God and my soul are somewhat united and that God and my soul shall have a glorious union hereafter O that God would raise our hearts to these things that we may know what is the business we have to do in the world If you do not know these things shall be your portion never give satisfaction to your selves in the flesh till your know these things shall be your portion CHAP. XLVIII The blessedness of communion with God NOw we come to the fourth thing Communion with God and this is more then the other three things Union is the ground of communion communion is that which riseth from both parts being united and the Saints shall have a glorious communion with God and the Trinity in this life there is a communion that the Scripture speaks of that we have with God the Father and the Son and the Spirit 1 John 1. 3. Our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and in 1 Cor. 13. 14. The communion of the Holy Ghost be with you says the Apostle so that there is a fellowship with the Father and the Son and communion with the Holy Ghost but certainly it shall be another maner of communion that the Saints shall have with God in the world to come Now this communion it stands either in regard of the work of God upon and towards the Saints or the work of the Saints upon and towards God for communion is on both sides and that in these four things First in the delight they have one in another Secondly in wishing all good to one another Thirdly in the communication of themselves one to another Fourthly in the blessed familiar converse that they have one with another First communion consists in the delight they have in one another There is a full actual mutual everlasting delight between God and the Saints in heaven First there is a delight Secondly full Thirdly actual Fourthly mutual Fifthly everlasting First there is a delight God here rejoyces in them the Scripture says He rejoyces in the habitable parts of the earth and his delight is with the sons of men Prov. 8. 31. why does God delight in the habitable parts of the earth there are other glorious works of God that are not in the habitable parts of the world but God delights in the habitable parts of the world because there are rational creatures there but he hath more delight in his Church in this world then in any other part of the habitable parts of the world as Isa 19. 25. Assyria is the work of Gods hands but Israel is his inheritance but there will be a delight far higher The delight that God hath in heaven it self is in regard of the Saints that are there without which heaven were not heaven First it is delight in their persons God takes infinite delight and content in the persons of the Saints howsoever their persons are mean here yet as they shall be hereafter God will take an infinite delight in them Secondly he delights in conferring blessedness upon his people there is much delight in the communication of good as well as in the enjoyment of it what good hath a man who hath a great estate more then another but that he may communicate more good then another Thirdly he delights in the glory that he hath conferred upon them As those that have true communion one with another delight in any good that one another hath God delights in the glory that is in his Saints and takes much pleasure in it his soul is satisfied in the glory that he sees upon his own people and that because he loves them The former arose from the pleasure in himself in the act of communicating this from the love to his people to see their good Fourthly God delights in their presence to have them with him and by him as the Father delights in the presence of his Children to have them round about him Fifthly God delights in their love that he hath these creatures to love as a man delights to have love from others What pleasure could a man have in all the world if none loved him If he should live in a Family or Town and none loved him he could have no pleasure in his life but if a man live where he is loved it makes up a great many wants so God is not contented in any thing else he hath to delight himself in but that which must make up all in that he hath his people to love him Sixthly God delights the more in his own glory because his Saints are partakers of it it is so much the more sweet unto him because they have a share in it thus it is between entire friends who have intimate communion one with another their own happiness pleases them the more because the other hath a part in it Secondly it is a full delight that God takes in his people It is said of his people in this world in Zeph. 17. 3. he will rejoyce over them with joy and with singing the delight that God hath with his people in Heaven must needs be full First in regard of the near relation that his people have to his Son and because he takes such infinite delight in the Son and they being one with him thence flows that full delight Secondly because he shall see so much of his own Image now that is infinitely delightful that is the reason why the father or mother does delight in their children because they see themselves in them so God shall see himself in his people and that will cause full delight Thirdly because of the glorious works of God upon the souls of his people because he shall see his own handy-work to be so glorious and full in them As a man that makes a work that is very curious and glorious he takes abundance of delight to look upon it and if the work be full and perfect then his delight is full and perfect Now the great work of God is in the glory of the Saints God loves to look back to the creatures therefore when he had made the world he looked upon what he had made and saw it was good As a workman when he hath brought his work to some perfection he will look upon it Now when God shall see what he hath done in raising such a poor worm to such high excellency God will take full delight in viewing this full work he hath done And this is more then all the former for besides the delight in the act of communication and delight because of the love to those to whom good is communicated This is the delight in his own work done in the beholding the beauty and glory of it Fourthly the delight of God must be full because in them God attains his highest end the highest end of his greatest design the highest end of his deepest councels the highest end of his most glorious work It is a great
pleasantly First be sure to keep the heart right within be sure to keep all at peace within thy soul you know according to the temper within so there is the relishing of things without He that hath peace within can easily go through the duties that are required without with joy Further exercise faith in the work and office of the holy Ghost that office that the holy Ghost is designed unto by the Father and the Son to be the Comforter of his people to bring joy and comfort to them look upon the holy Ghost as designed by the Father and the Son to bring joy and delight to the souls of his people What an infinite difference there is between the comforts of a carnal heart and the comforts of the godly The one come from a little meat and drink and the other come from the exercise of faith about the office of the holy Ghost that is designed to this work Thirdly in all that thou doest be sure to be upright Though thou beest able to do but a little in any way of God if thou beest upright God accepts of it and and thou wilt finde comfort Thou sayest thy duties are mean it may be so but if thou beest upright thou mayest have comfort it becomes the upright to be joyful whereas the most glorious performances if they be not in uprightness are but abominable Again sweeten all your duties by spiritual meditation a Christian that treasures up spiritual meditation and every duty that he performs brings it in by meditation and hath a great many meditations to rowl his duty up and down in this is delight To go to duty and to have a barren heart to act there is no delight but to go to a duty and to exercise spiritual meditation this is sweet Again labor to principle thy heart aright in the ways of godliness to understand what they are if thou understoodest what they are they would be delightful and the reason why many do not go on delightfully is because they do not understand what is in the ways of God to cause delight You will say What is there in the ways of God to cause delight First every work of godliness and that ability that grace hath to exercise is a beam of that infinite choice eternal electing love of God upon thy soul if thou lookest upon it so it will be wonderfully delightful Secondly look upon every duty of godliness as having more of the glory of God in it then the whole frame of heaven and earth besides Take all Gods works in the Creation in Providence in the Heavens the Sun Moon and Stars in the Earth and the Seas there is not so much of the glory of God in them all as in one gracious action that a Christian performs and if you looked at it thus it could not but have pleasure in it Thirdly look at that action of grace as that in which God attains his end in creating heaven and earth more then in other things besides as there is more of God in it so God attains more in it the end of God in his counsels is more attained by any gracious act then by any thing else that can be done save of the same nature How delightful should we be in the ways of godliness if we looked thus at them Fourthly look upon every gracious act as the seed of glory and eternal life Every work of grace in the heart and life of Gods people is a seed of glory and eternal life And these four considerations being put upon every gracious act do confirm that which was said in the opening of the point they must needs be full of pleasantness Be not satisfied in doing any thing in the ways of God till you do it pleasantly I hear the ways of God are pleasant I have gone on being haled by conscience but little have I understood of the pleasantness of them there is more to be looked after then I have attained to By this thou shalt come to be mightily strengthened and it wil be a marvellous help to make thee continue in the ways of godliness And as I said in handling that argument of the easiness of the ways of godliness those that are continually thinking of the hardness of Gods ways will fall off but by having them pleasant it will carry thee on against temptations and the current of all arguments The last Use of all is If the ways of wisdom be ways of pleasantness what is the end of wisdom If the neather springs be so sweet what will the upper be If the lower Jerusalem be paved with gold surely that upper Jerusalem is paved with pearls It is an excellent speech of Bernard Good art thou O Lord to the soul that seeks thee what art thou then to the soul that findes thee How sweet and pleasant are the ways of wisdom then How sweet and delightful is the end of wisdom If grace be pleasant how pleasant is glory therefore the Saints dye so pleasantly because there is a meeting of grace and glory Grace is delightful glory more delightful but when these both meet together what delight will there then be It is a speech of Jerome speaking of carnal delights None can go from delight to delight but it is not so spiritually the more delight we have here the more we shall have hereafter and therefore let this be all our prayer Lord give us evermore this pleasure satisfie our souls with this pleasure if the drops be sweet the rivers of pleasure and joy that are at Christs right hand how sweet are they Moses his Choice The second Part. CHAP. XVI A spiritual eye can see an excellency in Gods people though under great affliction THe fourth Doctrinal Conclusion that was raised from the words was That a spiritual eye can see an excellency in Gods people though under never so great affliction Moses chooses rather to suffer affliction with the people of God Who were this people A despised people an afflicted people Yet Moses could see an excellency in them while they were making their brick while they were whipped by their task-masters and contemptible in the eyes of all the Egyptians yet by the eye of faith Moses could look upon them as the most excellent of the earth as the most glorious people that lived in the world and desires rather to joyn with them though in the greatest afflictions then to abide Pharaoh's Court in the enjoyment of all worldly delights let the world cast what dirt they will upon them and darken their glory what they can yet they are precious and honorable in the Saints eyes The excellent of the earth and the glory of the world Job scraping his sores upon the dunghil and Jeremy sinking into the mire in the dungeon are more beautiful and glorious then the great men of the earth when they are crowned upon their Thrones Though you have lien
let out immediately from God and this is indeed the special difference of all from whence flow many excellent consequences which would even require a particular of it self I may hereafter enlarge my self in this in some other Treatise And thus you may see the blessed condition of Gods people when they come to the recompence of reward We have something here and we rejoyce in it and bless God for it but those ways that God hath to communicate himself to his people hereafter are glorious ways O that our hearts were raised to look after that communication of God that we shall have hereafter O those base and drossie spirits that we have Because we receive some goodness of God here we are ready to be quieted here and rest here as if God had nothing to communicate to the Children of men but that we have here See the vileness of our hearts we are here ready to rest upon the lowest things that God communicates and do not so much as rise in our hearts to the highest things that are communicated here but a christian heart should rise higher then the most excellent things that are here in the world namely to the most blessed things that are hereafter let us shew our selves that we are men of hopes to enjoy God after another maner then here Many do not desire enjoyment of God let them have the creature they never think of any communication of God so much as through the creature whereas a true Christian that hath grace he receives nothing in the world but he thinks with himself how have I God here how does God communicate himself to me in meat and drink and cloathes and friends and the like it is well if you go thus far but you must go higher are there not choyce mercies O yes there are blessed things communicated through the ordinances through prayer and the word and sacraments there are blessed things few mens hearts look so high as to look to the communication of Gods choyce mercies in this world but a gracious heart rises higher does as it were bathe it self with those refreshments that are to come through Gods mercy I have the creature and the communication of God through that and I have the ordinances and Gods choyce mercies communicated through them but there are glorious things to be communicated hereafter and those my soul rejoyces in Now God does communicate himself onely in that way which is suitable to our condition now we are but narrow vessels and have but narrow mouthes and are not capable of that greatness of Gods communication but time will come when as God will communicate himself in a more glorious maner and in that I bless my self and therefore I will not regard any of Gods communication of himself to me here but in order unto that glorious communication of God to me hereafter And thus we have seen something of the recompence of reward comparing it with what we have here Now secondly we are to compare it with the condition of Adam in the estate of Innocency As for the estate of Adam in Paradise it was a blessed condition yet far under the happiness of the Saints in the recompence of the reward For Adams body was but natural and his Paradise was but a natural Paradise and a possibility there was he might lose his happiness and if he should have stood there should not have been that glorious distinct working of the three Persons of the Trinity about mans happiness that there now is and therein especially lies the difference Thirdly compare it with the Angels and you shall finde in Scripture some expressions of the happiness of the Saints beyond the happiness of the blessed Angels themselves For the union that the Saints shall have with the Deity is a nearer union in divers respects then the union that the Angels have with the Deity and the righteousness wherewith the Saints stand righteous before the Lord is an higher righteousness then Adam or the Angels should have been in First the union that the Saints have with the Deity is a nearer union then that of the Angels First the humane nature in general that is advanced to an higher dignity then all the glory of the Angels put together Because there is an Hypostatical union between the humane Nature and the Divine in Christ Again we have many expressions in Scripture of the union of Saints with the Deity whereby it appears their union is nearer then the union of the Angels They are called the friends of Christ They are said to have fellowship with Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 1. 9. They are the Brethren of Christ They are Co-heirs with Jesus Christ There are no such expressions of the Angels And yet there are nearer expressions of their union they are the Spouse of Christ the Bride the Angels are but as the servants They are the members of Christ and are made one with Christ They are those that are to be one with the Father as the Father and the Son are one Iohn 17. 21. Christ there prays As thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us he never prayed so for the Angels Lastly they are said to be loved of the Father with the very same love wherewith he loved the Son now though God loves the Angels yet it is not said that he loved them with the same love that he loved his Son These are the expressions we finde in Scripture concerning the near union that the Saints have with the Deity in some respects beyond the Angels but of the union of the Saints with the Deity we shall speak of more when we come to speak of the reward positively And then the righteousness wherewith they stand righteous before God is greater then the righteousness of Adam in Paradise or the Angels because it is the righteousness of the second Person of the Trinity and that is of an higher nature and a more glorious righteousness then the righteousness of any meer creature Now the righteousness of the Angels though it be perfect in its kinde yet it is not a righteousness of such an high nature as that righteousness which is the Son of God And thus of this recompence of reward comparatively CHAP. XLIII The perfection of the bodies and souls of the Saints in glory NOw thirdly let us consider it positively now in this positive consideration these things are to be followed First the perfection of their natures that they shall be raised to Secondly the glory that shall be put upon them at the day of Judgement Thirdly the possession of Heaven Fourthly the having God to be their Portion Fifthly their blessed communion with Jesus Christ Sixthly their communion with the Saints and Angels Lastly the eternal Sabbath that they are to keep in Heaven Under these seven heads all that we have to say concerning the positive reward of the Saints may be contained First the perfection that their
MOSES HIS CHOICE VVith his EYE fixed upon Heaven Discovering THE HAPPY CONDITION OF A Self-denying Heart Delivered in A TREATISE UPON Hebrews 11. 25 26. By JEREMIAH BURROUGHS LONDON Printed by John Field and are to be sold by Thomas Eglesfield at the Marygold and at the Brazen Serpent in St. Pauls Church-yard MDCL To the Right Honorable ROBERT Earl of WARWICK BARON of LEEZE One of the Lords of his Majesties most Honorable Privy Councel Right Honorable AS those who have been of late and in these days yet are of the Antichristian party may well be accounted men born in an evil time because howsoever heretofore was the time of Gods long suffering towards such the time of permission of them to prosper the set time of Antichrists downfal then being further off then now it is But now Gods time of setting his face against Antichrist and all the Antichristian party is come wherein GOD is determined to fight against them and to ruine them most wretched men therefore are they who now have spirits set for the upholding the pleading for that which God hath set himself against So happy especially now are those whose hearts have been and still are set to countenance maintain to further and honor the truth of the Gospel in the power and purity of it These are born and raised up by God and for God in a most blessed time wherein God stretcheth out his holy Arm together with them their hearts are guided by God himself to the furtherance of that work which is the greatest work that God hath to do in this latter age of the world namely To bring in his Truth and Ordinances with glory and power to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the earth to make godliness and the powerful profession of it as honorable as ever it hath been contemptible And now Right Honorable God hath been pleased to bless your Noble Family for many years past with this so great a blessing as to make it instrumental to this great work of his and your self have had a plentiful share in this so great a happiness Your Honor hath discountenanced superstitious time-serving spirits but as for the faithful Ministers of the Gospel and the most sincere and godly of your Countrey your Honor hath cast much respect upon them and been the encourager of them which reflects Honor as upon Gods name and his truth so upon your noble Family I believe there hath not ascended to Heaven more praises to God from any County in England for any Noble Family in regard of the placing of a godly painful conscionable Ministery as hath ascended from that County in which your Honor and your truly Noble Father hath had such a large opportunity of service for God and doing good to his people And I may further confidently affirm That no Noble Family in England hath more prayers of the Saints ascending to Heaven for a blessing upon it then that family of yours neither is there any Noble Family this day shall I say in England I may without presumption reach it further which the Lord hath blessed in regard of some Branches of it with more beauty and power of godliness then he hath blessed yours in regard whereof it would be the most miserable thing that could be if ever the succession of the countenancing and honoring the ways of godliness should be cut off from such a noble Family Cursed be that man who shall be the cutter off of the succession of so great an Honor to such an Honorable Family Psal 72. 17. it is said The name of Christ should endure for ever Filiabitur nomine ejus so the words are it shall be begotten as one generation is begotten of another and so there shall be a succession of Christs name It is a most blessed thing when in a Family there is a begetting of the name of Christ and so it is left unto the succeeding generation as the name of the Family is left unto it Pliny tells us that it was accounted a great honor yea the height of felicity that in one house and Race of the Curio's there were known to be three excellent Orators one after another by descent from the Father to the Son and that the Fabii afforded three Presidents of the Senate in course one immediately succeeding the other If this succession be so honorable so happy how honorable how happy doth the succession of Religion from Father to Son make Families to be This succession in your noble Family is the subject of the prayers of many precious spirits exceedingly dear to God And my Lord although God hath made you exceeding instrumental for much good to his people which is one of the greatest blessings under heaven yet let not your Lordship rest in this Gods warning to Solomon 1 Kings 9. 4. is very observable after Solomon had finished that glorious Temple for the honor of the Lord after he had assembled all the Elders of Israel to bring up the Ark of the Lord with all solemnity after he had made such an excellent Prayer before all the people after he had offered to the Lord two and twenty thousand Oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep and in his rejoycing in this great work done to the honor of God he made a great Feast to all the people seven days and to them he added seven days more and sent away the people with joyful and glad heaets yet after this God says to him If thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked in integrity of heart and up rightness to do according to all that I have commanded thee then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom Though the things that you have done be great things yet I expect walking according to all that I have commanded thee or else all is nothing It were infinite pity and God forbid so great an evil that any one way of sin should ever stand up to hinder the blessing upon a noble spirit and such worthy services for the Church as you have done well beseeming that true nobility of such a spirit Your Honor hath appeared much for the Honor the Safety Peace Liberties of the Saints and your Countrey and how many now have their consciences check them and shame is upon their faces for that base cowardise and vile time-serving that the true nobility of your Lordships spirit scorning such baseness delivered you from God hath now appeared for his people more then ever in our or our Forefathers time do you now appear more then ever for them As God hath mightily enlarged the opportunity of service so the good God enlarge and heighten with true Nobility and Christian generousness your Noble spirit that you may be as a chosen shaft in the Quiver of the Lord reserved to these times to be in a high degree instrumental to his praise It is now near three years since that your Lordship lying sick not without apprehension that Gods time to
Christ Fifthly while I walk in these ways I shall be safe for eternity I shall not be in danger there and when the fear of eternity falls upon the heart it sees it is a most dreadful thing to miscarry to eternity the thoughts of eternity work mightily upon my spirit let me be safe for eternity whatsoever become of me in these ways It is reported of one Myrogenes when great gifts were sent unto him he sent them back I onely desire this one thing at your Masters hand to pray for me that I may be saved for eternity Now in these ways of godliness I shall walk with God I shall have peace of conscience I shall have that I have in love I shall enjoy communion with the Father with Christ and with the holy Ghost and I shall be safe for eternity surely there can be no evil that can countervail this good whatsoever I suffer whatsoever I endure in this world yet my soul shall say It is good for me to draw near to God sure I shall choose and like well of the ways of godliness whatsoever I endure But you look onely upon the best side of godliness but turn the other side you shall finde a great many afflictions that attend the ways of godliness and when you see them you will not be so in love with these ways A gracious heart is willing to examine both sides What are the afflictions you speak of that will discourage any from delighting in Gods ways First they are but such as are upon the body those things that do afflict the godly are bodily things they do therefore but bring pain and trouble to this carcase to this body of clay to this lump of earth to this body of sin to that body that is to be beaten down in this world to that body of vileness for so it is called Phil. 3. 21. Who shall change our vile body in the Original it is this body of vileness It was the speech of a Heathen when as by the Tyrant he was commanded to be put into a morter and be beaten to pieces with an Iron pestel he cryes out to his persecutors You do but beat the vessel of Anaxarchus you do not beat me You do but beat the Case and Vessel that contains another thing yea the word in the Greek that Clemens Alex hath relating the Story signifies a husk his body was to him but as a husk A Heathen counted his body but the Case the husk he counted his soul himself If a man had a precious Jewel in a Case and the Case was torn in pieces and the Jewel be safe it is no matter and so by all these afflictions a gracious heart knows it is but the Case that is torn in pieces the Jewel is safe Fear not says Christ those that can kill the body and do no more Christ would have us know afflictions that do but reach the body are but slight things And for these troubles let them be the most terrible that can be they are such as may stand with Gods love the dearest of Gods love such as the dearest of Gods people have met withal says God in Ieremiah I gave the dearly beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies Indeed if they were such as could not fal but from Gods hatred it were another matter but they may stand with Gods love yea with the very same love wherewithal God the Father did love Jesus Christ and would you have better love then that you may be sure that all your afflictions that you do endure for godliness and the ways of godliness they are not such but you may have them in the same love that God loved Jesus Christ and one would think that were enough to satisfie any soul in the world John 17. ult there Christ prays that his Disciples might be loved with the same love wherewith he was loved now notwithstanding the love of the Father to the Son he was afflicted and suffered as much trouble as you are like to suffer and if you in suffering may be in no worse case then he was and may have the same love that he had notwithstanding your sufferings sure your sufferings are no great matter there is no more evil in your sufferings then may stand with the love of God to your souls the same love wherewith God loved Christ and if a soul knows this it will not be discouraged from the ways of godliness notwithstanding afflictions indeed if in affliction there were the venome of Gods wrath and the curse of the Law it were something but the sting and venome is taken out and there is no great evil Again these afflictions that the world so speak of they may not onely stand with Gods dearest love but are such as may proceed from Gods dearest love as thus they may come as fruits of the love of God and therefore sure they are no great discouragements from the ways of godliness you heard what abundance of good God brought out of the afflictions of his people and therefore there may be abundance of love from whence they come they may be onely but to fit and square and fashion the soul to be fit to be laid in the highest place of new Jerusalem The stones that are laid below in some mean place are not hewed and hacked as the stones that are in the highest part of the building or the forefront of the building to the view of all those that are most for the beauty of the building are most hacked and framed and so those that God does intend to be the most beautiful stones in that glorious Temple that is in Heaven God suffers them here to be fashioned and hacked most afflicted and therefore they may come from love Besides they are no great matter take them at the worst they are but little things these light afflictions there is no such grievous burthen in them as the world thinks there is for there is the hand of Christ to hold them up in all their afflictions they are but such things as rather seem grievous then are grievous indeed as Heb. 12. 11. No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous they are things that are grievous in appearance and in shew onely rather then in truth as the prosperity of the wicked is but in shew so the affliction of Gods people are rather shews they do rather seem grievous then have any realty of grief in them and therefore they are not so much to be feared Again they are but for a little time but for a moment As it was the speech of Athanasius when he was banished and his friends came to bewail his misery says he It is but a little cloud and will quickly be gone All the time of the rage and malice of wicked men is but as an hour says Christ This is their hour and the power of darkness it is but an hour and is
humor in the spittle meeting with a humor in meat and drink suitable to it what pleasure must needs be in the exercising and acting of a creature that is of the highest nature that ever God made creature and these creatures raised with the highest principles for the kinde that any creature is capable of and exercised about the highest objects that it is possible for a creature to be exercised about for the kinde God and Christ and Eternity if we see pleasure in the other that is so low and not in this certainly we must pull out our eyes and willingly besot our own hearts if we yield not that the pleasure herein is abundantly more and more glorious So the pleasure of the eye what is it but the visive spirit that is in the eye meeting with colour abroad it hath pleasure therein If the visive spirit in the eye which is a poor mean thing that brute beasts have as well as our selves meeting with such a poor thing as the colour is becomes such delight what delight must be in exercising the highest faculties about the highest objects And so the smell is nothing but that humor in the nostrils meeting with another humor that is without And so of the ear and of the touch we might instance there the delight comes from nothing but the exercise of the faculty about mean things but if godliness exercises such glorious faculties so elevated about such glorious objects there must needs be a great deal of pleasantness Fourthly the ways of wisdom must needs be ways of pleasantness because they are the life of God himself the soul in the ways of wisdom does live the very life of God The Scripture speaks of the Life of Grace it is the life of God Now all pleasure and comfort is according to the life that a creature lives comfort is nothing else but the feeding of such a kinde of life Sensitive comforts is the feeding of that life rational comforts the feeding of that life and the life of God being a higher life then any other then sense or reason that must have its comforts too and there must be delight and pleasure for the filling up of this now the work of Grace in the hearts of Gods people in their lives it is the life of God and therefore there must needs be a great deal of comfort in the exercise of such a life Fifthly much pleasantness there is in the ways of godliness because in them the people of God do communicate unto God their souls in all that they have or do by a letting out of the soul into God that is the fountain of all good Now there is an infinite delight in this All the delight that there is in God or in the creature is in communication In God himself because God would have delight in himself therefore he would have that that he might communicate himself to and because he would have infinite delight according to his infinite nature therefore he would have that that he might infinitely communicate himself unto and therefore the Son of God the second Person of the Trinity is the infinite delight of his Father because the Father does infinitely communicate himself unto him And now because God would have further delight though there be nothing that he can infinitely communicate himself unto but his Son yet that he may have such delight as his creature may understand he makes a world and the special end why God made the world is that he might have creatures to communicate himself unto in his wisdom and goodness and glory and therefore those creatures that are most capable of Gods communicating himself unto are called Gods delight God rejoyces in the habitable parts of the earth because there are creatures that he can communicate himself unto and especially his pleasure is among his people because there are creatures that are capable of communicating of himself Thus you see that the delight of Gods is communicating himself And so the delight of the creature is in communicating themselves and therefore of all natural delights that of marriage is the most because there is the greatest communication of one creature to another Now when as Gods delight is in communication and our delight is in natural communication then much more when we come to communicate our selves spiritually to God There is a delight in the life of friendship because one friend communicates himself to another but in marriage greater because that communication is greater and according to the degrees of communication the degrees of delight are then the delight in the ways of God must be the greatest because there is the greatest and highest and most glorious communication of a creature it communicates it self and le ts out it self fully into the infinite Ocean of all good If there were nothing but a letting out of it self into an ordinary good it were delight but to let out it self into an infinite Ocean of all delight this is pleasure and this is a mystery this is a ground why no hypocrite hath the delight of the ways of godliness because he does not communicate himself fully unto God but when the heart comes off fully to communicate it self to God there is infinite delight in them The ways of godliness surely are ways of pleasure if this be in them as it is Sixthly the ways of godliness are ways of pleasure because in them the soul hath the presence of God and walks with God walks up and down in the light of his face There is a blessed shine of Gods countenance and of his love upon the soul and influences of his graces unto the soul in those ways as the soul hath delight in the communication of its self unto God so they are ways of pleasantness because in them there is a communication of God unto the soul That place in Psal 89. 19. hath a notable expression of the sweetness of the ways of godliness and the delight that Gods people have in those ways Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance God is in them and le ts out himself unto them now the quintessence of all good put together is in every beam of Gods face and therefore when God shall let out himself and be thus the portion of a soul it must needs be a great deal of delight Seventhly ways of godliness are the ways of pleasure because the principles of them all is love whatsoever comes from love hath much delight and pleasure and the principle of every way of God is love God would have nothing from us but out of love and that may carry us unto love of God himself and that love by which the heart is carried unto God is the chariot of love There is a sweet expression for this that we have in Cant. 3. 9 10. the estate of the Church is set out by Solomons making himself a Chariot of
garment of the Kings daughter the Church be of divers colours yet why may it not be like Christs garment without seam For the Lords sake let us take heed of divisions and quarrels especially let us take heed that under the pretence of Religion we do not maintain quarrels for this is to bring down the holy Ghost from appearing like a Dove to appear in the form of a Vulture or Raven You know what S. Paul says of speaking with several tongues will not he that comes in say you are mad When wicked men hear of so many dissonant opinions of so many dissentions among you will they not think you mad And because you all pretend Religion will they not think that that kinde of Religion which you pretend is a mad thing So far shall you be from making the way of Christ honorable in their eyes which yet should be the thing you should more desire seek after rejoyce in then your lives Religion hath the name from binding and certainly it is the best band of humane societies there is great reason then that we seek to keep it in the band of unity And that is the third thing I would say to those that are in Church-fellowship not to darken the excellency that is in communion with the Saints The fourth exhortation is that you would walk and live so as by your walking you may draw others to be in love with this fellowship as God hath made it to be glorious so that you would set out the glory of it to others that all that go by you should say Surely they are the blessed of the Lord certainly God is with them and therefore we will likewise joyn with them O what a blessed thing were it if we could by our lives convince others that we are the plants of the Lords own planting The lives of men convince more strongly then their words The tongue perswades but the life commands is the speech of an Ancient We read in Rev. 14. Those that stood with the Lamb upon Mount Zion enjoying communion there they had his Fathers name written upon their foreheads the glory of God shined in their foreheads a convincing conversation is that which God calls for at your hands Let the name of God be precious to you Is it not a precious thing to live so as to bring honor to God to hold forth the honor of God is all the glory we can bring to God let us be known to be those we profess our selves to be separated from the world by the holiness of our lives as Tertullian says of the Christians in his time they were known to be Christians from the amendment of their former lives You are joyned near to Christ as a girdle about a mans loyns take heed you be not as that girdle Jer. 13. A rotten girdle fit for nothing so were the Church of the Jews at that time but you should be as that girdle of Christ Rev. 1. A golden girdle about his paps By which the beauty and glorious condition of the Church in the Primitive times is described Let us walk so as to manifest and hold forth the beauty and amiableness of godliness in the eyes of all that they may see it whether they will or no and to force esteem from the consciences of men Cant. 6. 4. it is said of the Church She is terrible as an army with banners A Church of God that walks close to the rule is terrible to guilty consciences Let us walk so as when the Balaams of the world look upon us they may see our comely order so as to be forced to say O how goodly are thy tents O Jacob and thy Tabernacles O Israel as the valleys are they spread forth as gardens by the Rivers side as the trees of Lign-Aloes which the Lord hath planted and as Cedars beside the waters Numbers 24. 5. St. John Epist 1. chap. 1. 3. expresseth his desire for those whom he wrote to that they might have fellowship with him and the rest of the Saints and he brings this as an argument Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ this would be a mighty prevailing argument indeed if we walked so before others as to manifest that we in truth have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ then our fellowship would be desireable indeed CHAP. XXIII How should Gods people so walk as to draw others in love with their communion BUt how should Gods people so walk as to bring others in love with their communion First in the general take heed of those sins especially that those which you converse with are guilty of that they be not able to spy the same sins in you which their consciences accuse themselves of take heed of the pollutions of the world Cant. 6. 10. Who is she that looketh forth as the Morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun and terrible as an army with banners The Church of God ought to be fair as the Moon but the Moon hath spots and therefore it follows Clear as the Sun and then she is terrible as an army with banners Either she will draw the hearts of others to love her or she will daunt their hearts Yea let them not see any defilement answerwable to their defilement for wicked men though they cannot spy evils in the godly yet surely they think they are guilty of the sins which they live in as well as themselves as Nero because he was unchast thought all the world was unchast and therefore the godly should labor to keep themselves from such sins as the world is guilty of that they may not spy such in them A godly man should not onely labor to be kept from outward defilement that may be done by the strength of a natural conscience without any sanctifying grace and it should be a shame to one that hath grace if he should not do that if he cannot do that how can he purge himself from secret and spiritual evils that are in the heart Secondly if you would walk so as to draw others in love to communion with you walk in singleness and uprightness of heart Acts 2. 46 47. They did eat their bread with gladness and singleness of heart praising God mark what follows having favor with all the people and God added to the Church Singleness of heart makes Church-communion lovely But what is that uprightness and singleness of heart that we are to walk withal By that I mean this namely to be sure that there be an answerableness in our conversation unto all those principles of godliness that we profess for take the most strict principles of Religion and the men of the world cannot speak against them and when it comes to this is all they have to say Ah! if it were in truth and in sincerity it were something but they are hypocrites they acknowledge the principles are right but they
45. Bless them says Christ that curse you pray for them that despitely use you that ye may be the children of your Father c. Why were they not children before Yes but this declares it now God owns them for his children If we behave our selves thus we shall have the comfort of this that our reproaches come to us as to Gods people whereas others cannot have the comfort of this you cannot have any comfort from this argument unless you behave your selves under reproaches after this maner Now what a great evilis this to cut a man off from that comfort which hath been spoken of in this argument and if you do behave your selves christianly under reproaches God is more and more engaged to stand for your names and you are more prepared for glory As he is not fit to govern that is not fit to serve but he that is fit to serve is so much the fitter to govern so those that can bear disgrace are fit to be honored and the greater glory will be afterwards As the Sun that shines through the clouds shines the brightest so when honor shall come through dishonor it shall be the greatest honor And then you shall come to know that honor is sanctified to you and that it is in love and you shall be more able to rejoyce in the honor that God shall bring to your names then you would have done and so your reproachers shall be servants to you There is onely one place of Scripture that I shall adde and so I have done with this point Job 17. compare the 6. verse with the 8. and 9. verses ver 6. He hath made me also a by-word of the people Job was a godly man and yet he was made a by-word What then at the 8. verse Upright men shall be astonied at this How Two ways either they shall be astonished at the horrible wickedness of men that shall contemn so godly a man as Job was and say Lord what boldness is in the hearts of the wicked that shall presume to dare to contemn such a servant of thine or the upright shall be astonished they shall admire at the wonderful way of God towards his people that the Lord shall suffer wicked men so far to go on in wickedness as to reproach his people The innocent the godly man shall see those that are hypocrites for not onely gross prophane ones are reproachers often times but hypocrites The innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite he shall not be damped but stir up his thoughts against the hypocrite The righteous also shall hold on his way shall not decline and not onely so but he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger And so I pass to the next point CHAP. XXXIV The reproaches of Gods people are the reproaches of Christ. IF you take the reproaches either materially or formally materially that is when all the sufferings of Gods people for which they are meanly esteemed and looked upon as contemptible all their sufferings are the sufferings of Christ Formally and that is the very scorn that is cast upon them is the scorn of Christ I intend to handle this point in both these materially and formally So that the thing we have to handle is That all the sufferings and contempt and disesteem of Gods people are the sufferings and contempt and disesteem of Christ So that Gods people may turn the speech of Christ concerning his Father The reproaches of them that have reproached thee have fallen upon me But we may say Lord and blessed Savior the reproaches of them that have reproached us are fallen upon thee and mark therefore in Heb. 13. 13. the reproaches of Christs people are called the reproach of Christ Let us go forth unto him without the camp bearing his reproach And the sufferings of Gods servants are called the sufferings of Christ Colloss 1. 24. and fill up that which is behinde of the afflictions of CHIST they are the afflictions of Christ and every one must make account to fill them up not the satisfactory sufferings of Christ but the sufferings of Christ in his mystical body in his members And so every member is to fill up a share in his sufferings And so Isa 63. 9. In all their afflictions he was afflicted The sufferings and troubles of Gods people are the sufferings and troubles of Christ he is sensible of them and therefore in Acts 9. 4. Christ cryes out Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Further compare two places together in one Psal 79. ver 4 12. at the 4. verse says the Text We are become a reproach to our neighbors a scorn and derision to those that are round about us And at the twelfth verse it is Render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach wherewith they have reproached thee O Lord He goes on in the same argument and first he calls them the reproach of the Church and then the reproach of God But is it said here the reproach of Christ It may be asked Why not the reproach of God the Father or the reproach of the Holy Ghost The reproaches of Gods people are the reproaches of Christ in a special maner because Christ is the head of the Church and it is from the fulness of Christ that they have that grace conveyed which is reproached and the union they have with God and with the Spirit is by Christ and therefore it is the reproach of Christ here named according to the several workings of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost so the three persons are reproached by mans sin There is a reproach unto God as God and unto Christ as Christ and unto the Spirit as the Spirit There is a reproach unto God as he is Creator the preserver of the world and governor of all things When the work of God the first Person of the Trinity is reproached then he is reproached Prov. 14. 31. He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his maker It is a work of the Father to order things so as to make one poor and one rich And you take an advantage to mock at the poor upon this difference which God hath made in the world when as you should honor the work of God in making any difference between you and others but in stead of honoring of it you cast an aspersion upon his work and despise others because God hath put them in a low condition you reproach your Creator in this And when the work of Redemption is despised when that is opposed and when the profession of the Gospel hath dishonor put upon it then Christ is reproached Heb. 6. 6. the Apostle says Those that fall off after they have tasted of the heavenly gift and the good word of God and the powers of the world to come they put the Son of God to an open shame And when enlightning and drawing and the quickening and comforting work of the Spirit is reproached and vilified then the Spirit
is reproached Heb. 10. 29. They do despite to the Spirit of grace So that you see both Father Son and Holy Ghost all three are reproached by mans sin not that the sin of man is able to cast the least stain upon the glory of the blessed God or make God to be less glorious no more then a little dust cast up into the air can darken the brightness of the Sun shining in its strength but it keeps the glory of God from shining upon others and upon himself so as he and others shall not see it and admire it and adore it as they ought If you ask why the reproaches of Gods people are called the reproaches of Christ I answer First as Chrysostome because they do suffer the same things that Christ suffers you shall finde the reproaches of Gods people and the reproaches of Christ are just alike one another In Psal 42. 6 7 8. there are three things upon which Christ seems to be reproached and they are the three special things upon which Christians are reproached As first the outward means of Christ in the world I am a worm and no man so the outward mean and low condition of Gods people subjects them to reproach Secondly Christ bore the world in hand that he trusted in God and depended upon God and no outward help and therefore they said Let us see whether he will deliver him being he trusted in him so the men of the world scorn at Gods people because they speak so much of God and trusting in God Thirdly they reproached him because he said God delighted in him so because the Saints of God do profess their relations to God and do expect an especial love of God therefore the world reproaches them Secondly it is the reproach of Christ in regard of the near relation and close union that is between Christ and his people As the reproach of the Wife is the reproach of the Husband and the reproach of the Husband is the reproach of the Wife because of their union and therefore in 1 Cor. 11. the Apostle calls the woman the glory of the man Either in regard that the man may glory in her if she be godly and good or else because the woman does honor the man the Wife is to honor her Husband and to give glory to him as the people of God are called The glory of God partly because God does glory in them and partly because they do give glory to God so the woman should be such a one as the man may glory in her and such a one as may give glory to her husband Now the Church is the glory of Christ as the wife is the glory of the man and therefore it is said in 2 Cor. 8. 23. speaking of Titus and others which were messengers of the Church he says they are the glory of Christ then certainly their reproaches must be the reproaches of Christ Nay there is a nearer union then this for this is onely by convenant but there is a union between the head and the members that is a nearer union the Church is not onely flesh of Christs flesh and bone of Christs bone but it is the flesh of Christ and the bone of Christ it is the very fulness of the body of Christ Eph. 1. 23. it is a high expression Yea and besides this the Church is called Christ mystical Christ 1 Cor. 12. 12. For as the body is one and hath many members all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ that is The Church having many members ought to be joyned in union as the body yea there is yet anearer union between Christ and his people the in-being is mutual Christ is in them and they are in Christ John 14. 20. You in me and in you The arm is in the body but the body is not in the arm the branch is in the vine but the vine is not in the branch but here as the Saints are in Christ so Christ is in them and in regard of this near union between them their reproaches may well be esteemed the reproaches of Christ Thirdly because they are reproached for the sake of Christ if a dog be abused for the sake of his master it is the abuse of his master much more when Gods own people are abused for the sake of Christ and therefore we finde that this hath been the plea of Gods people for thy sake have we been killed all the day long it was for Christs sake rather then any evil in themselves And therefore though they be reproached for their sins it may come to be the reproach of Christ namely thus When as men shall take advantage the rather against them because they are professors of Religion and were it not for this reason they might justly reproach them yet when as they put in this reason They could bear well enough with the sin were it not they were professors of Religion then the reproaches that they justly might suffer for their sins do come to be the reproaches of Christ And further when in these they will take advantage to reproach the shews of Religion which in others they cannot bear well enough as when one that is a Professor expresses devotion in lifting up his eyes or his hands to Heaven they will reproach him for making shews of Religion and presently they are Hypocrites and yet there are others can make mighty shews and they are commended Again they are the reproaches of Christ because they are reproached in the work of Christ As when David sent messengers to the children of Ammon to congratulate their King and they cut off their garments half way and cut off half of their beards David presently counted it his reproach and so when Gods people are in Gods work and reproached surely it Christs reproach So Nehemiah was in Gods work and he suffered a great deal of reproach and mark how God is more provoked then Nehemiah Nehem. 4. compare the third verse with the fifth Lastly it is the Spirit of Christ that is in them that is reproached As if so be that the skill or influence that comes from a skilful Attificer that is put into one that hath learned that does as it were but act his spirit if he shall see him reproached for that work which is done by vertue of that influence which he had of his spirit in him then he counts himself reproached so all the gracious works of Gods people are by the influence of the spirit of Christ and therefore when they are reproached Christ is reproached we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God says the Apōstle this is the reason of all opposition because of the difference of spirits now the spirit of God and the Spirit of the world are opposite But to come to the application of the point First if the reproaches of Gods people be the
reproaches of Christ then certainly Christ is wonderfully reproached in the world none so reproached as Christ is because he is not onely reproached himself but all the reproaches that fall upon all his people in the world not onely since Moses time but from the beginning of the world they are all the reproaches of Christ none suffers so much as he consider we then with our selves how we can love this Christ a reproached Christ Is Christ notwithstanding all his reproaches dear and precious to us howsoever he be to the world yet can your souls say with the Church He is altogether lovely as the Apostle Peter says 1 Pet. 2. 7 8. He is a rock and a stone of offence to those that do not believe but to you precious and so Christ though he be a reproached Christ yet to you he is precious to a godly and gracious heart how precious is Jesus Christ There is a notable place concerning the reproaches of Christ and yet of the high esteem that Gods people have of him notwithstanding he is reproached Isa 52. 14 15. His visage was so marred more then any mans and his form more then the sons of men what then is there none therefore that shall prize him yes at the fifteenth verse So shall he sprinkle many Nations the Kings shall shut their mouthes at him for that which had not been told them shall they see and that which they had not heard shall they consider that is there shall yet come a time when as the Lord shall sprinkle many nations by the work of his Spirit and draw many Kings so as they shall shut their mouthes whereas they contemned him and despised him now they shall shut their mouthes in a way of admiration that that had not been told them which they see as St. Paul he knew Christ onely after the flesh but when he came to know him after another maner he thought otherwise of him So when God does sprinkle any with his Spirit that they know Christ though his visage he marred more then any mans and he is reproached more then any man yet they shall prize him and delight in him and the more he is reproached the more they shall delight in him It is a notable speech of Bernard By so much the more Christ is vile for me by so much the more he is dearer to me CHAP. XXXV Sixteen several Consolatións arising to the Saints from this consideration That their sufferings are Christs sufferings SEcondly the consideration of this point is of admirable use for the consolation of all the people of God in all their sufferings and reproaches If reproaches and sufferings be the reproaches of Christ Christ is engaged in them more then you there may be many branches of comfort to Gods people from hence That Christ is so engaged in all their sufferings as they are accounted Christs own it is a great matter when any one suffers any thing if they know this that any great man is engaged in their sufferings if a subject should have a King so engaged in any thing he undertakes that he can say Whatsoever I suffer in this is the suffering of the King this is a great comfort to him so here there are several branches of comfort that may be drawn from this Our sufferings are the sufferings of Christ First it is a great deal of comfort that God does take notice of our reproaches This was the comfort of the Psalmist in Psal 69. 19. Thou hast known my reproach and my shame and my dishonor my adversaries are all before thee If a man suffer reproach and disgrace and trouble for his friends while he is abroad from them O says he Did but my friends know what I suffer and suffer for them it would comfort me If it be comfort to be known much more when they shall be accounted their own Christ is acquainted with all the sufferings of every member and therefore do not say I am a poor creature who takes notice of my sufferings Heaven takes notice of your sufferings Christ takes notice of them better then your selves Secondly if they be the sufferings of Christ they are no other but such as are predetermined for you from the beginning of the world for certainly the sufferings of Christ are determined It may be said of these sufferings as truly as of those he suffered in his own person Act. 2. 23. They are by the determinate counsel foreknowledge of God therefore it is not in the liberty of man to reproach you as he pleases but all is by the fore-determinate counsel of God Thirdly certainly you do not want compassion in your sufferings neither for one to suffer much and to be reproached and no body to have compassion is grievous but surely you have compassion enough Christ must needs take compassion on you and it is not a forced compassion but a natural compassion was there ever any that was not sensible of the sufferings of his own flesh unless it be dead Indeed if you be a dead member of a Church it may be Christ does not compassionate your sufferings but if you be a living member Christ does compassionate your sufferings and pity you in every lye and slander that is told of you many times when we hear of the servants of God and especially those we know to be godly to have such strange reports of them our hearts begin to break and to yern towards them If one member have compassion of another much more the head the head is more sensible of the evils done to the body then the other members are Fourthly all these reproaches and sufferings do not argue your rejection they may stand with the infinite love of God many of Gods people are ready to draw sad conclusions from their reproaches surely God would not suffer this if he loved them they may stand with the same love wherewith the Father loved the Son for they are the reproaches of the Son Fifthly they must needs be sanctified to you those that are the sufferings of Christ are fanctified sufferings certainly Christ will not suffer them to go away unsanctified Christ is so holy that if they come near to him he will make them holy and therefore your bodies and souls having union with Christ they come to be sanctified so all your conditions and sufferings come to be sanctified by union with Christ he is the blessed one of God and therefore all your sufferings must be blessed from him Sixthly if they be the reproaches of Christ then you are not left to bear the burthen of them alone you have but the lighter end of the staff if a burthen be never so heavy at one end and a strong man is under that and the other be light though a weak man be under that he does not care so the weight and burthen of reproaches lie upon the shoulders of Christ and therefore when you think it is hard
shining through a red glass causes a red reflection and the same Sun shining through a blue glass causes a blue reflection and so the same excellency of God shining one way and working after one maner we call by one name and the same excellency of God working another way we call by another name and yet it is all one in God and though we cannot apprehend it now yet we shall see God in his unity afterward Thirdly we shall see God in the Trinity though there be but one God yet there are divers persons to see how the Father begot the Son and how the Spirit did proceed from the Father and the Son and the difference between the procession of the Spirit and the generation of the Son the sight of God in the mystery of the Trinity is a most glorious thing Fourthly we shall see God in his glory in Isa 33. 17. there is a promise They shall see the King in his beauty or in his glory there is a great deal of difference between seeing the King at an ordinary time and seeing of him when he is in his Robes with his Crown upon his head and his Scepter in his hand and set upon his Throne with all his Nobles about him in all his glory so God does manifest himself a little now but this is not all that he does intend and for to see God now as he does manifest himself is somewhat but to see God in his greatest glory that ever he shall manifest himself in that must be a great happiness Fifthly to see God in his eminency that is they shall see how all excellencies that are in the creature are eminently contained in the absolute perfection of the Divine nature all the good that is in the effect is in the causes and the good of those causes in their causes and so at length they come to the first principle so all the good that we can see in all objects that give content we may see all eminently in God and see God in all The latitude of the object of mans understanding is such as it comprehends all beauty all excellency all truth in it and therefore cannot be satisfied till it sees into all in God it findes all united and therefore in him onely it findes blessedness it is eternal life to know him Sixthly they shall see God as he is 1 John 3. 2. now there is a great deal in that to see God as he is and for explication of that there are these five branches That is first not to see him onely negatively that is not to see him as he is the most that we see of God now is by way of negation rather then any positive sight when we say of God he is incomprehensible that is he is such a God as cannot be comprehended that 's but negation when we say of God that he is infinite that is such a God as hath no bounds of his being this is stil a negation to say what God is not and when we say God is a spirit though the expression seem to have an affirmation in it yet it is but the apprehension of God rather by negation that is that God hath no bodily substance in him for to speak properly God is not a Spirit but only that is the most excellent thing that we can conceive of and by way of negation that he is no body and is invisible one that we cannot see and feel and the like when we say he is holy he hath no spot of sin this is by way of negation but now in Heaven we shall not see God onely by negation but we shall see that positive excellency of God we shall see him as he is Secondly we see God much by relation unto other things as when we speak of God and would open the excellency of God we say God is the King of Heaven and Earth and our Father and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and Creator and Governor of all things and these are but relative expressions and a great part of our knowledge of God is by way of relation but hereafter we shall see him as he is Thirdly you shall see God as he is not by framing any representations of him in our mindes there shall be that immediate presence of God to the minde that there shall not need be any representation that we now form in our mindes as in the sense of Seeing the object of the eye being absent from it there must be a species to represent it so there are some kinde of representations of God to our understandings here but there shall be that immediate union with God in the understanding that there shall need no kinde of representation of God but we shall see him as he is Fourthly we shall see him not in his effects in the creature the greatest part that we see of God now is in his effects and not as he is in himself we do not see the face of God but his back parts We look upon the Sun and there we see somewhat of the power of God but it is but the effect of Gods power and not Gods power it self and when we look upon the world we see much of Gods wisdom we see the effect of Gods wisdom and not the wisdom of God it self Fifthly we shall see God as he is distinguished from all creatures here now we see almost nothing of God distinguished from created things Say what you will of God that he is a Spirit that he is a created thing that he is wise or holy or just or merciful there is somewhat of all these in the creature onely he is infinitely above all and that is by way of negation But we do not see him in that positive excellency which does difference him from all created things but now it will be a blessed thing to see God as he is differenced from all created things to see him as he is Sixthly the Saints shall see the counsels of God and all the ways of God what have been and what shall be to all eternity about election what his counsels were about creating of things before they were created and what the workings of his counsels were about the several ways of his providence before there was any manifestation of them in his creature and so all his counsels about rejection of so many thousands of men and Angels It is an expression of S. Augustine We shall see the reason why one is reprobate and one elected why one is rich and one is poor we do not see the reason now but by seeing God we shall see all things that may make for our happiness we shall know all the works that ever God did and that ever he will do to all eternity It is a great thing for a man to know what is done in his generation but to know all the ways of God since the beginning of the world must be a
third union that the Saints have with God is a union of love love is an uniting grace and there is a most entire love between God and every Saint and so their hearts are close united and mingled by love Again in this life there is a mystical Union and that is an union higher then any other an union with Christ being made members of the Son of God and so they come to have union with the Son of God according to that expression in 1 John 1. 3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Iesus Christ There is a mystical union between us and Christ and so we come to have union with God the Father also and to be joyned to the Lord we are one Spirit with him Now for the union that the Saints have with God in Heaven there are many intricate notions that some of the Schoolmen have about this as that the soul shall be turned into the same Idea that God made it of and that there shall be an Illapsus of God into the soul but we must know there can be no union with God but it must be by vertue of the influence of some good from God for speak of what union you will God cannot in his Essence be more present with the creature then he is here but onely in regard of some manifestation or communication of himself in some gift or good thing but certainly there will be a wonderful glorious union between God and the soul in Heaven and that upon these four grounds First there is not such distance between God and the soul but that it is capable of union with God One would think how is it possible that God should be so united to the soul being there is such an infinite distance between God and it but there is not such an infinite distance between God and the soul of man as that there should not be a glorious union between them there is a great deal of likeness between God and the soul First in the spirituality God is a Spirit the soul is a Spirit Secondly in immortality God is immortal the soul is immortal Thirdly in the high excellency of God the understanding and will the soul is endued with understanding and will the perfection of God as we can conceive is his understanding and will and so it is in the soul Fourthly in the several operations that the soul hath and herein there is more likeness between God and mans soul then is between God and Angels in that one rational soul should perform so many works as the same God the same Excellency working upon the creature works in one thing one way and in another thing another way so the soul represents God in this in that one rational soul hath such variety of workings in the body for understanding for sense for vegetation which Angels have not Again the soul resembles God in the infiniteness the soul is not onely infinite in duration but in regard of the infiniteness of the working of it and here is a mighty difference between the soul of man between rational creatures and all other creatures for the sensitive creature that onely works about some particular thing that concerns its own preservation and its own good within its narrow compass but the object of mans soul is universal infinite it is not any particular truth that will satisfie the understanding let there be never so many truths revealed yet the understanding desires infinitely more if there be any truth that is not revealed it would have that Let the sense have some particular object before it suitable to sense it looks no further as if the eye have colour it goes no further nor the ear goes no further then sound but the understanding hath desire to all truth And so for good the sensitive creature hath no desire of good but onely that which does preserve sense but the will of man is for good in general and this shews how capable the soul is to be raised to such an excellency as to have communion with God if we knew what our souls were capable of we would not think we could satisfie them with such things as bruit beasts are satisfied with Secondly there may well be a glorious union between God and and the souls of the Saints because God shall see nothing but himself in the souls of the Saints now when God shall see nothing but his own in such a creature this is a full ground of Gods near and most glorious union with it as when a man comes to see in another much of his own his heart is united to him things that are of a like nature do unite Bring an hot fire-brand to the fire and it does unite presently because the fire does finde something of it self there if there were some moisture in the brand it would not so fully unite And so here we cannot have full union with God because though God sees somewhat of his own in us yet there is a great deal in us that is not Gods but when we shall be wholly free from sin and God shall see nothing but his own in us that must needs be a ground of a most glorious union Thirdly in Heaven there shall be nothing in God but shall be suitable to the nature of a glorified Saint and suitableness is the cause of union if there be not a suitableness there cannot be union There cannot be suitableness between God and other creatures but between a glorified Saint and God there shall be an infinite suitableness and therefore an infinite glorious union Again there shall be an infinite inflamed love here is an union of love but in Heaven there will be a further degree of love and love being enflamed there must needs be a most glorious union Fifthly if you consider what the bond of connexion of the soul and God together is namely the mediation of the Son the second person of the Trinity there must needs be an infinite close and glorious union of the Saints with God This vision and union with God is enough to cause the souls of Gods people to be so satisfied as to say Let all things be taken from me it is enough I have somewhat of Gods presence here but I shall have the glorious presence and vision of God and union with God hereafter and though my eyes should never see good day after or never see comfortable object in the world this is enough I shall see God and have full union with God Though there be a separation between me and all temporal comforts in the world though God should rend this creature or that creature the dearest husband or the dearest wife or the dearest comfort in the world and those things that my soul do most cleave to here from me yet it is enough that
knows the minde of God that soul can know how to savor these things and know the reality of them Again another reason why these things are above the reach of most people is because they are not acquainted with the mysteries of the Gospel and what in them is revealed concerning mankinde If we were acquainted with the mysteries of the Gospel we would not think these things strange that are revealed Thirdly because mens hearts are not enlarged with Gods image for the present therefore they cannot savor any thing but that which hath some savor of the creature Fourthly because they are not acquainted with the first-fruits of Heaven whereas those that are godly have some beginnings of eternal life wrought in them here and upon that these things are not so strange to them their hearts can close with them and suck out abundance of comfort from them And thus we have finished the fourth thing of the reward namely To have God for their portion CHAP. L. The Saints happiness in Communion with Christ NOw the fifth particular in the reward of the Saints is the communion that they shall have with Jesus Christ God and Man there are divers things in which the happiness of the Saints consists in having communion with Christ God and Man It was one of Saint Augustines three wishes To see Christ in the flesh It would be a great delight to you to see Christ in the flesh Many make much of the Picture of Christ and if they had it right they would make more of it but if Christ should come to any of your houses as he did when he lived upon the Earth in his mean condition would it not greatly delight you but when we come to enjoy communion with Christ in Heaven it will be another maner of communion then that upon Earth We accounted the Apostles blessed men that lived with Christ upon the Earth what a blessed condition will it be to live with Christ in Heaven If there were such vertue in Christ upon Earth that there came such vertue from the hem of his garment what glory will there be in Christ in his full glory If Christ were so glorious when he was in his transfiguration how glorious is he being glorified before men and Angels eternally in Heaven With the glory that he had with his Father before the beginning of the World If there was so much vertue in the Apostles of Christ in regard of the reference they had to Christ as from the shadow of Peter and the Napkins that were taken from Pauls body there was such power as to heal diseases what vertue must needs come from Christ when we shall come to enjoy him when we come to see Christ that was the author of all our good We read of the poor Cripple when he was healed by the two Disciples he ran and catched hold on them and was loth to go from them who had been the instruments of so great good to him but for the Saints to come and be with Christ who hath been the instrument of so great good to them as Christ hath been what an infinite happiness will this be we read of many that would go long journeys to see those men that had any excellency in them as some would go from the utmost parts of Greece to Rome to see Livie Themistocles to see Christ then in whom is so much excellency will be glorious And then to have communion with him it is he in whom God the Father takes full satisfaction surely he must be the full satisfaction of the Saints this is that which Christ prays for First he prays for his own glory and then he prays for the Disciples and all Believers That they might be with him to see his glory O to see the Lord Jesus glorified as he shall be glorified must be a glorious thing As to see his glory in regard of the lustre of his Divinity through his humanity when Christ pleased to let out any lustre of his Divinity through his humanity here men were not able to bear it as those that came to apprehend him when he said I am he they fell down backward now in Heaven the lustre of Christs Divinity shall shine mightily through his humanity so in him our bodily eyes shall come to see God as much as it is possible for any creature to see him because God shall be let out through the humanity of Christ as much as it is possible for the Divinity to appear in any corporeal substance or in any creature We shall see him with these our eyes as Iob says We shall see how the power of an infinite God can convey the lustre of a Deity into a creature Certainly Angels and men will be continually viewing of Christ he shall come to be admired of the Saints he shall be admired at the day of Judgement in the Saints but in Heaven they shall see such excellency in Christ God and Man as they shall be admiring at him to all eternity as much as they did at the first moment here if we see any thing that is excellent we admire at first but after a while we do not so but there will be so much excellency in Christ as we shall so admire at it to all eternity as we did at the first moment for there shall be no abatement of our being taken with the glory of the sight of Christ Blessed are your eyes says Christ that see those things you see and blessed are your ears that hear those things you hear It is a blessed thing to see the things we may see here but to see the Divinity shine through the humanity this will be a great blessing And we shall see him in the glory that the Father will put upon him Certainly God will put an infinite glory upon his Son because the Lord was so infinitely well pleased with the satisfaction of his Son Because he subjected himself to the death of the Cross therefore He hath given him a name above all names And we shall see the glory of Christ when all the Angels shall be worshipping of him and all the Saints shall be singing with Praises and Hallalujahs to him And this shall be the business in Heaven eternally to be admiring Christ and praising God for Christ And then we shall see him in his glory triumphing over all his enemies in bringing them down and in his glory when he shall have brought to perfection that great work that he did undertake Now to see Christ thus glorified and for us to enjoy communion with Christ thus in his glory this will be a glorious reward for Gods people This glory of Christ will be made the glory of the Saints as a Queen that sees the Prince in his glory she delights in it because it is her glory and so the Church when she shall see Christ her husband in his glory she shall rejoyce in it because she looks upon it as her own I