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-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
shall see clearly whether Iezabel had more minde to keep a fast or to get Naboths Vineyard then we shall see whether Herod had more minde to worship Christ or to worry him all the secrets of mens hearts shall be laid open Me thinks it would be worth dying to see this sight We shall then see who is the Achan who the Iudas the womens paint falls off from their faces when they come neere the fire before the scorching heat of Gods justice the hypocrites paint will drop off and the Treason hid in the heart will be visible These mysteries will God reveal to us our knowledge shall be clear CHAP. XI The sixth Prerogative Royal. THE next priviledge is Our Love shall be perfect Love is the Jewell with which Christ's Bride is adorned in one sense it is more excellent then Faith for Love never ceaseth 1 Cor. 13.8 The Spouse shall put off her Jewel of Faith when she goes to heaven but she shall never put off her Jewel of Love Love shall be perfect 1. Our love to God shall be perfect The Saints love shall be joyned with Reverence for a filial disposition shall remaine but there shall be no servile feare in Heaven Horrour and trembling is proper to the damned in hell though in Heaven there shall be a reverencing fear yet a rejoycing fear we shall see that in God which will work such a delight that we cannot but love him And this love to God shall be 1. A fervent love we love him here secundùm studium there secundùm actum as the Schoolmen speak Our love to God in this life is rather a desire but in Heaven the smoak of desire shall be blown up into a flame of love we shall love God with an intensenesse of love here our love is lukewarme and sometimes frozen a childe of God weeps that he can love God no more but there is a time shortly coming when our love to God shall be fervent it shall burn as hot as it can the damned shall be in a flame of fire the elect in a flame of love 2. A fixed-fixed-love Alas how soon is our love taken off from God! other objects presenting themselves steal away our love Your goodnesse is like a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away In the morning you shall see the grasse covered with drops of dew as so many pearls but before noon all is vanished so is it with our love to God perhaps at a Sermon when our affections are stirred the heart melts in love and at a Sacrament when we see Christs blood as it were trickling downe upon the crosse some love-drops fall from the heart but within a few dayes all is vanished and we have lost our first love this is matter of humiliation while we live But O ye Saints comfort your selves in Heaven your love shall be fixed as well as fervent it shall never be taken off from God any more such beauty and excellency shall shine in God that as a divine loadstone it will be alwayes drawing our eyes and hearts after him 2. Our love to the Saints shall be perfect Love is a sweet harmony a tuning and chiming together of affections It is our duty to love the Saints 1. Though they are of bad dispositions sometimes their nature is so rugged unhewn that grace doth not cast forth such a lustre it is like a gold ring on a leprous hand or a Diamond set in iron yet if there be any thing of Christ it is our duty to love it 2. Though they in some things differ from us yet if we see Christ's image and portraiture drawn upon their hearts we are to separate the precious from the vile But alas how defective is this grace how little love is there among Gods people Herod and Pilate can agree wicked men unite when Saints divide For the divisions of England there are great thoughts of heart Contentions were never more hot love never more cold Many there are whose musick consists all in discords whose harp is the Crosse that pretend to love truth but hate peace Divisions are Satans Powder-plot to blow up Religion Sin brought forth separation and this daughter of separation hath brought forth the grand-childe of division For these things there are great searchings of heart It were not strange to hear the harlot say Let the childe be divided but to heare the mother of the child say so this is sad If Pope Cardinall Jesuite all conspire against the Church of God it were not strange but for one Saint to persecute another this is strange For a Wolfe to worry a Lamb is usuall but for a Lamb to worry a Lamb is unnatural For Christs Lily to be among the thorns is ordinary but for this Lily to become a thorne to teare and fetch blood of it self this is strange How will Christ take this at our hands Would he not have his Coat rent and will he have his Body rent Oh that I could speak here weeping Well this will be a foyl to set off heaven the more there is a time shortly coming when our love shall be perfect there shall be no difference of judgement in heaven there the Saints shall be all of a piece Though we fall out by the way and about the way we shall all agree in the journies end When once the blessed Harp of Christs voice hath sounded in the ears of the Saints the evill spirit shall be quite driven away When our strings shall be wound up to the highest peg of glory you shall never hear any more discord in the Saints Musick In Heaven there shall be a perfect Harmony CHAP. XII The seventh Prerogative Royal. THe next glorious priviledge to come is the Resurrection of our bodies This is an Article of our faith Now for the illustration of this there are three things considerable 1. That there â—s such a thing as the Resurrection 2. That this is not yet past 3. That the same body that dies shall rise again 1. I shall prove the Proposition that there is a Resurrection of the body There are some of the Sadduces opinion that there is no resurrection then let us eat and drink for to morrow we die 1 Cor. 15.32 To what purpose are all our prayers and tears and indeed it were well for them who are in their life-time as bruit beasts if it might be with them as beasts after death but there is a resurrection of the body as well as an ascension of the soul which I shall prove by two Arguments 1. Because Christ is risen therefore we must rise the head being raised the rest of the body shal not alwayes lye in the grave for then it would be an head without a body his rising is a pledge of our resurrection 1 Thes. 4.14 2. Ex AEquo in regard of justice and equity the bodies of the wicked have been weapons of unrighteousnesse and have joyned with the
but because it brings news of her husband Here we enjoy Christ by letters and that is sweet but what will it be to enjoy his presence in glory Here is that which may amaze us we shall be with Christ Christ is all that is desirable nay he is more then we can desire A man that is thirsty he desires onely a little water to quench his thirst but bring him to the Sea and here is more then he can desire In Christ there is not onely a fulnesse of sufficiency but a fulnesse of redundancy it overflows all the banks a Christian that is most sublimated by Faith hath neither an head to devise nor an heart to desire all that which is in Christ onely when we come to Heaven God will enlarge the vessell of our desire and will fill us as Christ did the Water-pots with Wine up to the brim Now this priviledge of being with Christ hath six priviledges growing out of it SECT I. The first Priviledge of being with Christ. 1. VIsion Job 19. ver 26. In my flesh shall I see God the sight of Jesus Christ will be the most sublime and ravishing object to a glorified Saint When Christ was upon earth his beauty was hid He hath no forme or comelinesse the light of the divine nature was hid in the darke lanthorne of the humane it was hid under reproaches sufferings yet even at that time there was enough beauty in Christ to delight the heart of God My Elect in whom my soul delighteth then his vaile was upon his face but what will it be when the vaile shall be taken off and he shall appeare all in his embroydery In him dwels the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily Col. 2.9 Such glittering beames shall sparkle forth from Christ at that day as will infinitely amaze and ravish the eyes of the beholders Imagine what a blessed sight it will be to see Christ wearing the robe of our humane nature to see that nature sitting in glory above the Angels Ipse Deus sufficit ad praemium 'T is Heaven enough to see Christ. Whom have I in heaven but thee There are saith Musculus Angels and Arch-angels I but they do not make Heaven Christ is the most sparkling Diamond in the ring of glory Therefore the Apostle doth not say I desire to be dissolved and to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in heaven but to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Christ because his presence is the heaven of heaven If Jesus Christ be so beautiful here in his ordinances viz. Word Prayer Sacraments they are the beauties of holinesse If there be so much excellency in Christ when we see him by the eye of faith through the prospective glasse of the promise O what will it be when we shall see him face to face When Christ was transfigured on the Mount he was full of glory Mat. 17.2 His rayment was white as the light If his transfiguration was so glorious what will his inauguration be What a glorious time will it be when as it was said of Mordecâ—i we shall see him in the presence of his Father arrayed in royall apparel and with a great crown of gold upon his head Oh look often upon him with a believing eye whom you shall shortly see with a glorified eye That which will adde to the Saints vision and make it truly beatificall is that through Christ the dread and terrour of the divine Essence shall be taken away Majesty shall appeare in God to preserve reverence but withal Majesty cloathed with beauty and tempered with sweetnesse to excite love and joy in the Saints Through the face of Christ as through a bright Mirrour or Crystall the glory of God his wisdome holinesse mercy shall be sweetly transparent We shall see God as a friend not as guilty Adam did who was afraid and hid himselfe but as Queen Esther looked upon King Ahashuerus holding forth the Golden scepter We shall have the smiles of Gods face and the kisses of his lips O what a blessed sight of God will this be surely it will not be formidable but comfortable and to set off this vision the more the Saints shall alwayes be beholding the Kings face while they live here in the world Gods eye is never off from them and in heaven their eye shall be never off from God they shall be ever looking on that blessed object and the more they behold the shining lustre of his glory the more they shall be ravished both with desire and delight God must make us able to beare the sight of all this We are no more able to beare a sight of glory then a sight of wrath but we shall be qualified and made fit to receive these penetrating beames SECT II. The second Priviledge of being with Christ. THe next Priviledge is Union our being with Christ is not only locall but conjugall We shall so behold him as to be made one with him What nearer then union what sweeter Union is the spring of joy the ground of priviledge by vertue of this blessed union with Christ all those rare beauties wherewith the humane nature of the Lord Jesus is bespangled shall be ours Let us compare two Scriptures Ioh. 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory That is the glory of the humane nature but that is not all Ver. 22. The glory that thou hast given me I have given them Christ hath not his glory onely for himselfe but for us we shall shine by his beames Here Christ puts his graces upon his Spouse and in heaven he will put his glory upon her No wonder then the Queens daughter is all glorious within Psal. 45.14 and her cloathing of wrought gold How glorious will the Spouse be when she hath Christ's jewels upon her Judge not of the Saints by what they are but by what they shall be It doth not yet appeare what we shall be 1 Joh. 3.1 Why what shall we be We shall be like him The Spouse of Christ shall not only be made one with Christ but she shall be made like Christ in other marriages the Spouse changeth her condition but here she changeth her complexion not that the Saints in glory shall receive of Christ's Essence a Socinian errour They shall have as much glory as the humane nature is capable of but though Christ conveys his Image yet not his Essence The Sun shining upon a glasse leaves a print of its beauty there and it is hard to distinguish between the glass and the sun-beam but the glass is not the beam the sun conveys only it's likenesse not it's essence SECT III. The third Priviledge of being with Christ. THe next priviledge is Nobility which consists in Three Things 1. Every Saint shall be a King There are some that aspire after earthly Scepters as if here were the place of the Saints
faith dead things have no beauty in them it is faith that quickens and beautifies 2. Faith is an heart-purifying grace Having purified their hearts by faith Acts 15.9 Faith is a Virgin-grace of a pure and heavenly nature Faith is in the soule as lightning in the Air which purgeth as fire in the Metals which refines as Physick in the Body which works out the disease Faith works out pride self-self-love hypocrisie it consecrates the heart That which was before the Devils Thorow-fare is now made Gods Enclosure 1 Tim. 3.9 Holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience Faith is an heavenly plant which will not grow in an impure soile Faith doth not only justifie but sanctifie as it hath one work in heaven so it hath another work in the heart He that before was under the power of some hereditary corruption as soone as faith is wrought there is a sacred vertue coming from Christ for the enervating and weakening that sin the waters are abated The woman that did but touch the hemme of Christs Garment felt vertue coming out of him The touch of faith hath an healing power Faith casts the Devil out of the Castle of the heart though still he keeps the Out-works Satan hath a party in a Beleever but there 's a Duel fought every day and faith will never give over till as a Prince it prevails This is the faith of Gods Elect Thou that say'st thou believest hath thy faith removed the Mountain of sin and cast it into the Sea What a beleever and a drunkard a beleever and a swearer a beleever and an Apostate for shame either leave thy sins or leave thy profession Faith and the love of sin can no more stand together then two contraries in the same part of the Subject gradu intensivo as light and darknesse Faith is an heart-pacifying grace Peace is the daughter of faith Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God Faith is the Dove that brings an Olive-branch of peace in its mouth Faith presents God reconciled and that gives peace What is it makes Heaven but the smile of God Faith puts the soul into Christ and there 's peace Iohn 16. ult That in me ye may have peace When the Conscience is in a Fever and burns as hell faith opens the Orifice in Christs sides and sucks in his blood which hath a cooling and pacifying vertue in it Faith gives us peace in Trouble nay out of Trouble 1. It gives Peace in Trouble Faith is an heart-pacifying because an heart-securing grace When Noah was in the Ark he did not fear the Deluge he could sing in the Ark. Faith shuts a beleever into the Ark Christ Lead me to the Rock which is higher than I was Davids prayer Faith plants the soul upon this Rock The West-Indians built their Palaces upon the tops of hills in the Flood the waters covered the hills but a beleever is built higher Isa. 33.16 His place of defence shall be the munition of Rocks but a man may starve upon a Rock therefore it follows Bread shall be given him c. Faith builds a Christian upon the power wisdome faithfulnesse of God This is the munition of Rocks and it feeds him with the hidden Manna of Gods love here is bread given him The way to be safe in evil times is to get faith this ushers in peace and it is such a peace as doth garrison the heart Phil. 4.7 The peace of God shall keep your heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It shall keep it as in a Tower or Garrison 2. Faith gathers peace out of trouble joy out of sorrow glory out of reproach This is the key to Samsons Riddle Out of the eater came meat this explaines that Paradox Can a man gather Grapes of Thorns or Figs of Thistles Yes of Trials and Persecutions faith gathers joy and peace here are Figs of Thistles How were the Martyrs ravished in the Flames The Apostles were whipt in prison but it was with Sweet Briar O how sweet is that peace which faith Breeds it is a Plant of the Heavenly Paradise it is a Christians Festival it is his Musick it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Chrysostome speaks the anticipation of Heaven 4. Faith is an heart-strengthening grace a beleever is heart of oke he is strong to resist tentations to bear afflictions to foil Corruptions he gives check to them though not full mate An unbeliever is like Reuben unstable as water he shall not excell A state of infidelity is a state of impotency A Beleever is as Ioseph who though the Archers shot at him his bowe abode in strength If a Christian be to do any thing he consults with faith this is the sinew which if it be cut all his strength goes from him When he is call'd out to suffering he harnesseth himself with Faith he puts on this coat of maile Faith layes in suffering strength furnisheth the soul with suffering Promises musters together suffering graces propounds suffering rewards But how comes Faith to be so strong Answ. 1. Because it is a piece of Gods Armour it is a shield he puts into our hand Eph. 6.16 Above all taking the shield of Faith a shield will serve for a brest-plate a sword if need be an helmet it defends the head it guards the vitals such a shield is Faith 2. Faith brings the strength of Christ into the soul Phil. 4.13 I can do all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through Christ that strengthens me The strength of faith lies out of it self it grafts upon another stock When it would have wisdome it consults with Christ whose Name is wonderful Counsellour when it would have strength it goes to Christ who is call'd the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah Christ is a Christians Armory Faith is the key that unlocks it Faith hangs upon the lock of Christ all its strength lyes here cut it off from this lock and it is weaker then any other grace Christ may be compared to that tower of David on which there hang a thousand bucklers all shields of mighty men The faith of all the Elect these shields hang upon Christ. Faith is an Heroicall grace the Crown of Martyrdom is set upon the head of faith By faith they quenched the violence of the fire the fire overcame their bodies but their faith overcamr the flame 5. Faith is a life-fructifying grace it is fruitfull Iulian upbraiding the Christians said that their Motto was Only beleeve and the Papists call us solifidians Indeed when faith is alone and views all the rare beauties in Christ then faith sets a low value and esteem upon works but when faith goes abroad in the world good works are the handmaids that wait on this Queen Though we place faith in the highest Orb in matter of Justification yet good works are in conjunction with it in matter of Sanctification 'T is no wrong to good works to give faith the
made to true faith and for the most part to weak What is a grain of mustard-seed what is a bruised reed but the emblem of a weak faith yet the Promise is made to these A bruised reed he will not break The words are a miosis where the lesser is put for the greater He will not break that is hee will bind up Though Christ chides a weak faith yet that it may not be discouraged he makes a Promise to it Hierom observes upon the Beatitudes there are many of the Promises made to weak grace Matth. 5.3 Blessed are the poor in spirit Blessed are they that mourn ver 4. Blessed are they that hunger ver 5. 4. A weak faith may be fruitfull weakest things do multiply most The Vine is a weak tree it is born up and underpropt but it is fruitfull it is made in Scripture the Emblem of fruitfulnesse The Thiefe on the Crosse when he was newly converted he had but a weak faith but how many precious clusters grew upon that vine Luk. 23.40 he chides his fellow-thief Dost thou not fear God he falls to self-judging we indeed suffer justly he believes in Christ when he said Lord he makes an heavenly prayer remember me when thou comest into thy kingdome here was a young plant but very fruitful Weak Christians oft are more fruitful in affections how strong is the first love which is after the first planting of faith 5. A Christian may mistake and think he is weak in faith because he is weak in assurance whereas faith may be strongest when assurance is weakest assurance is rather the fruit of faith The woman of Canaan was weak in assurance but was strong in Faith Christ gives her three repulses but her faith stands the shot she pursues Christ with an holy obstinacy of faith insomuch that Christ sets a trophy of honour upon her faith O woman great is thy faith it may be a strong faith though it doth not see the print of the nailes it is an heroicall faith that can swim against winde and tyde believe against hope Christ sets the crown upon the head of faith not of assurance Ioh. 20.29 Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed 6. God hath most care of weak believers the mother tends the weak child most God will gather the lambs with his armes and carry them in his bosome The Lord had a great care of his weak Tribes when Israel march'd towards Canaan the Tribes were divided into several companies or Brigades now it is observable all the weak Tribes were not put together lest haply they should discourage one another and so have fainted in their march but God puts a strong Tribe to two weak Tribes as Issachar Zebulon two weak Tribes and Iudah a victorious Tribe therefore he gives the Lion in his standard surely this was not without a mystery to shew what care God hath of his weak children CHRIST the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah shall be joyned to them 7. Weak faith is a growing Faith 'T is resembled by the grain of Mustard-seed of all seeds the least but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and becometh a Tree so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the Branches thereof Faith must have a growing time The seed springs up by degrees First the Blade and then the Eare and then the full Corn in the Eare the strongest faith hath sometimes been weak The faith that hath been renowned in the world was once in its infancy and minority Grace is like the waters of the Sanctuary which did rise higher and higher Wait on the Ordinances these are the brests to nourish faith be not discouraged at thy weak faith though it be now in the blossome and bud it will come to the full flower Object 3. But saith a childe of God I fear I am not elected Answ. What a Beleever and not elected Who told thee thou wert not elected Hast thou any skill in the black Book of Reprobation The Angels cannot unclasp this Book and wilt thou meddle with it Which is our duty to study Gods Secret will or his Revealed 'T is a sin for any man to say he is a Reprobate That which keeps him in sinne must needs be a sinne but this Opinion keeps him in sinne it cuts the sinews of endeavour Who will take paines for heaven that gives up himselfe for lost O Beleever be of good comfort thou needest not look into the Book of Gods Decree but look into the Book of thy heart see what is written there he that findes the Bible copied out into his heart his nature transformed the byasse of his will changed the signature and engravings of the Holy Ghost upon him he doth not look like a Reprobate When you see the fruits of the earth spring up you conclude the Sun hath been there 'T is hard to climb up into Election but if we finde the fruits of holinesse springing up in our hearts we may conclude the Sun of Righteousnesse hath risen there 2 Thes. 2.13 God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation by the Sanctification of the Spirit By our Sanctification we must calculate our Election Indeed God in saving us begins at the highest Link in the Chaine Election but we must begin at the lowest Link of the Chaine Sanctification and so ascend higher Therefore laying aside all disputes let me poure in of the Wine of consolation Thou who art a Beleever and though thou wilt not affirm it yet thou darest not deny it without sin let me do two things shew you your happinesse then your duty 1. Behold your happinesse all the things which you have heard of present and to come are your portion and prerogative What shall I say to you All my apprehensions fall short When I speak of things to come I know not how to expresse my selfe but by a deep silence and astonishment O the Magnitude and Magnificence of the Saints glory The ascent to it is so high that it is too high for any mans thoughts to climb The most sublime spirit would here be too low and jejune How happy art thou O Beleever if God himselfe can make thee blessed thou shalt be so If being invested with Christs Robes enamell'd with his beauty replenished with his love If all the dimensions of glory will make thee blessed thou shalt be so O the infinite superlative happinesse of a Beleever All things to come are his What To have the same Joynture with the Angels those blessed Spirits Nay to speake with reverence to have a partnership with God himself to share in the same love to be enriched with the same glory which did sparkle forth in the humane nature of Christ How amazing is this the thoughts of it are enough to swallow us up O what an inheritance is he born to who is new borne Suppose he is poore in the world and despised