Sermon 188. The Redeemer's Prayer

(No. 188)

Delivered on Sabbath Morning, April 18th, 1858, by the

REV. C.H. SPURGEON

at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens

"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thouhast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundations of the world."-John 17:24.

WHEN the High Priest of old entered into the most holy place, he kindled the incense in his censer, and waving it before him,he perfumed the air with its sweet fragrance, and veiled the mercy seat with the denseness of its smoke. Thus was it writtenconcerning him, "He shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands fullof sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: and he shall put the incense uponthe fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not." Even so our Lord Jesus Christ, when he would once for all enter within the vail withhis own blood to make an atonement for sin, did first offer strong crying and prayers. In this 17th chapter of John, we have,as it were, the smoking of the Saviour's pontifical center. He prayed for the people for whom he was about to die, and erehe sprinkled them with hisblood, he did sanctify them with his supplications. This prayer therefore stands pre-eminent in Holy Writ as the Lord's Prayer-the special and peculiar prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ; and "if," as an old divine hath it, "it be lawfulto prefer one Scripture above another, we may say, though all be gold, yet this is a pearl in the gold; though all be likethe heavens, this is as the sun and stars." Or if one part of Scripture be more dear to the believer than any other, it mustbe thiswhich contains his Master's last prayer before he entered through the rent vail of his own crucified body. How sweet itis to see that not himself, but his people, constituted the staple of his prayer! He did pray for himself-he said, "Father,glorify thou me!" but while he had one prayer for himself, he had many for his people. Continually did he pray for them-"father,sanctify them!" "Father, keep them!" "Father, make them one!" And then he concluded his supplication with, "Father, I willthat they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." Melancthon well said there was never a more excellent,more holy, more fruitful, and more affectionate voice ever heard in heaven or in earth, than this prayer.

We shall first notice the style of the prayer; secondly, the persons interested in it; and thirdly, the great petitions offered-the last head constituting the main part of our discourse.

I. First, notice THE STYLE OF THE PRAYER-it is singular: it is, "Father, I will". Now, I cannot but conceive that there is something more in the expression, "I will" than a mere wish.It seems to one, thatwhen Jesus said "I will," although perhaps it might not be proper to say that he made a demand, yet we may say that he pleadedwith authority, asking for that which he knew to be his own, and uttering an "I will" as potent as any fiat that ever sprang fromthe lips of the Almighty "Father, I will." It is an unusual thing to find Jesus Christ saying to God, "I will" You knowthat before the mountains were brought forth, it was said of Christ, "in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delightto do thy will, O God." and we find whilst he was on earth, that he never mentioned his own will, that he expressly declared, "I came notto do my own will, but the will of him that sent me." It is true you do hear him when addressing men,saying "I will," for he saith, "I will, be thou clean;" but in his prayers to his Father he prayed with all humility;

"With sighs and groans he offered up,

His humble suit below."

"I will," therefore, seems to be an exception to the rule; but we must remember that Christ was now in an exceptional condition. Hehad never been before where he was now. He was now come to the end of his work; he could say, "I have finished the work whichthou gavest me to do," and therefore, looking forward to the time when the sacrifice would be complete and he should ascendon high, he sees that his work is done, and takes his own will back again and saith,"Father, I will."

Now, mark, that such a prayer as this would be totally unbecoming in our lips. We are never to say, "Father, I will." Our prayer is to be, "Not my will, but thine be done." We are to mention our wishes, but our wills are to subside into the will of God. We are to feel that whilst it is ours to desire, it is God's to will. But how pleasant,I repeat, it is to find the Saviour pleading with such authority as this, for this puts the stamp of certaintyupon his prayer. Whatsoever he has asked for in that chapter he shall have beyond a doubt. At other times, when he pleadedas a Mediator, in his humility he was eminently successful in his intercessions; how much more shall his prayer prevail nowthat he takes to himself his great power, and with authority cries, "Father, I will." I love that opening to the prayer, itis a blessed guarantee of its fulfillment, rendering it so sure that we may now look upon Christ's prayer as a promise whichshall be assuredly fulfilled.

II. Thus much concerning the style of the prayer; and now we NOTICE THE PERSONS FOR WHOM HE PRAYED, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." This was not an universal prayer. It was a prayer including within it a certain class and portionof mankind, who are designated as "those whom the Father had given him." Now we are taught to believe that God the Fatherdid, from before the foundation of the world, give unto his Son JesusChrist a number whom no man can number, who were to be the reward of his death, the purchase of the travail of his soul;who were to be infallibly brought unto everlasting glory by the merits of his passion, and the power of his resurrection.These are the people here referred to. Sometimes in Scripture they are called the elect, because when the Father gave themto Christ he chose them out from among men. At other times they are called the beloved, because God's love was set upon themof old.They are called Israel; for like Israel of old, they are a chosen people, a royal generation. They are called God's inheritance,for they are especially dear to God's heart; and as a man careth for his inheritance and his portion, so the Lord careth especiallyfor them.

Let me not be misunderstood. The people whom Christ here prays for, are those whom God the Father out of his own free loveand sovereign good pleasure ordained unto eternal life, and who, in order that his design might be accomplished, were giveninto the hands of Christ the Mediator, by him to be redeemed, sanctified, and perfected, and by him to be glorified everlastingly.These people, and none others, are the object of our Saviour's prayer. It is not for me to defendthe doctrine; it is Scriptural, that is my only defense. It is not for me to vindicate God from any profane charge ofpartiality or injustice. If there be any wicked enough to impute this to him, let them settle the matter with their Maker.Let the thing formed, if it have arrogance enough, say to him that formed it, "Why hast thou made me thus?" I am not God'sapologist, he needs no defender. "Who art thou, O man, that repliest against God? Hath he not, like the potter, power overthe clay, tomake one vessel to honor, and another to dishonor?" Instead of disputing, let us enquire who are these people? Do we belongto them? Oh! let each heart now put the solemn query, "Am I included in that happy throng whom God the Father gave to Christ?"Beloved, I cannot tell you by the mere hearing of your names; but if I know your character, I can tell you decisively-or rather,you will need no telling, for the Holy Spirit will bear witness in your hearts that you are amongst the number.Answer this question-Have you given yourselves to Christ? Have you been brought, by the constraining power of his ownfree love, to make a voluntary surrender of yourself to him? Have you said, "O Lord other lords have had dominion over me;but now I reject them, and I give myself up to thee.

'Other refuge have I none;

Hangs my helpless soul on thee;'

and as I have no other refuge, so I have no other Lord. Little am I worth, but such as I am, I give all I have and all I amto thee. It is true, I was never worth thy purchasing, but since thou hast bought me, thou shalt have me. Lord, I make a fullsurrender of myself to thee." Well, soul, if thou hast done this, if thou hast given thyself to Christ, it is but the resultof that ancient grant made by Jehovah to his son long ere the worlds were made. And, once again, canstthou feel to-day that thou art Christ's? If thou canst not remember the time when he sought thee and brought thee to himself,yet canst thou say with the spouse "I am my beloved's?" Can you now from your inmost soul say, Whom have I in heaven but thee,and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee! If so, trouble not your minds about election, there is nothing troublesomein election to you. He that believes is elected, he who is given to Christ now, was given to Christ from before thefoundation of the world. You need not dispute divine decrees, but sit down and draw honey out of this rock, and wine outof this flinty rock. Oh, it is a hard, hard doctrine to a man who has no interest in it, but when a man has once a title toit, then it is like the rock in the wilderness, it streams with refreshing water whereat myriads may drink and never thirstagain. Well does the Church of England say of that doctrine, "is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godlypersons." And though it be like the Tarpeian rock, whence many a malefactor has been dashed to pieces in presumption,yet it is like Pisgah, from whose lofty summit the spires of heaven may be seen in the distance. Again, I say, be not castdown, neither let your hearts be disconsolate. If you be given to Christ now, you are among the happy number for whom he intercedesabove, and you shall be gathered amongst the glorious throng, to be with him where he is, and to behold his glory.

III. I very briefly pass over these two points, because I desire to dwell upon the third, which is, THE PETITIONS WHICH THESaviour OFFERS.

Christ prayed, if I understand his prayer, for three things-things which constitute Heaven's greatest joy, Heaven's sweetestemployment, and Heaven's highest privilege.

1. The first great thing he prayed for, is that which is heaven's greatest joy-"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." If you notice, every word in the sentenceis necessary to its fullness. He does not say-"I pray that those, whom thou hast given me, may be where I am;" but, "with me where I am." And he does not only pray that they might be with him, but that they might be with him in the same placewhere he is. And mark! he did not say he wished his people to be in heaven, but with him in heaven, because that makes heaven heaven.It is the very pith and marrow of heaven to be with Christ. Heaven without Christ would be but an empty place it would loseits happiness, it would be a harp without strings; and where would be the music?-a sea without water, a very pool of Tantalus.He prayed then that we might be with Christ-that is our companionship, with him where he is-that isour position. It seems as if he would tell us, that heaven is both a condition and a state-in the company of Christ, andin the place where Christ is.

I might, if I expose, enlarge very much on these points, but I just throw out the raw material of a few thoughts, that willfurnish you with topics of meditation in the afternoon. Let us now pause and think how sweet this prayer is, by contrastingit with our attainments on earth. "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." Ah! brothersand sisters, we know a little of what it is to be with Christ. There are some happy moments, sweetpauses between the din of the continued battles of this wearied life there are some soft times, like couches of rest,wherein we do repose. There are hour when our Master comes to us, and makes us, or ever we are aware, like the chariots ofAmminadib. It is true, we have not been caught up to the third heaven, like Paul, to hear words which it is unlawful for usto utter; but we have sometimes thought that the third heavens have come down to us. Sometimes I have said within myself,"Well, ifthis be not heaven, it is next door to it" and we have thought that we were dwelling in the suburbs of the celestial city.You were in that land which Bunyan calls the land Beulah. You were so near to heaven, that the angels did flit across thestream and bring you sweet bunches of myrrh, and bundles of frankincense, which grow in the beds of spices on the hills, andyou pressed these to your heart and said with the spouse, "A bundle of myrrh, is my well beloved unto me. he shall lie allnightbetwixt my breasts," for I am ravished with his love and filled with his delights He hath made himself near to me, hehath unveiled his countenance and manifested all his love. But, beloved, while this gives us a foretaste of heaven, we maynevertheless use our state on earth as a complete contrast to the state of the glorified above. For here, when we see ourMaster, it is but at a distance. We are sometimes we think in his company, but still we cannot help feeling that there isa great gulffixed between us, even when we come the nearest to him. We talk, you know, about laying our head upon his bosom, and sittingat his feet; but alas! we find it after all to be very metaphorical, compared with the reality which we shall enjoy above.We have seen his face, we trust we have sometimes looked into his heart, and tasted that he is gracious, but still long nightsof darkness lay between us. We have cried again and again with the bride, "Oh, that thou wert as my brother, that sucked thebreasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised. I would leadthee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juiceof my pomegranate." We were with him but still he was in an upper-room of the house, and we below; we were with him but stillwe felt that we were absent from him, even when we were the nearest to him.

Again, even the sweetest visits from Christ, how short they are! Christ comes and goes very much like an angel; his visitsare few and far between with the most of us, and oh! so short-alas, too short for bliss. One moment our eyes see him, andwe rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, but again a little time and we do not see him, our beloved withdraws himselffrom us; like a roe or a young hart he leaps over the mountain of division; he is gone back to theland of spices, and feeds no more among the lilies.

"If to-day he deigns to bless us

With a sense of pardoned sin,

He to-morrow may distress us,

Make us feel the plague within"

Oh, how sweet the prospect of the time when we shall not see him at a distance, but face to face. There is a sermon in thosewords, "face to face." And then we shall not see him for a little time, but

"Millions of years our wondering eyes,

Shall o'er our Saviour's beauties rove;

And myriad ages we'll adore,

The wonders of his love."

Oh, if it is sweet to see him now and then, how sweet to gaze on that blessed face for aye, and never have a cloud rollingbetween, and never have to turn one's eyes away to look on a world of weariness and woe! Blest days! when shall ye come, whenour companionship with Christ shall be close and uninterrupted?

And let us remark, again, that when we get a glimpse of Christ, many step in to interfere. We have our hours of contemplation,when we do draw near to Jesus, but alas! how the world steps in and interrupts even our most quiet moments-the shop, the field,the child, the wife, the head, perhaps the very heart, all these are interlopers between ourselves and Jesus. Christ lovesquiet; he will not talk to our souls in the busy market place, but he says, "Come, my love, intothe vineyard, get thee away into the villages, there will I show thee my love." But when we go to the villages, beholdthe Philistine is there, the Canaanite has invaded the land. When we would be free from all thought except thought of Jesus,the wandering band of Bedouin thoughts come upon us, and they take away our treasures, and spoil our tents. We are like Abrahamwith his sacrifice; we lay out the pieces ready for the burning, but foul birds come to feast on the sacrifice which we desireto keep for our God and for him alone. We have to do as Abraham did; "When the birds came down upon the sacrifice, Abrahamdrove them away." But in heaven there shall be no interruption, no weeping eyes shall make us for a moment pause in our vision,no earthly joys, no sensual delights, shall create a discord in our melody; there shall we have no fields to till, no garmentto spin, no wearied limb, no dark distress, no burning thirst, no pangs of hunger, no weepings of bereavement; we shallhave nought to do or think upon, but for ever to gaze upon that Sun of Righteousness, with eyes that cannot be blinded,and with a heart that can never be weary; to lie in those arms for ever; throughout a whole eternity to be pressed to hisbosom, to feel the beatings of his ever faithful heart; to drink his love; to be satisfied for ever with his favor, and fullwith the goodness of the Lord! Oh! if we have only to die to get to such delights as these,-death is gain, it is swallowedup invictory.

Nor must we turn away from the sweet thought, that we are to be with Christ where he is, until we have remembered, that thoughwe often draw near to Jesus on earth, yet the most we ever have of him, is but a sip of the well. We sometimes come to thewells of Elim and the seventy palm trees, but when sitting beneath the palm trees, we feel that it is just like an oasis;to-morrow we shall have to be treading the burning sands, with the scorching sky above us. One day we sitdown and we drink from the sweet soft spring, to-morrow we know that we have to be standing with parched lips over Marah'sfount, and crying, "Alas, alas! it is bitter; I cannot drink thereof" But oh, in heaven, we shall do what holy Rutherfordsays, we shall put the well head to our lips and drink right on from that well that never can be drained, we shall drink toour souls utmost full. Ay, as much of Jesus as the finite can hold of infinity shall the believer receive. We shall not thenseehim for the twinkling of an eye and then lose him, but we shall see him ever. We shall not eat of manna that shall belike a small round thing, a coriander seed, but the manna whereof we feed shall be mountains, the broad hills of food, therewe shall have rivers of delight, and oceans of ecstatic joy. Oh, it is very hard for us to tell, with all that we can guessof heaven, how large, how deep, how high, how broad it is. When Israel ate of that one fair branch which came from Esheol,theyguessed what the clusters of Canaan must be; and when they tasted the honey they guessed the sweetness. But I warrantno man in all that host, had any idea of how full that land was of fertility and sweetness; how the very brooks ran with honey,and the very rocks did teem with fatness. Nor can any of us who have lived the nearest to our Master, form more than the faintestguess of what it is to be with Jesus where he is.

Now all that is wanted to help my feeble description of being with Jesus, is this-if you have faith in Christ, just thinkover this fact, that in a few more months you will know more about it than the wisest mortal ere can tell. A few more rollingsuns, and you and I shall be in heaven. Go on, O Time! with thy swiftest pinions fly! A few more years, and I shall see hisface. O canst thou say, my hearer, "I shall see his face?" Come, thou gray-headed one, nearing the goalof life, canst thou with confidence say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth?" If thou canst say that, it will fill thy soulwith joy. I can never think of it without being moved to tears. To think that this head shall wear a crown; that these poorfingers shall strike the harp-strings of everlasting song; that this poor lip, which now faintly tells the wonders of redeeminggrace, shall join with cherubim and seraphim, and rival them in melody. Is it not too good to be true? Does it not seemsometimes as if the very greatness of the thought overwhelmed our faith? But true it is, and though too great for us toreceive it, it is not too great for God to give. We shall be with him where he is. Yes, John; thou laidst thy head upon thy Saviour's bosom once, and I have ofttimes envied thee;but I shall have thy place by-and-bye. Yes, Mary; it was thy sweet delight to sit at thy Master's feet, while Martha was cumberedwith her much serving. I too, am too much cumbered with thisworld; but I shall leave my Martha's cares in the tomb and sit to hear thy Master's voice. Yes, O spouse, thou didst askto be kissed with the kisses of his lips, and what thou askedst for poor humanity shall yet see. And the poorest, meanest,and most illiterate of you, who have trusted in Jesus, shall yet put your lip to the lip of your Saviour, not as Judas did,but with a true "Hail, Master!" you shall kiss him. And then, wrapped in the beams of his love, as a dim star is eclipsedin thesunlight, so shall you sink into the sweet forgetfulness of ecstacy, which is the best description we can give of thejoys of the redeemed. "Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." That is heaven's sweetestjoy,-to be with Christ.

2. And now the next prayer is, "that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me." This is heaven's sweetest employment. I doubt not there are many joys in heaven which will amplify the grand joy with which are have just started; I feel confidentthat the meeting of departed friends, the society of apostles, prophets priests, and martyrs, will amplify the joy of theredeemed. But still the sun that will give them the greatest light to their joy, will be thefact that they are with Jesus Christ and behold his face. And now there may be other employments in heaven, but that mentionedin the text is the chief one, "That they may behold my glory." O for the tongue of angel-O for the lip of Cherubim! for onemoment to depict the mighty scenes which the Christian shall behold when he seeth the glory of his Master, Jesus Christ! Letus pass as in a panorama before your eyes the great scenes of glory which you shall behold after death. The moment the souldeparts from this body, it will behold the glory of Christ. The glory of his person will he the first thing that willarrest our attention. There will he sit in the midst of the throne, and our eyes will first be caught with the glory of hisappearance. Perhaps we shall be struck with astonishment. Is this the visage that was more marred than that of any man? Arethese the hands that once rude iron tore? Is that the head that once was crowned with thorns. Oh, how shall our admirationrise, andrise, and rise to the very highest pitch, when we shall see him who was-

"The weary man, and full of woes

The humble man before his foes,"

now King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. What! are those fire-darting eyes the very eyes that once wept over Jerusalem? Are thosefeet shod with sandals of light; the feet that once were torn by the flinty acres of the Holy Land? Is that the man, who scarredand bruised was carried to his tomb? Yes, 'tis he. And that shall absorb our thoughts-the godhead and the manhood of Christ;the wondrous feet that he is God over all blessed for ever, and yet man, bone of our bone,flesh of our flesh. And when for an instant we have noted this, I doubt not the next glory we shall see will be the gloryof his enthronement. Oh, how will the Christian stop at the foot of his Master's throne and look upward, and if there could be tears in heaven,tears of rich delight will roll down his cheeks when he looks and sees the man enthroned. "Oh," saith he "I often used tosing on earth Crown him! crown him! crown him! King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!" And now I see him, upthose hills of glorious light, my soul doth not dare to climb. There, there he sits! Dark with unsufferable light hisskirts appear. Millions of angels bow themselves around him. The redeemed before his throne prostrate themselves with rapture.Ah! we shall not deliberate many moments but taking our crowns in our hands we shall help to swell that solemn pomp, and castingour crowns at his feet, we shall join the everlasting song, "Unto him that hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in hisblood, unto him be glory for ever and ever." Can you imagine the magnificence of the Saviour? Can you conceive how thronesand princes, principalities and powers, all wait at his beck and command? Ye cannot tell how well the tiara of the universedoth fit his brow, or how the regal purple of all worlds doth gird his shoulders; but certain it is, from the highest heavento the deepest hell, he is Lord of Lords-from the furthest east to the remotest west, he is master of all. The songs of allcreatures find a focus in him. He is the grand reservoir of praise. All the rivers run into the sea, and all the hallelujahscome to him, for he is Lord of all. Oh, this is heaven-it is all the heaven I wish, to see my Master exalted; for, this hasoften braced my loins when I have been weary, and often steeled my courage when I have been faint "The Lord also hath highlyexalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, both ofthings in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth."

And then the believer will have to wait a little while, and then he shall see more glorious things yet. After a few years,he will see the glories of the latter day. We are told in prophecy, that this world is to become the dominion of Christ. Atpresent, idolatry, and bloodshed, and cruelty, and lusts, do reign. But the hour is coming; when this Augean stable shallbe cleansed once and for ever, when these huge shambles of Aceldama shall yet become the temple of theliving God. We believe that in these times, Christ with solemn pomp will descend from heaven to reign upon this earth.We cannot read our Bibles and believe them literally, without believing that there are bright days coming, when Christ shallsit upon the throne of his father David, when he shall hold his court on earth, and reign amongst his ancients gloriously.But oh, if it be so, you and I shall see it, if we belong to the happy number, who have put their trust in Christ. These eyesshallsee that pompous appearance, when he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth. "Mine eyes shall see him, and not another's."I could almost weep to think, that I have lost the opportunity of seeing Christ on earth as crucified. I do think the twelveapostles were very highly favored, but when we shall see our Saviour here, and shall be like our head, we shall think thatall deficiencies are made up in the eternal weight of glory. When from the center to the poles the harmony of this worldshall all be given to his praise, these ears shall hear it, and when all nations shall join the shout, this tongue shalljoin the shout also. Happy men and happy women who have such a hope, so to behold the Saviour's glory.

And then, after that a little pause. A thousand years shall run their golden cycle, and then shall come the judgment Christ,with sound of trumpet, in pomp terrific, shall descend from heaven-Angels shall form his body-guard. surrounding him on eitherhand. The chariots of the Lord are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels. The whole sky shall be clad with wonders. Prodigies,and miracles shall be as rife and as plentiful as the leaves upon the trees. The earth shalltotter at the tramp of the Omnipotent; the pillars of the heavens shall stagger like drunken men, beneath the weight ofthe eternal splendour-heaven shall display itself in the sky, while on earth all men shall be assembled. The sea shall giveup its dead; the graves shall yield their tenants from the cemetery, and the graveyard, and the battle-field, men shall startin their thousands; and every eye shall see him, and they who have crucified him. And while the unbelieving world shall weepand wail because of him, seeking to hide themselves from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, believers shallcome forward, and, with songs and choral symphonies, shall meet their Lord Then shall they be caught up together with theLord in the air, and after he hath said, "Come, ye blessed" they shall sit upon his throne, judging the twelve tribes of Israel;they shall take their seats as assessors upon that awful judgment bench. and when at the last he shall say, "Depart, ye cursed,"and his left hand shall open the door of thunder, and let loose the flames of fire, they shall cry, Amen; and when theearth shall vanish, and men shall sink into their appointed doom, they gladly seeing the triumph of their Master, shall shoutagain, again, again the shout of victory-"Hallelujah, for the Lord God hath triumphed over all."

And to complete the scene, when the Saviour shall ascend on high for the last time, his victories all completed, and deathhimself being slain, he, like a mighty conqueror about to ride through heaven's bright streets, shall drag at his chariotwheel hell and death. You and I, attendants at his side, shall shout the victor to his throne, and while the angels clap theirbright wings and cry, "the Mediator's work is done," you and I

"Louder than them all shall sing

While heaven's resounding mansions ring,

With shouts of sovreign grace."

We shall behold his glory. Picture whatever splendor and magnificence you please if you do but conceive it rightly, you shallbehold it.

You see people in this world running through the streets a king or a queen ride through them. How they do climb to their house-topsto see some warrior return from battle. Ah! what a trifle! What is it to see a piece of flesh and blood though it be crownedwith gold. But oh! what is it to see the Son of God with heaven's highest honors to attend him, entering within the pearlygates, while the vast universe resounds with "Hallelujah! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth."

3. I must close by noticing the last point, which is this. In our Saviour's prayer heaven's greatest privilege is also included. Mark, we are not only to be with Christ and to behold his glory, but we are to be like Christ and to beglorified with him. Is he bright? So shall you be. Is he enthroned? So shall you be. Does he wear a crown? So shall you. Ishe a priest? So shall you be a priest and a king to offer acceptable sacrifices for ever. Mark, that in allChrist has, a believer has a share. This seems to me to be the sum total, and the crowning of it all-to reign with Christ,to ride in his triumphal chariot, and have a portion of his joy; to be honored with him, to be accepted in him, to be glorifiedwith him. This is heaven, this is heaven indeed.

And now, how many of you are there here who have any hope that this shall be your lot? Well said Chrysostom, "The pains ofhell are not the greatest part of hell; the loss of heaven is the weightiest woe of hell;" to lose the sight of Christ, thecompany of Christ, to lose the beholding of his glories, this must be the greatest part of the damnation of the lost.

Oh, you that have not this bright hope, how is it that you can live? You are going through a dark world, to a darker eternity.I beseech you stop and pause. Consider for a moment whether it is worth while to lose heaven for this poor earth. What! pawneternal glories for the pitiful pence of a few moments of the world's enjoyments. No, stop I beseech you; weigh the bargainere you accept it. What shall it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul, and lose sucha heaven as this?

But as for you who have a hope, I beseech you hold it fast, live on it, rejoice in it-

"A hope so much divine,

May trials well endure,

May purge your soul from sense and sin,

As Christ the Lord is pure."

Live near your Master now, so shall your evidences be bright; and when you come to cross the flood, you shall see him faceto face, and what that is only they can tell who enjoy it every hour.