the sea he doth not complaine that he wants his Cisterne of water Though thou didst suck some comfort from thy relations yet when thou comest to the Ocean and art with Christ thou shalt never complaine that thou hast left thy cistern behinde There will be nothing to breed sorrow in heaven there shall be joy and nothing but joy Heaven is set out by that phrase Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord Here joy enters into us there we enter into joy the joyes we have here are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These are from heaven those are in heaven the joyes that we shall have with Christ are without measure and without mixture In thy presence is fulness of joy 1. The heart shall be filled Nothing but Christ can replenish the heart with joy the understanding will affections are such a triangle that none can fill but the Trinity As Christs beauty shall amaze the eye so his love shall ravish the heart of a glorified Saint must it not needs be joy to be with Christ what joy when a Christian shall see the great gulfe shot between heaven and hell What joy when Christ shall take us into the Wine-celler and kisse us with the kisses of his lips What joy when the match shall be at once made up and solemnized between Christ and a believer these are the more noble and generous delights 2. All the senses shall be filled with joy and at once The eye shall be filled What joy to see that Orient brightnesse in the face of Christ there you may see the Lily and the Rose mixed white and ruddy Cant. 5.10 The Eare shall be filled What joy to the Spouse to heare Christs voice The voice of God was dreadful to Adam after he had listened to the Serpents voice I heard thy voice in the garden and was afraid Gen. 3.10 But how sweet will the Bridegrooms voice be What joy to hear him say My Love my Dove my undefiled What joy to heare the musick of Angels even the heavenly hoast praysing God If the eloquence of Origen the golden mouth of Chrysostome did so affect and charme the eares of their auditours Oh then what will it be to heare the glorious tongues of Saints and Angels as so many divine Trumpets sounding forth the excellencies of God and singing Hallelujahs to the Lamb The smell shall be filled What joy to smell that fragrancy and perfume that comes from Christ All his garments smell of myrrhe aloes and Cassia The sweet breath of his Spirit blowing upon the soule shall give forth its sent as the wine of Lebanon The taste shall be filled Christ will bring his Spouse into the banqueting house and she shall be inebriated with his love O what joy to be drinking in this heavenly nectar This is the water of life This is the wine on the lees well refined The touch shall be filled the Saints shall be ever in the embraces of Christ Behold my hands and my feet handle me and see me Luk. 24.39 That will be our work in heaven we shall be ever handling the Lord of life Thus all the senses shall be filled Yet though there be a fulnesse of joy there shall be no surfeit the soule shall not be so full but it shall desire nor shall it so desire but it shall be full That which prevents a surfeit in heaven is that there shall be every moment new and fresh delights springing forth from God into the glorified soul Well might the Apostle say to be with Christ is farre better Great is the joy that faith breeds Whom not seeing yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory If the joy of Faith be such what will the joy of fruition be There is ioy when we fall into temptations Jam. 1.2 If Christs sufferings are full of joy what then are his embraces If the dew of Hermon hill be so sweet the first fruits of Christs love what will the full crop be In short there will be nothing in heaven but what shall adde infinitely to the joy of the Saints The very torments of the damned shall create matter of joy and triumph I may allude to that of the Psalmist The righteous shall rejoyce when he sees the vengeance the elect shall rejoyce upon a double account to see Gods justice magnificently exalted and to see themselves miraculously delivered There shall be no unpleasant object represented nothing but joy Such will that joy be when we are with Christ that as it is not possible so neither is it fit for a man to speake 2 Cor. 12.4 We read that Ioseph gave his brethren money and provision for the way But the full sacks were kept till they came at their fathers house God gives us something by the way some of the hidden-manna some taste of his heavenly joy in this life but the full sacks of corne are kept for heaven O what joy to be with Christ surely if there were such joy and triumph at Solomons coronation That all the earth rang with the sound of it What joy will be on the Saints coronation-coronation-day when they shall be eternally united to Jesus Christ This shall inhance the joy of heaven It is for ever 1 Thes. 4.17 Then shall we ever be with the Lord. If this joy should after many years have a period it would much abate the sweetnesse But certainly if we could by our Arithmetick reckon up more millions of ages then there have been minutes since the Creation after all this time which were a short eternity the joy of the Saints shall be as farre from ending as it was at the beginning SECT V. The fifth Priviledge of being with Christ. I Proceed to the next priviledge which is Rest A Christian in this life is like Quick-silver which hath a principle of motion in it self but not of rest We are never quiet but as the Ball upon the Racket or the ship upon the waves· As long as we have sinne this is like the quick-silver A childe of God is full of motion and disquiet I have no rest in my bones by reason of my sinne Psal. 38.3 While there are wicked men in the world never look for rest If a man be poor he is thrust away by the rich if he be rich he is envied by the poore sometimes losses disquiet sometimes law-suits vex 'T is onely the prisoner lives in such a Tenement as he may be sure none will go about to take from him one trouble doth succeed another Velut unda supervenit undae sometimes the flood-gates of persecution are opened sometimes the Tombstone of disgrace is laid upon the Saints either the body is in trouble or the minde or both The Saints in this life are in a pilgrim-condition the Apostles had no certaine dwelling place 1 Cor. 4.11 We are here in a perpetual hurry in a constant fluctuation our life is like the Tyde
upper hand which goes hand in hand with Christ. Good works are not separated from faith only faith challengeth its seniority Faith believes as if it did not work and it works as if it did not believe Faith hath Rachels eye and Leahs womb Rom. 7.4 That ye should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead that ye should bring forth fruit unto God Faith is that Spouse-like grace which marries Christ and good works are the children which faith bears Thus having briefly shewn you the Nature of Faith I now come to the reflexive Act Have you faith or no And here let me turne my self first to Unbelievers such as cannot find that they have this uniting this espousing grace what shall I say to you Go home and mourn think with your selves what if you should die this night what if God should send you a Letter of summons to surrender what would become of you you want that grace which should intitle you to Christ and Heaven oh I say mourn yet mourn not as them without hope for in the use of means you may recover a Title I know it is otherwise in our Law-Courts if a Title to an Estate be once lost it can never be recovered but it is otherwise here though thou hast no Title to Christ to day yet thou may'st recover a Title thou hast not sin'd away the hope of a Title unless thou hast sinn'd away the sense of sinning To such as are resolv'd to go on in sinne I haue not a word to say they are upon the spur to go to hell but to you that have been prodigall sonnes but are now taking up serious resolutions to give a bill of divorce to your sins let me encourage you to come to Christ and to throw your selves upon his blood for yet a Title to Heaven is recoverable Object 1. But saith the sinner Is there hope of mercy for me sure this is too good news to be true I would believe and repent but I am a great sinner Ans. And who else doth Christ come to save whom doth God justifie but the ungodly did Christ take our flesh on him and not our sins 2. But my sins are of no ordinary die Answ. And is not Christs blood of a deeper purple then thy sins is there not more vertue in the one then there can be venom in the other what if the devil doth magnifie thy sins canst not thou magnifie thy Physician cannot God drown one sea in another thy sinnes in the Ocean of his mercy 3. But my sins are of a long standing Answ. As if Christs blood were only for new and fresh wounds We read that Christ raised not only the daughter of Iairus which was newly* dead and the widows sonne which was carried forth to burying but Lazarus that had layn four dayes in the grave and began to putrefie and hath Christ lesse vertue now in Heaven then he had upon earth if thine be an old wound yet the medicine of Christs blood applied by faith is able to heale it therefote sink not in these quick-sands of despair Iudas his despair was worse in some sense then his Treason I would not encourage any to go on in sinne God forbid 't is sad to have old age and old sins It is hard to pull up an old tree that is rooted it is easier to cut it downe for the fire but let not such despair God can give an old sinner a new heart he can make springs in the desart Have not others been set forth as paterns of mercy who have come in at the twelfth houre Therefore break off the league with sinne throw thy self into Christs arms say Lord Jesus thou hast said Those which come to thee thou wilt in no case cast out 2. Let me turne my self to the people of God such as upon a serious scrutiny with their own hearts have ground to beleeve that they have faith and being in the faith are ingrafted into Christ read over your Charter All things are yours things present and to come You are the heirs on which God hath setled all these glorious priviledges Give wine saith Solomon to them that are of heavy hearts But while I am going to pour in this wine of consolation me thinks I hear the Christian sadly disputing against himself that he hath no right to this Charter CHAP. XXI The Beleevers Objections answered THere are three great Objections which he makes Object 1. Alas saith he I cannot tell whether I have faith or no Answ. Hast thou no faith how didst thou come to see it a blind man cannot see thou canst not see the want of grace but by the light of grace Quest. But sure if I had faith I should discern it Ans. 1. Thou mayest have faith and not know it a man may seek for that sometimes which he hath in his hand Mary was with Christ she saw him she spake with him yet her eyes were held that she did not know it was Christ the child lives in the womb yet doth not know that it lives 2. Faith oft lies hid in the heart and we see it not for want of search the fire lies hid in the embers but blow aside the ashes and it is discernable Faith may be hid under fears temptations but blow away the ashes Thou prizest faith hadst thou a thousand Jewels lying by thou would'st part with all for this Jewel no man can prize grace but he that hath it Thou desirest faith the true desire of faith is faith Thou mournest for want of faith dispute not but beleeve what are these tears but the seeds of faith Object 2. But my faith is weak the hand of it so trembles that I fear it will hardly lay hold upon Christ Answ. There are seven things which I shall say in reply to this 1. A little faith is faith as a sparkle of fire is fire though the pearl of faith be little if it be a true pearl it shines in Gods eyes This little grace is the seed of God and it shall never die but live as a sparkle in the main sea 2 A weak faith will entitle us to Christ as well as a stronger To them that have obtained like precious faith 2 Pet. 1.1 not but that there are degrees of faith as faith purifies so all faith is not alike one is more then another but as faith justifies saith is alike precious the weakest faith justifies as well as the faith of the most eminent Saint a weak hand will receive the almes for a man to doubt of his grace because it is weak is rather to rely upon grace then upon Christ. 3. The Promise is not made to strong faith but to true The Promise doth not say Who ever hath a faith that can remove mountains that can stop the mouth of Lions shall be saved but whoever believes be his faith never so small the Promise is
Beleever he is to be valued according to that which is in reversion Things to come are his If you were to take an estimate of a man's Estate would you value it by that which hee hath in his House or by his Land Perhaps he hath little in his house little money or plate but he is a landed man There lies his Estate While we are in this House of Clay we have but little Many a Christian can hardly keepe life and soule together but hee is a landed man things to come are his then be content with the lesse of things present If wee have but a small fore-crop we shall have a great after-crop it is sufficient if we have but enough to beare our charges till we come to Heaven An Heire that hath a great Estate beyond Sea though hee hath but a little money for his voyage thither he will bee content If a Christian hath but enough to pay for his passage till he comes at Heaven it is sufficient as Seneca said to his friend Polibius Never complaine of thy hard fortune as long as Caesar is thy friend So I say to a Beleever Never complaine as long as Christ is thy friend hee is preparing the Heavenly Mansions for thee If thou complainest of any thing let it be of thy complaining Should not Hagar have been content though the water were spent in her Bottle when there was a Well so neare God hath made a Deed of gift he hath given Christ to a Believer and in him all things things present and to come Grace and Glory is not here enough to make him content But saith the Christian I want present comforts Consider the Angels in Heaven are rich yet they have no money thou hast things to come Angels riches such as cannot stand with reprobation bee content then with the lesse of things present The Philosophers who never understood one syllable of this Charter did contemne riches and preferr'd a contemplative life what poore contemplations were those certainly a man that lives by faith may have more sweet content in his soule by the meditation of things to come then a worldly man by the enjoying things present 4. Labour for such an high degree of faith as to make these things to come present Faith and Hope are two Sisters and are very like they differ thus Hope looks at the excellency of the Promise faith at the certainty of it now faith looking at the infallible truth of him that promiseth thus it makes things to come present Faith doth antedate glory it doth substantiate things not seen Faith alters the Tenses it puts the Future into the Present Tense Psalm 60.6 Gilead is mine Manasseh is mine Ephraim is the strength of my head c. Those places were not yet subdued but God had spoken in his holinesse he had made David a promise and he beleeved it therefore hee looked upon them as already subdued Gilead is mine c. So saith faith God hath spoken in his holinesse hee hath made me a promise of things to come therefore Heaven is mine already When one hath the reversion of an house saith hee This house is mine Oh that wee had this Art of Faith thus to anticipate Heaven and make things to come present Thou who art a Beleever Heaven is thine now thy head is already glorified nay heaven is begun in thee thou hast some of those joyes which are the primitiae the first-fruits of it A Christian by the eye of faith through the Perspective-glass of the promise may see into Heaven Faith sees the Promise fulfilled before it be fulfilled Faith sets to its hand Item Received so much before it be paid Had we a vigorous faith we might be in Heaven before our time That which a weake beleever hopes for a strong beleever doth in some kinde possesse Oh that wee could often take a prospect of the Heavenly Paradise Walke about Sihon and go round about her tell the towers thereof mark ye well her bulwarks consider her Palaces So Walke into the Heavenly Mount see what a glorious situation it is go tell her Towers see what an inheritance you have see your beauty and Nobility behold your Scutchion Oh that wee could thus breath our faith up this Mount of Heaven every day Do not say All this shall be mine but It is mine already my Head is there my faith is there my heart is there could we thus living up to the height of our faith reallize and antedate things to come how would all present thing vanish if a man could live in the Sunne the earth would not appear when Saint Paul had been wrapped up into the third Heaven the earth did hardly appeare ever after see how he scornes it I am crucified to the world it was a dead thing to him hee had begun Heaven already thus it is with a man that is Heavenlized You Saints that are earthly the eye of your faith is blood-shot it is the character of a sinner he cannot see afarre off 2 Pet. 1.9 like a man who hath bad eyes that can see but just before him Faith carries the heart up to Heaven and brings Heaven downe into the heart 5. If all things to come are yours then walke chearfully with God put on your white robes hath a Beleever a title to Heaven what and sad Wee rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Rom. 5.2 It is but a while 't is but putting off the earthly clothes of our body and wee shall bee clothed with the bright robes of glory and can a Beleever bee sad See how Christ doth secretly check his Disciples for this Luke 24.17 What manner of communications are these while you walke and are sad What sad and Christ risen So I say to beleevers Things to come are yours why walke ye and are sad let them bee out of heart who are out of hope Oh rejoyce in God when the lead of the flesh begins to sink let the cork of faith swim above How doth the heir rejoyce in hope of the Inheritance How doth the Apprentice rejoyce to think of coming out of his time Here we are kept under by sinne and a childe of God is forced sometimes to do the devils work but shortly death will make us free there is an eternall Jubile coming therefore rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Can wicked men rejoyce that have their portion in this life and cannot hee rejoyce that hath a reversion of Heaven Are the waters of Abanah and Pharpar like to the waters of Iordan O ye Saints think into what a blessed condition you are now brought is it not a sweet thing to have God appeas'd is it not a matter of joy to be an heire of the promise Adam in Paradise had choice of all the trees one only excepted The Promises are the trees of life thou may'st walk in the garden of the Bible and pluck from all these trees Who should