with reference to eternal rewards. The third and last query runs thus, whether we may obey and do duty to God with respect to eternal rewards. Those who deny this do so upon two grounds. Some say that Christ has purchased, and God has fully provided, heaven and glory for us. Therefore, we are not to have any respect to it in our obedience. I agree that we are not to have respect to the purchasing of eternal rewards by our obedience, but that we may have respect to the possession of them in our obedience. We may have respect to the enjoyment of them in our obedience, though not to the obtaining of them by our obedience. To have an eye to our enjoyment of the rewards in our obedience is one thing, and to have an eye to the obtaining of it by our obedience is quite another. And certainly those who preach obedience and holiness do not preach them as the cause, but as the way. They tell us of the necessity for them, not in regard to the claims of justice, but in respect of God's requirement that we must be made right for the inheritance of the saints in light. Colossians chapter 1 verse 12. As Bernard says, quote, good works are the way to the reward, not the cause of the reward. Close quote. Good works are necessary, not in respect of causality, but in respect of God's order and means and ordination. Quote, he hath called us to virtue and glory, close quote, says the Apostle in 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 3, to virtue as the preparation, to glory as the fruition In respect of God's requirements here and now, we say that works of righteousness and holiness must be forthcoming. For certainly God makes none happy hereafter but those whom he makes holy here. He brings no one to glory but those in whom he works grace. He gives grace and glory, Psalm 84 verse 11. He brings heaven into the soul before he brings the soul to heaven. But if it be claimed that good works are to satisfy justice and to win heaven and glory for us, we cry them down and say with the Apostle, quote, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us." Titus chapter 3 verse 5. Let this saying be always in your ears. Do all righteousness, but learn to rest in none. Be in duty in respect of performance, but out of duty and in Christ in respect of dependents. And this will suffice for answer to those who deny duty with respect to reward for the first of the reasons stated. There are other persons who deny that we are to have respect to these eternal rewards in our obedience, but it is upon another ground. They assert that it savors not of an ingenious gospel spirit, but rather of a mercenary and servile spirit. They say that we are to serve God even were there no heaven, no hell, no rewards, or no punishments. Now to illustrate this, I mentioned the alleged story of a woman who carried fire in one hand and water in the other. Another met her, who inquired what she intended to do with her two burdens. She answered, With this water I will quench all the fires of hell, and with this fire I will burn up all the joys of heaven, that I may serve God neither for fear of punishment nor for hope of reward. but purely and solely for himself. She showed good affections, but it will appear, and what I have further to say, that she lacked clear perceptions of heaven and glory. If she had conceived of that glory aright, she would not have spoken after this fashion, for there is nothing in heaven that a glorified soul needs to part with. There is nothing there which needs to be burned up, and there is nothing there but God, in grace and glory, as I shall explain shortly. There is another opinion which some express, which is that a godly man may perform duties and walk in the way of obedience with a respect to the recompense of the reward. But this opinion is so modified, so tempered and allayed, that it is a wonder that any should take offense at it. It suggests that though we may have respect to heaven and glory and our salvation, yet these must not be the supreme and primary respects, but only secondary and inferior. Also, they must not be held singly and solely, but conjunctively and jointly with God's glory, not absolutely, but subordinately to that glory. It is the saying of a former saint, quote, not heaven, O Lord, but God and Christ. rather ten thousand times Christ without heaven than heaven without Christ. But seeing that thou hast joined them together, so that I cannot enjoy one without the other, then give me both, O Lord, but not Christ for heaven, but heaven, O Lord, for Christ." And Augustine has said, He loves thee not, O Lord, who loves something before thee, which he loves not on account of thee. It is certainly true that heaven and glory are not to be either the soul or the supreme grounds and ends of our obedience, though we look to them to enliven us in our way and in our movements. They are not to be the reason for our moving. we should regard them as refreshments in the way, but not as the reason why we undertake our journey. The Apostle's expression may serve to indicate this to us. Quote, he had respect to the recompense of the reward, close quote. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 26. The Greek is not blepo, that is to look, but apoblepo, which is to look from or out from. He casts Sinai when he was on his journey to cheer him in his way and give him encouragement, lest he should think of the great things he had refused and lest the flesh should begin to tell him that he had made a hard bargain. For this reason, he steals a look from Glory. He turns to his cordial. He casts an eye to the recompense of the reward. By this means, he renews his strength and gets new and fresh encouragement to continue his journey. He does not make this a reason why he undertakes the journey, but only as a means of quickening him in his way. It is not the mainspring of his motion, but rather the oil to the wheels, so that he may move them more cheerfully. Some there are who distinguish between young beginners and grown Christians. At the first entrance of the soul into the ways of grace, they say, a man looks upon heaven and hell. The one will drive him out of sin and the other to persuade and draw him into the ways of holiness. But when once a soul has truly entered upon the ways of life, he finds so much sweetness in God and His ways that he now serves God with a more free and ingenious spirit. As the Samaritans said, now we believe. not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." John chapter 4 verses 41 and 42. In a similar way it is said, now we serve thee, not for fear of punishment, nor for hope of reward, but because we see such beauty in thyself such sweetness in thy ways, that if there were no other heaven, then this were heaven enough." The case of the prodigal seems to support this argument. That's Luke chapter 15. When first he was awakened and convinced of his sin and misery, he said, I will arise and go to my father, and say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants." He desired to be a hired servant, but later when he came to his father and saw his mercy and indulgence, how he ran to meet him and embraced him. He ceases to talk of being a hired servant. He was now overcome with love, and therefore he only remembers the wickedness he has done and abhors himself for it, saying, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. He mentions hired servants no more. And thus too it is with the soul of the believer when he is first awakened to see sin and misery by sin. And he says, oh make me as one of thy hired servants. fear of hell and desire of heaven are his two great springs of action. But when once the man comes over to Christ and the promise, when once he is tasted of God's mercy in pardoning him and God's goodness in receiving him, then he falls down and abhors himself. it is said happened to those upon whom God settled the promises. See Ezekiel chapter 36 verse 31. And now all he desires is to serve God for himself. He sees so much beauty in him. He has tasted so much mercy shown by him. that if he had the strength of an angel, it were all too little to be laid out for him. Nothing that is his, the blood in his veins, the life that surges through his limbs, his soul, his spirit, is too dear to be spared from his service. The only question now is not, what will God give me? But what can I give God? What shall I render to the Lord for all his goodness? The man is willing to go through a sea and through a wilderness, though any difficulties and any duties, sorry, through any difficulties and any duties. All that he can do falls infinitely short of what his heart and goodwill would render to God. All his expressions fall short of his enlarged affections. And though God should do no more for him, Yet his heart burns with such affection for God that he counts all he can do for Him but a small part of that which he would wish to do. In answer then to this third part of our query as to whether a Christian man may not do duty with an eye to the recompense of the reward, that is, with an eye to heaven and glory, I answer affirmatively and in opposition to the contrary opinion. I shall state and prove the two following propositions. First, that we may obey God with respect to heaven and glory. Second, that we ought to have respect to heaven and glory in our obedience. I shall endeavor to establish these two propositions, though not upon the grounds on which the lawfulness of eyeing rewards in our obedience is usually based. I shall labor to establish it on such spiritual and true grounds as shall show wherehin I differ from the arguments directed against it in the previous part of our inquiry." Proposition first. That it is lawful for Christians to obey God with respect to eternal rewards, that is, heaven and glory. In looking into this question, I find that those who have maintained the contrary opinion have based that opinion upon false conceptions of heaven and glory. Their thoughts about heaven have been too low and too carnal by far. Probably these low thoughts have arisen from the consideration that they must have no eye to heaven in their obedience. Well, I've already dealt with the meaning of the eyeing of the reward, so can at once proceed to explain what is truly meant by heaven and glory. If we take away or separate that from heaven, which a carnal heart conceives to be heaven, then that which remains is heaven to a godly man. Well, carnal men fancy heaven under carnal notions. They look upon it as a place where there is freedom from all misery, where there is a fullness of all pleasures and happiness. But both these, that is the pleasures and the happiness of freedom and enjoyment, they fancy in a way which complies with the carnality of their natural hearts. Indeed, this is a Turkish heaven, but it is not a Christian's heaven. Certainly we have heaven described in sumptuous terms in the scriptures. Revelation chapter 21 verses 18 and 19. The walls are of jasper. The city is pure gold. The foundations are garnished with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation is of jasper and the twelve gates are twelve pearls. Thus is God pleased to pencil it out as if he would tempt a worldling, an even corrupt sense itself which shall never come there to seek the enjoyment of it. It must be well understood that this is spoken by way of metaphor, because the glory of heaven cannot be penciled out as it really is. Therefore, God descends to our weakness and even descends itself, and describes heaven and glory by such things as are known to men to be precious. Not that we are to conceive that heaven is any such thing, or that there is any such thing in heaven. If a man thinks so, I shall spoil his heaven before I am finished. God has no need to be indebted to stones, even precious stones, to make heaven glorious any more than the sun has any need to be indebted to the stars to make the day. God himself fills heaven with glory and makes it infinitely glorious. God in heaven is the glory of heaven. For what purpose are such poor, beggarly things of the senses needed in heaven by those who are all spirit and glory? Well, these things are below the spirit of a godly man while he is in the earth. He has a more noble spirit than to set much value on them here. He can trample on gold and silver, pearls and diamonds. And if his spirit is above these things here, what are these to him in heaven? If these are below him while he is here below, what are they then when he gets above? than these are but beggarly glory compared with the meanest glory in heaven. Everywhere a Christian turns his eyes in heaven will reveal a far greater glory than these are. Every glorified soul shall be more glorious than the sun in its glory. Alas, what are precious stones but mere pebbles as compared to the glory of a glorified saint? Well, I conceive then that by eternal rewards is meant whatever ought to be the uttermost or utmost of the desire of a renewed and sanctified soul. Well, certain other writers have written about this matter excellently, so that I need not enlarge further. It is, in brief, the fruition and enjoyment of God, the enjoyment of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Pearl of Great Price, the enjoyment of the Spirit, the true Comforter, It is the perfection and fullness of grace. It is an eternal Sabbath, a rest, a rest in Jehovah in whom there is all rest. It is a rest after pilgrimage. All paintings, sorry, pantings after him here below are now exchanged for rests in him. He is the Christian's center, his proper place of rest. It is a glorious rest. Here rest and glory seldom meet. In heaven they meet perfectly and that for all eternity. Does it not then seem that a Christian may truly desire all this? May he not eye it all and have respect to it all in his service and obedience? May we not desire and have regard to the enjoyment of God in our service? Well, David could say, quote, whom have I in heaven but thee? there is none upon the earth that I desire beside thee." Psalm 73 verse 25. The enjoyment of God was the utmost of his desire in heaven, and it is recorded as the highest privilege a Christian can enjoy through Christ. to be brought by Him to God. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 18. And may we not take it into our consideration here below. Well certainly, the more respect we have to the enjoyment of God in our obedience, the more noble is our obedience. The more we give attention to the enjoyment of God while we are engaged in duty, The more noble are our spirits in duty, and in prayer, and the doing of duty, may we not hope to get a little communion with God and the Lord Jesus Christ as we engage in them? Without such regard, our duties are not sound. And is it not right to serve God and in that service to have respect to the full enjoyment and communion with him which are known in heaven? Want to hold a contrary view of this matter is absurd. And may we not have regard to the enjoyment of the Lord Jesus Christ as we follow after God and the Lord Jesus Christ in the ways of holiness? Not indeed that we may purchase Him by our obedience, but that we may journey to Him in our obedience. Yay! And walk in ways of service with the hope that therein we may enjoy Him, not as the merit of our service, but as the purpose in our serving. Further, may we not also desire the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, who is the only comforter And may we not serve God with regard to the enjoyment of Him who comforts and sanctifies us? He is now in us, and hereafter we shall be in Him. This is the preoccupation of glory, even as it was experienced by the Apostle John who said, quote, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." Revelation chapter 1 verse 10. And may we not obey God and serve Him with respect to perfection and fullness of grace yet to come to us? Well if we serve Him here with an eye to the additions of grace which He sends us, May we not obey Him with respect to the fullness of grace yet to be bestowed? Is it right for us to pray now, to walk in the use of ordinances and in all the ways of duty, trusting that thereby we may get a little more grace, a little more faith, a little more love, maybe a little more brokenness of heart? Well if so, how much more may we serve God and obey Him with respect to the fullness and perfection of grace in a coming day? And this is that which we breathe after and pray for and hope for, even perfection and full satisfaction. Quote, when I awake says David, I shall be satisfied with thy likeness. Psalm 17 verse 15. And certainly that which is the saints satisfaction hereafter, well is the saints desire here. that which they breathe after in all their service as their satisfaction may be respected and I'd hear as our duty in all our service. If those duties are not well done in which we have not sought after communion with God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and also the growth of our grace in the performance of them, then surely we not only may, but it is our duty to eye these things and to have respect to them in our service and obedience. Further, may we not live in the hope of a perfect Sabbath while we are doing duty? What is it but rest? Is not rest the end of all labor? Does not labor tend to rest? And is not this a rest? A rest from sin? A rest in God? A rest with praise and admiring and glorifying of God to all eternity? And may we not labor in the hope and expectation of reaching this rest? May we not do service with an eye to the obtaining of such a Sabbath? And there shall we rest forever and never, never sin. We shall rest in service. We shall rest in God. Even for this cause we labor and faint not." Second Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16. Tell me now, after this little that has been said, whether we may not serve God with respect to eternal rewards. May not a Christian serve God with respect to these things? Nay. Is he a Christian at all who does not have regard to these promised blessings in his service? Why? What is salvation? What is heaven? What is glory but all this? I wonder what forethought a person has of heaven and what he thinks of glory and salvation. when he says that we are not to eye these things, nor have respect to them in our obedience. Certainly he thinks of them under false notions. His thoughts are not God's thoughts. He looks upon them as the world does, carnally, but not spiritually. And no one will own that heaven his happiness, which he may not have respect to in his service, nay, which he does not make his ambition and his aim in his service." Well the Apostle seems to imply as much as this in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 18, quote, We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen." And this implies that we make the things which are not seen our ambition and aim. And if so, then certainly we may have respect to them. Let us be ashamed to imagine that to be heaven which a godly man may not be permitted to see or to eye and have respect to in his obedience. Nay, make his ambition an end in obeying. That is, not so much that heaven which comes to us from God as that heaven which lies in God. If we speak of heaven in an abstract way, it is but a notion, and this can never make a man happy. But if we speak of heaven as the place where we shall be with God and find our full salvation in God, then, as heaven becomes our happiness, so also it becomes our holiness. And to this we must have an eye in all our obedience. In this way, poor Christians may overcome those doubts which are usually the results of a jealous, misgiving spirit. But even so, there may be some Christians who labor under further difficulties. Someone will say, I fear that my service is hypocritical and out of self-love, for I aim at myself. I do service with respect to heaven and glory. Well, I answer thus. We never read that God charged any believer with hypocrisy who had respect to the world to come. Indeed, he has charged those who have had respect to this present world and earthly things. as he said to the Israelites, quote, you have not fasted and prayed to me, you assembled together for corn and wine and oil, close quote, see Hosea chapter 7 verse 14. But he never charged any soul with double-mindedness who had an eye and respect to heaven and glory. I say again, conceive of heaven under the right notion. Get right thoughts of heaven. Look upon heaven as I have set it forth. Make that your heaven, which I have proved to be a Christian's heaven, and then you may carry an eye and respect to it in all your obedience. Nay, the more eye and respect you have for heaven thus described, the more spiritual and heavenly you will be. In this, you do not aim at pleasing your corrupt self, but instead aiding your best self. Not yourself in opposition to God or separated from God, but yourself in God. You lose yourself in Him. To find yourself in Him when you are swallowed up in His likeness. But some Christians are troubled by another scruple. They say, I fear that my desires are not true, for I do not desire grace for its own sake, but grace for glory, grace for heaven. Well my answer is before. Conceive a right of heaven. That is to conceive the right things of heaven. Do not look upon it with a carnal eye as a place of freedom from the miseries you feel and as a place of enjoyment of the happiness and pleasures you hope for. But instead rather look upon it as a place where you will have communion with God. enjoyment of the Lord Jesus Christ, perfection and fullness of grace, freedom from all sin and corruption and spiritual imperfection. Do this and you do not sin in desiring grace for heaven. If you look upon grace and heaven as two different things, you may err in desiring grace for heaven, but If you look upon heaven as the fullness of grace, then you may desire grace for heaven. You may desire grace here as the beginning of heaven, as the earnest or down payment of glory, and as that which will entitle you to perfection and fullness of glory hereafter. In brief then, He who desires grace merely for glory, and looks upon that glory as a thing quite different from grace, has desires which are not right. But you may desire grace with respect to heaven, so long as you desire heaven with respect to grace. The more enlarged you are in such desires, the more gracious and spiritual are your principles. The position has been well summed up by one author in the words, quote, sanctification is glory in the bud. Glory is sanctification in the flower, close quote. We now come to proposition number two, or proposition second. Christians not only may have but ought to have respect to heaven and glory in their obedience. Well I come next to show that Christians not only may have but ought to have respect to heaven and glory in their obedience. It is not only may but must. You may obey God with respect to heaven, but you must respect heaven in your obedience. It is that which God has urged upon us to fortify our hearts against the fear of earth's troubles and to bear up our hearts under the sense of any calamities And it is to be noticed that when the Lord Jesus Christ desired to arm his disciples against all the fears and evils that they may encounter in this life, well, he draws the encouragement from the truth that God intends to give them a kingdom. Quote, Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Close quote. Luke chapter 12 verse 32. He brings the harbor into the sea, the rest into the labor, the glory into the trouble, and this encourages a soul to go through all. If we do not pay any respect to this source of encouragement, we slight the Lord's own words. as it is a sin to slight the consolations of God, Job chapter 15 verse 11, so it is no less a sin to make light of the encouragements of God. God gives us these in order to help faith against sins, to furnish faith with arguments against the carnal reasonings of the flesh, and to strengthen us in the greatest straits and distresses the world can bring upon us. The saints have been helped thus in their fiercest battles. We have already seen how Moses was thus helped to suffer affliction with the people of God. Did he not look for the recompense of the reward? that glory and happiness to come which was made real and visible to him in this present world, encouraged him to slight all the greatness of Egypt. It rendered all the treasures of earth too little for his spirit and his spirit too big to be daunted by the world's discouragements. It was the same with the Apostle Paul. He was troubled on every side. but he labored and he did not faint. Why? Well, because, as he said, quote, our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen." Second Corinthians chapter 4 verses 17 and 18. And we thus see where the apostle obtained his strength and encouragement to go through all his troubles and distresses. He looked above those things which are seen. and considered those things which are not seen. And to be brief, would you walk thankfully and cheerfully? Would you be strong to do and to suffer? Would you submit to all God's disposings? Would you rejoice in your sufferings? If you would do these things, you must have an eye for the recompense of the reward. and I will speak briefly of each in turn. Would you walk thankfully? Well, the right consideration of the matter will make us burst out into praises in our lowest conditions. And here is matter enough for praises. Hear the Apostle as he bursts into praise, quote, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." 1 Peter 1. Indeed, such thoughts and considerations will fill us full of heaven and glory and make us break forth into songs of thanksgiving for his great goodness. Who hath made us right to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light? Colossians chapter 1 verse 12. That was the close quote there, sorry I dropped it sooner. Would you walk cheerfully Would you be filled with joy and comfort in the midst of all your sad conditions? Would you joy in tribulations? Well, then consider the things of heaven or of the heaven to which you are moving. They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 34. It is reported of Caesar that when he was sad he used to say to himself, think that thou art Caesar? Well if Caesar thought that his earthly greatness was enough to bear up his heart in any trouble, well how much more should the consideration of the great things reserved for us cheer our hearts and comfort our spirits no matter how sad our condition? He that lives much in the thoughts of heaven lives much the life of heaven, that is to say, thankfully and cheerfully. The philosophers say that if men lived above the second region of the atmosphere, they would live above all storms, for there is nothing found there but serenity and clearness. It is true of those souls who can live in heaven that they have rest in labor, calm amidst the storm, tranquility among the tempest, and comfort amidst their greatest distresses. Would you be strong to do the will of God? Well the same considerations will give you strength and encouragement. The Apostle brings in this as an encouragement. Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance. Colossians chapter 3 verses 23 and 24. Likewise in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58, quote, Be always abounding in the work of the Lord. forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." You may read similar things in 2 Peter 1.10-11 and also 3.14. Do you wish to be able to suffer and yet rejoice? The considerations of heaven and glory will so encourage you that you will be enabled to meet all trials. We see this in Moses, as I have already explained. We see it in the early believers as we read in Hebrews chapter 11, to which I might add many more. It is the man who eyes heaven and glory who is able to walk safely in all places. While Peter kept his eye upon Christ, he walked safely upon a stormy and tempestuous sea. But when he took his eye off of the Lord Jesus Christ and looked upon the storminess of the sea, then he began to sink. While we have an eye upon eternals, we are able to walk upon the most tempestuous of seas and to go through any storm or trouble. But if once we take our eye off the Lord Jesus Christ and heaven, then the least trouble is more than we can bear. And it was said by Basil, I care for nothing, visible or invisible, if I may but get Christ. Let fire, let the cross, let the breaking of bones come. Nay, let the torments of the devil come upon me, if only I can get Christ. Such a blessed enlargement of heart did the consideration of Christ and heaven put into Him. that he was able to slight and condemn all the evils of the world. And this much is certain that he who considers the eternal weight of glory will not think the light afflictions which are but for a moment worthy to be compared to it. He that sees visions of glory will be like Stephen who was able to endure a shower of stone. He that considers eternity as the goal to which he moves does not dread to go through all the troubles of the way, says Seneca. Quote, he who keeps eternity in mind does not shrink from the arduousness of the way, close quote. Would you submit to all God's disposings of your affairs The considerations of heaven and glory will make the believer submit to anything here. He can be content to be poor, for he knows he shall be rich. To be reproached, for he knows he shall be honored. To be afflicted, for he knows he shall be comforted. To be imprisoned, for he knows he shall be brought into a large place. to sit at Deba's door, for he knows he shall rest in Abraham's bosom, to lose all, for he knows he shall find all hereafter. God will be all, and more than all to him. He knows that the trials last but for a little season, a day, an hour, a moment, a small moment. Hereafter there are eternal embraces. He can submit to God to work his own work and to work it in his own way. By the way, his there in those two statements are capital H's. And after his own manner. If so, he will bring him to glory at last. And He can say, welcome that sorrow that presages joy, that trouble that ends in comfort, those crosses that prepare for crownings, and that death which ushers in eternal life. And all this He can do by the consideration of the great and glorious things which God has reserved for Him. And hence we see the necessity of having respect to heaven and glory in our obedience. That is the end of chapter 7.