the Wonders of Nature and Providence, and to admire and adore his Maker; who is the Lord of this lower World; but has Eyes to look up to Heaven, and view all the Glories of it, and to pry into that invifible World, which this Veil of Flesh intercepts the Sight of. Man, who is fo long a Child, and by fuch flow Steps arrives to the Ufe of Reason, and by that Time he has got a little Knowledge, and is earneftly feeking after more; by that Time he knows what it is to be a Man, and to what Purpose he ought to live; what God is, and how much he is bound to love and worship him; while he is ennobling his Soul with all heavenly Qualities and Virtues, and copying out the Divine Image; when the Glories of human Nature begin to appear, and to fhine in him; that is, when he is moft fit to live, to ferve God and Men; then, I say, either this mortal Nature decays, and Duft returns to its Duft again, or fome violent Diftemper or evil Accident cuts him off in a vigorous Age; and when with great Labour and Industry he is become fit to live, he must live no longer. How is it poffible to reconcile this with the Wisdom of God, if Man perishes when he dies; if he ceases to be as foon as he comes to be a Man? And therefore we have Reason to believe, that Death only tranflates us into another World, where the Beginnings of Wisdom and Virtue here, grow up into Perfection; and if that be a

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more happy Place than this World, as you have already heard, we have no Reason to quarrel that we live fo little a while here: for fetting afide the Miferies and Calamities, the Troubles and Inconveniencies of this Life, which the happiest Men are exposed to (for our Experience tells us, that there is no compleat and unmix'd Happiness here); setting afide, that this World is little elfe than a Scene of Mifery to a great Part of Mankind, who struggle with Want and Poverty, labour under the Oppreffions of Men, or the Pains and Sickneffes of diseased Bodies; yet if we were as happy as this World could make us, we should have no Reason to complain that we must exchange it for a much greater Happinefs. We now call it Death, to leave this World; but were we once out of it, and inftated in the Happiness of the next,

fhould think it were dying indeed to come into it again. We read of none of the Apoftles, who did fo paffionately desire to be disfolved, and to be with Chrift, as St Paul and there was fome Reason for it; because he had had a Taste of that Happiness, being fnatched up into the third Heavens. Indeed, could we fee the Glories of that Place, it would make us impatient of living here; and poffibly that is one Reason why they are concealed from us; but yet Reafon tells us, that if Death tranflates us to a better Place, the Shortnefs of our Lives here is an Advantage

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to us, if we take care to spend them well, for we shall be the fooner poffefs'd of a much happier Life.

III. From this Notion of Death, That it is our leaving this World, I observe farther what this Life is, only a State of Growth and Improvement, of Trial and Probation for the next. There can be no doubt of this, if we confider what the Scripture tells us of it, That we shall be rewarded in the next World, as we have behaved ourselves in this: That we shall receive according to what we have done in the Body, whether good or evil: Which proves, that this Life is only in order to the next; that our eternal Happiness or Misery shall bear Proportion to the Good or Evil which we have done here. And when we only confider, that after a fhort Continuance here, Man must be removed out of this World, if we believe that he does not utterly perish when he dies, but fubfifts still in another State, we have Reason to believe, that this Life is only a Preparation for the next: For why should a Man come into this World, and afterwards be removed into another, if this World had no Relation, nor Subordination to the next? Indeed, it is evident that Man is an improveable Creature, not created at firft in the utmost Perfection of his Nature, nor put into the happiest State he is capable of, but trained up to Perfection and.

Happiness

Happiness by Degrees. Adam himself in a State of Innocence, was but upon his good Behaviour, was but a Probationer for Immortality, which he forfeited for his Sin; and, as I obferved before, it is moft probable, that had he continued innocent, and refined and exalted his Nature by the Practice of divine Virtues, he would not have lived always in this World, but have been tranflated into Heaven. And I cannot fee, how it is inconfiftent with the Wisdom of God, to make fome Creatures in a State of Probation; that as the angelical Nature was created so pure at first, as to be fit to live in Heaven; fo Man, tho' an earthly, yet a reasonable, Creature, might be in a Capacity, by the Improvement of his natural Powers, of advancing himself thither. As it became the manifold Wisdom of God to create the Earth as well as the Heavens, fo it became his Wisdom to make Man to inhabit this Earth; for it was not fitting that any Part of the World should be deftitute of reasonable Beings, to know and adore their Maker, and to afcribe to him the Glory of his Works. But then, fince a reafonable Nature is capable of greater Improvements than to live always in this World, it became the Divine Goodnefs to make this World only a State of Probation and Difcipline for the next; that those who by a long and conftant Practice of Virtue had spiritualized their Natures into a divine Purity, might

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afcend into Heaven, which is the true Center of all intelligent Beings. This feems to be the original Intention of God in making Man; and then this earthly Life was from the Beginning but a State of Growth and Improvement, to make us fit for Heaven, tho' without dying.

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But to be fure the Scene is much altered now, for Adam by his Sin made himself mortal, and corrupted his own Nature, and pagated a mortal and corrupt Nature to his Pofterity; and therefore we have no natural Right to Immortality, nor can we refine our Souls into fuch a divine Purity as is fit for Heaven, by the weaken'd and corrupted Power of Nature; but what we cannot do, Christ has done for us; he has purchased Immortality for us by his Death, and quickens and raises us into a new Life by his Spirit: But fince ftill me must die, before we are immortal, it is more plain than ever, that this Life is only in order to the next, that the great Business, we have to do in this World, is to prepare ourselves for Immortality and Glory.

Now if our Life in this World be only in order to another Life, we ought not to expect our compleat Happiness here; for we are only in the Way to it; we must finish the Work God has given us to do in this World, and expect our Reward in the next; and if our Reward cannot be had in this World, we may conclude that there is fomething much better in the next World than any Thing here.

If