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<p><STRONG>An Enrolment of Our Names in Heaven&mdash;the
Noblest Source of Joy<BR><BR></STRONG>by Samuel Davies, January 14,
1759<BR><BR><BR>The seventy-two returned with joy and said, &quot;Lord,
even the demons submit to us in your name!&quot;<BR><BR>He replied,
&quot;I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you
authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the
power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice
that the spirits submit to you, but&nbsp;<EM>rejoice that your names
are written in heaven!&quot;&nbsp;</EM>Luke 10:17-20<BR><BR>This is
the answer Christ gave to his disciples, when returned from their
mission, flushed with victory over the most mighty and most malignant
enemies, the infernal powers. &quot;The seventy-two returned with joy
and said&mdash;Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!&quot;
This they probably mentioned with a tincture of vanity, and were
secretly proud of their new power, which their Master had given them.
Though they owned it was his gift, they gloried in it, as conferring
some new honour and dignity upon themselves. And probably like the
rest of their countrymen, their heads were filled with notions of
the&nbsp;<EM>temporal&nbsp;</EM>kingdom of the Messiah, and his
conquests over the other nations of the earth in favour of the Jews;
and inferred that they should have an irresistible power over their
enemies on earth, from the power they had been enabled to exercise
over evil spirits, so much more mighty, and seemingly
unconquerable.<BR><BR>Their Lord and Master, among other things in
his answer, checks this secret vanity, and points out to them a
superior cause of joy. &quot;Do not rejoice that the spirits submit
to you.&quot; That is, do not rejoice as much as you do, do not
rejoice principally in this&mdash;that the spirits, (that is, evil
spirits,) are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your
names are written in heaven!<BR><BR>As if he should say, &quot;Though
you may safely rejoice in the victory you have obtained through my
name over the powers of hell&mdash;yet you ought to take care that it
be not a vain, selfish, carnal joy&mdash;a joy springing from the
gratification of your own ambition. And take care also, that it does
not run into excess; for I will show you a much greater cause of joy
than even this; and that is, that your names are written in heaven!
It is possible, that while you are casting the devil out of the
bodies of others, your own souls may be under his power, and you may
be his miserable slaves forever. But since your names are written in
heaven, you are safe; and that is cause of joy indeed. Rejoice in
this&mdash;above all other things.&quot;<BR><BR>How would we rejoice,
and perhaps boast, if the mighty powers of hell were subject unto us,
and we could make them fly at a word! But the lowest Christian is
more happy than this, and has cause of greater joy.<BR><BR>For the
further explanation of the text, it is only necessary to inquire,
what is meant by&nbsp;<EM>their names being written in
heaven?</EM><BR><BR>Heaven is here compared to a&nbsp;<EM>city&nbsp;</EM>or
corporation, in which a list or record is kept of all the citizens or
freemen who are entitled to its privileges and immunities. And,
therefore, to have our names written in heaven, signifies to be
citizens, or freemen of the heavenly city; that is, to have a right
to an inheritance there, and to all its privileges and
enjoyments.<BR><BR>This naturally suggests a very important inquiry,
the decision of which may hold us all in an anxious suspense: &quot;How
may I know (may each of us ask) whether&nbsp;<EM>MY&nbsp;</EM>unworthy
name is written in heaven? Who can open and read the records of
heaven, and show me whether&nbsp;<EM>my&nbsp;</EM>name is registered
there?&quot;<BR><BR>I answer, This is a secret that may be
discovered; for all who have their names written in heaven&mdash;may
be distinguished by <EM>their characters</EM>, their&nbsp;<EM>temper</EM>,
and&nbsp;<EM>practice</EM>, while upon earth. And
their&nbsp;<STRONG>characters&nbsp;</STRONG>are such as
these:<BR><BR><STRONG>1.&nbsp;</STRONG>All who have their names
written in heaven&mdash;are deeply sensible of the vanity of all
earthly things, and that heaven alone is a sufficient portion and
happiness. All who are registered as citizens of the heavenly
Jerusalem, have a superlative esteem of that privilege, and count all
things but loss&mdash;in comparison of it, Matthew 6:24-26, and
13:45, 46. And is this your character? Are your hearts in heaven? Or
are your highest affections confined to the earth?<BR><BR><STRONG>2.</STRONG>&nbsp;All
who have their names written in heaven&mdash;have a heavenly nature;
a nature very different from that of the men of this world, and like
that of the citizens of heaven! And is this your temper? Or is it
earthly and sensual?<BR><BR><STRONG>3.&nbsp;</STRONG>All who have
their names written in heaven&mdash;have a peculiar love for all
their fellow-citizens, who are heirs of heaven. They love them as
members of the same family with themselves. 1 John 3:14.<BR><BR><STRONG>4.</STRONG>&nbsp;If
your names are written in heaven, it is the chief business and
concern of your life&mdash;to obtain a saving interest in heaven.
This is not the object of languid, lazy wishes; or of lukewarm,
spiritless prayers; but of your vigorous, anxious, persevering
desires. And do you thus seek the kingdom of heaven? Matthew 11:12;
Luke 16:16.<BR><BR>These marks must suffice at present to assist you
in self-examination; and I beg you would bring them to your hearts,
and see if you will stand this test.<BR><BR>If your names are written
in heaven, then my text authorizes me to tell you, this is the
greatest cause of joy you can possibly have; a joy that may swallow
up every other joy.<BR><BR>On the other hand&mdash;if your names are
not written in heaven, there is nothing in the&nbsp;<EM>world&nbsp;</EM>that
can happen to you, that can be a cause of rational, lasting joy to
you.<BR><BR><BR><STRONG>I. If your names are written in heaven, this
is the greatest cause of joy you can possibly have; a joy that may
swallow up every other joy!</STRONG>&nbsp;This will appear by an
induction of particulars.<BR><BR>Are you&nbsp;<STRONG>rich&nbsp;</STRONG>in
this world? Has God blessed your&nbsp;<EM>industry&nbsp;</EM>and&nbsp;<EM>frugality</EM>&mdash;so
that you are in easy, affluent circumstances? This is cause of joy
and gratitude to God, as it furnishes you with the materials of
earthly happiness, frees you from many anxieties and painful needs,
and puts it in your power to enjoy the generous pleasure of doing
good with your substance.<BR><BR>But what is this&mdash;when compared
with the blessings of the&nbsp;<EM>sanctified&nbsp;</EM>use of
riches, and the assurance that God has given you, that all things
shall work together for your good? What is this&mdash;when compared
to the unsearchable riches of Christ, and that fullness of grace and
glory, in which you have a saving interest? Rejoice more in this&mdash;than
in thousands of gold and silver.<BR><BR>Or if you are not in affluent
circumstances&mdash;then perhaps are you above extreme poverty, and
able by your labour and industry to provide yourselves and your
dependents with the necessaries of life. This is the happiness of
most, even of the poor in our country; and this is cause of joy. But
what is this, compared to the happiness of having provision made for
your blissful existence through everlasting ages! Is it not superior
cause of joy, that when you are stripped of all the enjoyments of the
present life&mdash;that you shall also be delivered from all its
needs and labours, and shall not only have a bare sufficiency&mdash;but
a rich overflowing abundance of happiness equal to the capacities of
your souls in their highest enlargements? In this you may warrant
ably rejoice, and you cannot run into excess!<BR><BR>Do you enjoy
health of&nbsp;<EM>body</EM>? In this rejoice: but how trifling a
cause of joy is this to that of your&nbsp;<EM>souls&nbsp;</EM>being
in health and prospering, and bearing the symptoms of immortal life
and vigor.<BR><BR>Are your bodies free from demon possession? Rejoice
not so much in this&mdash;but rather rejoice that the devil is cast
out of <EM>your souls</EM>, and that you are not under his spiritual
tyranny.<BR><BR>Are you happy in your&nbsp;<EM>friends&nbsp;</EM>and
relations, and every domestic blessing? Rejoice not so much in this
as that you have the most honourable relations and friends in heaven.
God is your father; Christ is your Saviour, your elder brother, your
friend; the Holy Spirit is your sanctifier; the angels and all the
saints are your fellow-servants, your brethren of the same household
of God.<BR><BR>Do you rejoice in the freedom of your country, and
that you are delivered from the hands of your savage and treacherous
enemies on earth? Rather rejoice that you are delivered from the
tyranny of sin and Satan, and from the condemnation of the divine
law.<BR><BR>Do you rejoice that our forces have been victorious over
our enemies? Rather rejoice in the victory which the Captain of your
salvation has gained for you over your spiritual enemies. Rather
rejoice in the victory you are enabled to gain over sin, Satan, and
the world&mdash;through the blood of the Lamb. Rather rejoice to see
your lusts slain, or at least mortally wounded, and dying in your
hearts.<BR><BR>Do you rejoice that you have the prospect of living in
safety and peace in your country? Rather rejoice that you have peace
of conscience, and peace with God, through Jesus Christ: and that you
shall enter into everlasting peace whenever you leave this restless
world.<BR><BR>Do you rejoice that your earthly possessions, your
property and liberty are safe? Rather rejoice that your heavenly
inheritance is safe; and that whatever becomes of the kingdoms of the
earth&mdash;you have a kingdom that cannot be shaken, eternal in the
heavens.<BR><BR>Do you rejoice that you live under the government of
a good king? and that you enjoy the blessings of our happy
constitution? This is a peculiar happiness indeed; but rejoice not so
much in this, as that you are the subjects of the King of kings, and
under a dispensation of grace, and the government of a Mediator. The
Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice! Psalm 97:1. Rejoice, above all,
in this, that you and all your affairs are under the direction of a
divine hand, that will manage all for your good. Rejoice that before
long you shall be admitted to the court of the heavenly King&mdash;and
see him in all his glory!<BR><BR>Do you rejoice that your life is
prolonged, while so many are dropping into the grave around you?
Rather rejoice that you are not to live always in this most wretched
world. Rejoice that death itself, your last enemy, will not be able
to do you any lasting injury&mdash;but only convey you home to your
Father's house, and the full possession of your heavenly
inheritance!<BR><BR>Do you rejoice that you enjoy the gospel and the
means of salvation, and that these invaluable blessings are not
likely to be torn from you by the hands of Indian savages and Popish
idolaters? This indeed is cause of rejoicing; but how much more ought
you to rejoice that the gospel and the means of salvation are
made&nbsp;<EM>effectual&nbsp;</EM>by divine grace for your conversion
and sanctification! Many enjoy them as well as you, to whom they are
of no service&mdash;but an occasion of more aggravated guilt and
ruin.<BR><BR>Let me, therefore, persuade you to rejoice, not only as
a&nbsp;<EM>privilege</EM>&mdash;but as a&nbsp;<EM>duty</EM>. God
enjoins it upon you by the same authority by which he requires you to
pray, or to love himself or your neighbour. &quot;Be glad in the Lord
and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy all you who are upright
in heart.&quot; Psalm 32:11. &quot;Rejoice evermore,&quot; 1 Thess.
5:16, &quot;Rejoice in the Lord always! And again, I say, rejoice!&quot;
Philippians 4:4. It is only fitting that you should now rejoice in
that in which you shall rejoice forever. And, on the other hand, it
is highly unfitting that you should walk towards heaven melancholy
and dejected, as if you were going to the place of execution. Let
sinners be afflicted, and mourn, and weep, who stand every moment on
the slippery brink of eternal misery! Sorrow and lamentation befit
their circumstances. But will you always mourn and droop, who stand
every moment on the threshold of heaven, and know not but you may be
there before another sun shall rise? How inappropriate is this!
Therefore rejoice with all your hearts, that your worthless names are
written in heaven! This is greater cause of joy&mdash;than if they
were registered in the annals of fame, or among princes of the blood
royal.<BR><BR>And do not excuse yourselves from this agreeable duty,
by saying, &quot;I would rejoice&mdash;<EM>if</EM>&nbsp;I were sure
that my name is written in heaven; but, alas! I am not.&quot; For is
not this uncertainty your own fault? the effect of your own
negligence? Besides, have you not some cheerful hopes and
probabilities, and even some transient assurance? and is not this
cause of joy to creatures that deserve to be left under the pangs of
everlasting despair?<BR><BR>Let me advance a step farther, and tell
you, that you should rejoice that your names are written in heaven,
not only more than in all other causes of&nbsp;<STRONG>joy</STRONG>&mdash;but
also in opposition to all causes of&nbsp;<STRONG>sorrow</STRONG>.<BR><BR>What
though you are poor in this world&mdash;when the heavenly inheritance
is yours? That you are despised among men&mdash;when you have the
honour of being the sons of God? That you are weak, or sick and
pained in body&mdash;when your souls are recovering from the deadly
disease of sin? That you are the slaves of men&mdash;when you are
sharers in the liberty of the sons of God? That your enemies should
prove victorious over you upon earth, when you shall certainly
overcome at last? That your mortal relations and friends die, when
your heavenly Father and all your spiritual kindred live, and you
cannot be bereaved of them?<BR><BR>In short, what though you endure
all the afflictions that can crowd upon one man in the present
life&mdash;when they are all short and transitory, and work out for
you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, and when you
will soon arrive in the land of rest, beyond the reach of every
misery? In spite of all these calamities, &quot;Rejoice and be
exceeding glad, since your names are written in heaven!&quot;<BR><BR>But
I must proceed to address another class of hearers; and to them I
must say,<BR><BR><BR><STRONG>II. If your names are NOT written in
heaven, you can have no cause of solid, rational, and lasting joy in
anything.&nbsp;</STRONG>This also I shall illustrate by an induction
of particulars.<BR><BR>Rejoice not that you are rich, or enjoy the
least comforts of life&mdash;while you are destitute of spiritual and
everlasting riches.<BR><BR>Will it be any pleasure to you, to pass
from a splendid well-furnished house&mdash;into the regions of horror
and darkness?<BR><BR>Will it be any pleasure to you, to pass from
faring sumptuously every day&mdash;to suffer the extremities of
eternal misery?<BR><BR>Will it be any pleasure to you, to pass from
mirthful and merry company&mdash;to the society of lost fiends in
hell?<BR><BR>Will it be any pleasure to you, to pass from all the
luxuries of life&mdash;to weep and wail, and gnash your teeth
forever?<BR><BR>Will it be any pleasure to you, to pass from wearing
fine silks and laces&mdash;to be enrapt in sheets of infernal
flame?<BR><BR>Alas! what joy can you take in all the advantages that
riches can give you&mdash;while you must be stripped of them all so
soon, and feel a terrible reverse?<BR><BR>Many who are styled
religious and honourable among men&mdash;are but vile, despicable
creatures in the sight of God, and must before long sink into shame
and everlasting contempt. Many a body adorned with whatever riches
can procure&mdash;is animated by a poor, worthless soul, full of sin,
and void of the beauties of holiness. And can you rejoice in such
trifles as these? A man who has a gangrened foot may as well
rejoice&mdash;that it is covered with a silken plaster; or a criminal
may as well rejoice&mdash;that he is carried to the gallows in a fine
coach!<BR><BR>Besides, remember how hard it is for rich men enter
into the kingdom of God! &quot;I tell you the truth, it is hard for a
rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven&quot; Matthew 19:23. It is a
human impossibility; but it is not impossible to Omnipotence. As
riches increase, temptations increase; temptations to love the world
more, and to think less of heaven; temptations from pride, flattery,
amusements, vain company, etc. And can you rejoice that your
salvation is made more difficult? And can you rejoice that you, who
are apt to stumble at straws&mdash;have mountains thrown up in your
way? Alas! if this were rightly considered, would the wealthy and
affluent be so resolute and eager in the pursuit of riches?<BR><BR>What
though you are in good business, and prospering in the world&mdash;while
you are not doing the work of your salvation, nor carrying on a trade
for heaven, and your hurry of business is a great occasion of this
pernicious neglect?<BR><BR>What though you enjoy health of body&mdash;while
your souls are dead in trespasses and sins, and your health is no
security against death or hell?<BR><BR>What though you enjoy friends
and relatives&mdash;while the great God is your enemy?<BR><BR>What
though you enjoy mirth and pleasure&mdash;when they will end in
eternal howlings, and you will be upbraided with them forever, like
Dives, &quot;Son, remember that you in your life-time enjoyed your
good things?&quot;<BR><BR>What though your enemies are routed? Alas!
the devil and your sins are still rulers over you! What though your
country is safe&mdash;when you shall stay in it but a very little
time, and you have no place prepared for you in heaven? What though
you are the free-born descendants of Britons, and never were in
bondage to any man? Alas! you are the slaves of sin! What though you
live under the government of the best of kings, while you are the
captives of the prince of darkness, and the King of heaven is your
enemy? What though your bodies are not exposed to the sword of your
fellow-mortals, when you are liable every moment to the sword of
divine justice? What though you are safe, as to your outward
estate&mdash;when your immortal souls are in danger? What is a man
profited, if he gains the whole world&mdash;and loses his own soul?
What does it profit you to enjoy the gospel, while you receive no
advantage from it&mdash;but abuse it to your more aggravated ruin?
What does it avail that God is merciful, when you have no share in
his mercy, and never will, if you continue in your vain, carnal joy?
What does it avail that Christ died for sinners, while you wilfully
exclude yourselves from the blessed effects of his death?<BR><BR>In
short, what upon earth, or even in heaven, can afford you any
pleasure or rational joy&mdash;while your names are not written in
heaven, and you are not using earnest endeavours to be admitted as
citizens there? Alas! your case calls for sighs, and tears, and
sorrow&mdash;rather than joy! What have you to do with politics,
news, and the fate of armies and kingdoms, while you know not whether
you will be out of hell one day longer?<BR><BR>And as the joy of the
righteous, in having their names written in heaven, may swallow every
other joy&mdash;so your sorrow, on account of your names not being
written there, may swallow up all other sorrows. Be sorrowful on this
account, above all other things.<BR><BR>Have you lost your friends,
your relatives, your estate? This is sad; but oh! it is nothing to
the loss of God, of heaven, and your souls! All will be lost before
long, if you continue in your present condition. Are you poor in this
world? That is but a trifling affliction, compared with that
everlasting poverty you must before long suffer! Are you despised by
men? Alas! what is that to your being despised and abhorred by the
God who made you! Are you the slaves of men? This would be trifling,
and you need not be concerned about it, were it not that you are the
slaves to sin and Satan, and under the condemnation of the divine
law. Are you disordered in body? That is nothing to the disorders of
your souls. Are you afraid of natural death? Alas! what is that to
spiritual death, which has seized your souls, and the eternal death
which is just before you? In short, nothing in all the world ought so
to distress and grieve you as this&mdash;that your names are not
written in heaven!<BR><BR>Therefore, instead of vain rejoicing, and
mirth, and gaiety, I must read to you the denunciation of Jesus
Christ against you; &quot;But woe to you who are rich&mdash;for you
have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed
now&mdash;for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now&mdash;for
you will mourn and weep!&quot; Luke 6:24, 25; and call upon you as
the apostle James does, &quot;Go to now, you rich men, weep and wail
because of the misery that is coming upon you!&quot; James 5:1; and
again, &quot;Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be
turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness!&quot; James 4:9.<BR><BR>I
can honestly assure you that I am no enemy to the pleasures of
mankind. But it is because I love you, that I wish you may return
home sad and sorrowful from this place; for I well know, you are
forever undone, unless you turn to the Lord, and that you never will
turn to him, without rending of your hearts, weeping, and mourning.
Joel 2:12.<BR><BR>If your joy and mirth were&nbsp;<EM>rational</EM>&mdash;then
I would say nothing against it; but is it not frenzy and madness to
be merry in the chains<EM> of sin</EM>, under the wrath of God, and
upon the brink of eternal ruin?<BR><BR>Is it not also dishonourable
to God? It is as if you should tell him to his face, that you can be
merry and happy without his favour, and that you care nothing for his
displeasure.<BR><BR>I would not reprove your mirth&mdash;if it were
harmless; but, alas! it will ruin you&mdash;if you indulge it. For,
let me tell you, such sinners as you cannot become converts, without
alarming fears and deep sorrows. Without this you never will be in
earnest in your religious endeavours.<BR><BR>You will tell me
perhaps, &quot;you see Christians cheerful, and sometimes merry; and
why may not you be so?&quot; I answer,<BR><BR>(1.) There is a great
difference in your case and theirs; they have a living hope of
everlasting happiness; but you can have no hope in your present
condition. And may not they rejoice, while you have cause to mourn
and weep? What would you think of a criminal under condemnation, if
he allowed himself in that mirth and amusement, which may be lawful
and befitting in others?<BR><BR>(2.) The Christians you know now are
cheerful with good reason; but did you know any of them under their
first convictions; were they cheerful then? then, when they received
a sight of their sin and danger, and were in an awful suspense what
would be their everlasting doom? Were they merry and mirthful while
they saw themselves without a Saviour, and under the displeasure of
God? No! then all was sadness, fear, and sorrow. And this is what
your case now requires. Can you expect the same cheerfulness in one
under the power of a deadly disorder&mdash;as in one
recovering?<BR><BR>Finally, I would not endeavour to dampen your joys
and turn them into sorrow, if they would&nbsp;<EM>last</EM>. But oh!
they will soon end, and nothing but weeping, and wailing, and
gnashing of teeth will follow. Look down into that hideous gulf, the
prison of divine justice, where Dives and Judas, and thousands of
sinners lie; can you see any cheerful look, or hear one laugh among
them? No, no! They are done with all joy; and must spend a miserable
eternity in grief and tears! &quot;I am in agony in this fire!&quot;
Luke 16:24<BR><BR>And will you not rather mourn over sin in time&mdash;than
mourn forever? Will you choose now to receive your consolation? or
will you not rather delay it until you have reason to rejoice?<BR><BR>To
conclude: Allow a friend to your best interest to prevail upon you to
return home this evening sadly pensive and sorrowful, and to resolve
you will never indulge yourselves in one hour's mirth and gaiety,
until you have some reason to believe that your names are written in
heaven. This is what your own interest requires; and if you refuse,
you will unavoidably be sorry for it forever, when your sorrow can be
of no service to you. Betake yourselves in serious sadness to the
earnest use of all the means of salvation, and you have reason to
hope God will have mercy upon you, and turn you to himself. Then you
will have reason to rejoice, to rejoice in your temporal blessings,
and especially because your names are written in heaven. And then
God, and Christ, and angels will rejoice over you, and join in your
joy!</P>
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