of grace: in the houshold of faith: and in the manfions of glory. And what I have faid under each of thefe, I truft, has been supported and put beyond doubt, from the word of God. : That it may be known who may take encouragement from hence, the next thing is to tell you, II. For whom there is room. In general, there is room for all forts and degrees of men: those of one kingdom and country as well as another: for Jew and Gentile, Barbarian, Scythian, bond and free, as many as in every age and place can be perfuaded to come in, Col. iii. II. This is the gospel fent into all the world, and to be preach'd to every human creature, capable of hearing it: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned, Mark xvi. 16. Particularly, to help you to find your cafe. 1. There is room for the meanest and most defpicable in the world. The poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind, are the perfors the servant is bid to bring in, and whether taken properly, or in a metaphorical sense, it so far comes to one, as they may be understood to be such as have nothing to recommend them: nay, who labour under various defects, for which, among men, they may be neglected and despised. But no disadvantages, as to mind or body, or circumstances, shall be objected against them by him, who feeth not as man feeth, and with whom there is no respect of perfons, I Sam. xvi. 7. Those things have been hid from the wife and prudent, that have been revealed unto babes, Eph. vi. 9. Even fo, O Father, for it seemeth good in thy fight, Mat. xi. 25. Persons of the greatest note and eminence for wisdom or wealth, or power, or honour, have not been the most ready to come to the gospel-feaft, or the most numerous guests there. Not many wife men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. On the the contrary, we are told, God bath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wife; and the weak things of the world to confound the mighty ; and base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chofen; yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence, 1 Cor. i. 26---29. The grace of God is free, and prov'd to be so, in pitching upon those whom man would pass by. The poor, and the maim'd, creatures obscure and worthless, and wretched, are exprefly named in the commission, serioufly called, and shall be as welcome to share in the common falvation, as the most confiderable upon earth. Poor fishermen are chosen to preach the gofpel, and the poor are taken notice of, as those that receive it, and are readily received to all the grace revealed and tendered in it: the lowness of their rank being no bar to their admission to the entertainments of heaven. The apostle mentions this as a thing known, and of use to be confider'd, that they may not be flighted whom God is so ready to accept. Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him, James ii. 5. Poor Lazarus, that is laid as a beggar at the rich man's gate, wanting the crumbs that fall from his table, and full of fores, so as to draw the dogs about him, is nevertheless the object of God's love, whilft he lived, and when he died, is carried by angels into Abraham's bosom : how defpicable foever, he is taken into the kingdom of of grace and glory: and there is still room for persons, as low and loathsom as he. The church is called the congregation of the poor, of God's poor: not that all the people of God are mean in the world, as 'tis visible, that all that are poor, are not partakers of grace: but it plainly intimates, that there are poor, and a confiderable number of them, that God has a special interest in, a peculiar relation to; and that there is room for such as are of the lowest rank, to be thus advanced. Our blessed Lord, whilst on earth, is so poor, as to say of himself, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests : but the son of man hath not were to lay his head, Mat. viii. 20. And when this was the condition of the head of the church, he will not for this reject any fsuch from being his members. Be not therefore discouraged, tho' your external circumstances are preffing and strait: but bless God, and take comfort, that how destitute soever of filver and gold, you stand as fair for grace and heaven as any other. 2. The rich are not under a necessity of perishing : there is room for them. 'Tis indeed a folemn and awful declaration that our Lord delivers concerning such, saying, * It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, Mat. xix. 24. This seems to set them paft hope. But Christ herein uses, or alludes to * The Hebrew proverb spake of an elephant, which Christ might change for a camel, as fitly representing a man laden with thick clay, carrying burdens more for others than for himself, |