Page:Sermons on the Ten Commandments.djvu/100

 heaven, with its felicities. This is the reward promised to those who keep this Commandment in all its senses, natural, spiritual, and celestial; that is, who respect and cherish their natural parents, who love goodness and truth, and who worship the Lord and prize and practise the Doctrines of His Church.

Observe that this is the only Commandment to which this promise is expressly attached;—and the reason probably is, that in its internal sense this Commandment is so comprehensive in its scope. He who loves goodness and truth above all worldly things,—who worships the Lord and cherishes and practises the truths of the Church, cannot but be in a good and heavenly state of mind, and therefore cannot but come into heaven hereafter.

In the pure spiritual sense, by having our days prolonged is signified eternal increase of goodness, because days signify states, and length is predicated of goodness. In Scripture, length and breadth, like all other natural terms, have a spiritual signification. As there is no length and breadth with the spirit, those terms, when applied to what is spiritual, describe states of mind, the former having relation to goodness, and the latter to truth. So, as there are not times with the spirit, but states, days signify states, "length of days" signifies goodness of state, and "prolongation of days" ever-increasing goodness of state.

And think what it is to have our days prolonged in the heavenly Canaan! think what it is to dwell in heaven forever, eternally advancing in goodness and happiness! This life of threescore years and ten seems