while he is in this present state of existence, what the glory and bliss of that future state will be.

The second of these two reasons is, that God does not wish to exercise force or compulsion and thus to influence man's freedom of will and choice. That is to say, it is necessary that man should not choose to serve God and to do right merely through longing for the happiness and the glory of the world to come, and should on that account alone give up evil-doing. On the contrary, he must choose good through love towards God, and must forsake evil for the same reason. Though undoubtedly hope of obtaining happiness beyond the grave is a good reason why man should serve God and think about the next world, yet he should not serve God merely with this object in view. Nor should this hope exercise compulsion over his freedom of choice.

Hence for this reason also God has in the holy Scriptures in some measure concealed and kept secret the exact nature of the glory and happiness of the next world. And, since the tree of happiness both in this world and in that grows from the root of love of God and nearness to Him, therefore the man in whom such love finds no place cannot possibly enter into celestial glory. If he could, heaven itself would be hell to him.

Love towards God cannot be aroused in a man's heart by a description of the tortures of hell, or even by his hearing about the delights of heaven. On the contrary, as has been already said, this love

is produced only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and through consciousness of the remission of one's sins in consequence of the atonement which He has made. It is on this account that in the holy Scriptures these matters are so fully set forth in passage after passage, so that a man may strive to obtain faith and forgiveness, and may thus attain to love towards God and complete trust in his Saviour. If he does attain these inestimable blessings, he will undoubtedly inherit bliss and glory in the world to come, even though here he cannot fully discover their precise nature.

According to what is taught in those passages of the New Testament which treat of the glory and bliss of the next world, the happiness of true believers in that state may be summed up under four heads. First, they will be completely free from all pain, suffering, sickness, feebleness, death, sorrow, and all the other dire results of sin, and from the slavery of sin itself; second, they will know God, and will love Him with their whole heart; third, they will gladly and readily serve God and keep His commandments; fourth, they will approach God's glorious presence as nearly as is possible for created beings to do, His glory will shine upon them, and, they shall be like him, for they shall see him as he is.' It is evident that such happiness and glory are fitting for God, the Holy one, to bestow, that they are suitable for the