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
and rules and have the same ends and affections hopes and desires and joys and where there is such a suitableness surely there must needs be a great deal of comfort for all comforts come from a suitableness between the heart and the object if the thing be never so good if there be not a suitableness between the heart and it there is no comfort but no such suitableness as between Gods people and therefore no such comfort Fifthly no such joy as is to be had in communion with them because of their entireness of love entireness of love is a lovely sight Dionisius seeing two entire friends together wished himself the third Cant. 6. 9. My Dove is but one and it follows the daughters saw her and blessed her an oneness of heart is a blessed thing no such entireness such oneness any where as amongst the Saints their love is spiritual and not upon base grounds as the love of others is there is not that base aiming at self as in others a carnal heart cannot love another but in some base respect to himself but now it is not self self that is the the ground of the love between those that are truly gracious and godly but God that is between them and with them the ground of their love is more spiritual and therefore it is a kinde of divine love and not so drossie as others Sixthly no communion so comfortable in regard of their faithfulness they dare trust one another They call themselves brethren and they will dye for another says Tertullian the men of the world cry out Of all men I would not trust those that are so precise Indeed if you do take all refuse that make profession you may say so but a gracious heart can savor who is godly and will not trust every one that talks of Religion but such as are truly godly they dare trust them and venture their lives with them no communion in which we can ease our selves of our burthens as where there are a company of true gracious humble Saints in communion one with another So that put these together and you see the second reason why it is worth the enduring so much affliction to have communion with the people of God Thirdly it is worth the enduring a great deal of affliction to have communion with them because it is in their communion in which the solemn worship of God is set up now it is worth the enduring of a great deal to be where that is In Judah is God known and his name is great in Israel he hath honor by others but his name is great in Israel in his Church What a comfortable thing is it and blessed and worth the enduring of much to have multitudes of Gods people joyn with one heart in setting out the praises of God sitting at his Table sitting before him lifting up the name of the great God making his praise glorious When the Saints are gathered together for this end in this work Christ is there present with them praising God he joyns with them in this work Heb. 2. 12. In the midst of the Church will I praise thee this is spoken of Christ it is quoted out of Psal 22. 22. which is prophetical of Christ who would not be in such acts of worship to joyn with such as Christ joyns with If God be our God and dear to our souls his worship is dear to us and if there be any people in the world among whom God is truly worshipped it is a great affliction not to be with them It is the observation of one Interpreter upon that place in Isa 6. where the Cherubims cryed Holy holy holy Lord God of hosts the earth is full of thy glory the Prophet cryes out Wo unto me I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips unfit to joyn with those that are praising of God howsoever the meaning of that place be yet thus we may make use of it to be a great affliction and cause there is to cry out Wo to our selves when we hear of Gods people crying out Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts if we be not amongst them though it be in the wilderness yet if Gods worship be set up the people of God have a feast When the Israelites were to go from Egypt into the wilderness Moses says they must go thither to keep a feast unto the Lord What was that feast in the wilderness but the setting up the worship of God Fourthly no communion no society in which there is so much profit and benefit as to be amongst these As Abigail said to David The Lord shall binde up the soul of my Lord in the bundle of life to be amongst Gods people is to be bound up in the bundle of life much good we enjoy in them and the more communion we have the more interest we have in all their gifts and graces and prayers and therefore we read of Daniel when he had a great work to do how he makes use of that interest he had in the prayers of the godly Daniel 2. 17 18. It is a great blessing to have an interest in the prayers of the Saints and so in all their gifts 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas c. all are yours and you are Christs as if he should say there need no such envying one at another to say I am of Paul and another of Apollos and another of Cephas for all are yours all the gifts and graces of all the worthies of the Lord are all yours they are all for your good and you have interest in them all in communion with the Saints there is watching over one another and quickning one another and admonishings and wholesome counsels and stirring up the graces of God that are in one another Have you not felt your selves when you have come away from a spiritual communion to come away with hearts raised and spirits inflamed for God and so strengthened that your resolutions have been up to do or suffer any thing for the Lord as in Mal. 3. 16. Those that feared the Lord spake often to one another quickned the hearts of one another and so in Acts 18. 5. And when Silus and Timotheus was come from Macedonia Paul was pressed in spirit and testified to the Iews that Iesus was Christ Certainly in their converse together S. Paul found his spirit wrought upon and refreshed so that the Text says when Timotheus was come Paul was pressed in spirit Fifthly it is good being with Gods servants though it be in suffering affliction because God takes so much delight in them if God takes delight in being with them certainly there is great cause we should take delight in them there are admirable expressions of Gods taking delight in them Zeph. 3. 17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will save thee he will rejoyce over thee with joy he will rest in his love
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
Choice If you would choose Moses Choice use Moses argument and this is the special argument that moved Moses to make this Choice he looked upon all these things as for a season and he looked upon eternity O that you being moved by Moses argument you may this day be brought to choose Moses Choice that you may sing Moses Song Rev. 15. 3 4. Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy name for thou only art holy O that that Choice by this argument were made that so you might sing hereafter this part of Moses Song O Lord there was a time that I never saw thee in thy glory and never minded thee but now Lord I see worthy thou art to be feared and glorified for ever for thou art holy The Lord give us hearts upon this argument to make this Choice Moses his Choice The third Part. Heb. 11. 26. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward CHAP. XXIX The Review of Moses Choice WE have finished the Choice of Moses the argument upon which Moses went in his Choice and now we are come to this 26. verse where we have the Review of Moses choice looking back to see what he had chosen to the consequent of it He sees that while he joyns himself with the people of God and suffers affliction he is like to meet with nothing but reproach and scorn for his labor this he sees yet he repents not his judgement still is not onely for his choice but he does esteem of it highly as accounting that reproach of Christ that he was to suffer great riches and the argument that here he hath is the greatness of the recompence of the reward He had an eye unto the recompence of the reward Esteeming the reproach of Christ Reproach is taken either materially or formally materially so it may be taken for the affliction that he did endure with Gods people that outward mean wretched condition that he was like to suffer with the people of God this was the matter of the reproach Or otherwise formally the scorn contempt reviling railing and all the evil that should be spoken of him when he had left the Court and joyned himself with Gods people and this formal kinde of reproach is that which is especially meant The reproach of Christ How could that reproach that Moses suffered be the reproach of Christ for Christ was not then born it was a long time after before Christ came into the world Christ was present unto Moses by the eye of faith though he were not yet come into the world Christ is the same to day yesterday and for ever he was the same to the Patriarchs and Prophets that he is to us Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt Moses was not onely content to suffer patiently the reproach of Christ but he counted it his glory his riches greater riches then the Treasures of Egypt Egypt was a rich countrey and full of treasures and therefore in Psal 87. Egypt is called by the name of Rahab and the reason is because of the pride and power and insolency of Egypt because Egypt was a fruitful rich place therefore they had a great deal of strength and power and were lift up with pride So Isa 51. 9. vide Hieronym upon the place The King of Egypt is called a Dragon in the waters and the chief horses that Solomon had in 2 Chron. 9. they came out of Egypt and the Whore in the Proverbs had her fine linen out of Egypt Egypt was a very fruitful Country Gen. 13. 9. The fruitfulness of that place to which Lot turned aside is described to be the garden of the Lord like the Land of Egypt it is called by many Horreum caeterarum regionum the Granary of other Countreys hence Abraham when famine was in Canaan went into Egypt and after Jacob in time of famine sent his sons into Egypt it is said of it that they sow almost every moneth And being such a flourishing place all kinde of learning was there and therefore in 1 King 4. 30. where the greatness of Solomons wisdom is set out it is said it excelled the wisdom of Egypt In Egypt was treasures of riches and treasures of strength treasures of the riches of the earth and treasures of merchandize and treasures of learning and yet Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches then all the treasures of Egypt Now the points that arise from these words are these First that the people of God have been and usually are a people under reproach Secondly the reproach of Gods people is the reproach of Christ Thirdly a gracious heart is not only willing to bear reproach when God calls unto it but in the cause of Christ triumphs and rejoyces in that reproach it suffers Fourthly the strong argument that moves Gods people thus to do is the eye that they have unto the recompence of the reward To begin with the first and that is this CHAP. XXX The condition of Gods people is a reproached condition HAving now to handle this Doctrine concerning the reproaches that are cast upon Gods people before I speak a word concerning the point I desire to put this caveat That none upon hearing the estate of Gods people being reproached shall think to wash away all just reprehension and accusation and think to answer whatsoever they are accused of with this That all Gods people have been reproached and therefore think their condition to be but the same that usually Gods people have been First if that were enough to answer any accusation upon this then there should never be any reprehension and accusation the Church of God should never proceed against any for any evil Secondly such as think to put off just reprehensions and accusations thus have their consciences reproach them more then others do or can reproach them Thirdly it is not for all to make use of this that I am speaking of but onely such whose constant and general way is gracious and inoffensive now if they meet with unjust accusations and reproachful slanders they may have the benefit of this to think it is the usual condition of Gods people to be reproached but if any have been offensive and evils break out they cannot have the benefit of this point for more evil may be in them then appears and thus I lay this caveat to pull up evil weeds before I sow good seed And now to the Point The condition of Gods people is a reproached condition They have been a people subject to all maner of evil speaking of them This the Church of God complains of in Psal 79. 4. they were not onely a reproach but God himself gave them over to be a scorn and reproach Isaac that was the son of the promise we know how he was reproached and contemned
are weak or ignorant or such as are malicious Weak and ignorant for any one that hath wisdom to be troubled at the reproaches of those that are weak it is a wonderful disgrace Will any man care that is a workman to have an unskilful man reproach his work It is a notable speech of Seneca Some are possest with such great folly and madness to think they may be reproached by a woman And for the malicious alas they reproach themselves a great deal more then they reproach you they do but discover their own filth in it and therefore are compared to swine swine will leave other things and continually be rooting in dung and so those that love to be reproaching leave the good that is in any and will always be rooting in their filth here they shew their swinish dispositions One compares a reproacher to the stone that struck down Nebuchadnezzars Image whose head was of gold and the breast and upper parts of silver and the feet of clay the stone came and struck the feet the clay and so struck it down so reproachers do not look at the gold and silver the parts and graces of Gods people but if there be any clay any infirmities or sins they strike at them and so fell them down The godly had need fence their feet of clay and infirmities that they do not lie open to malicious men Erasmus tells of one who collected all the lame and defective verses in Homers Works but passed over all that were excellent So these if they can spy any thing defective and evil they observe it and gather all they can together but will take no notice of that which is good and praise-worthy like the Kite who flies over the fair meadows and flowers and lights onely upon the carrion or like flyes that love onely to be upon the sore galled places of the horses back And what is it you are reproached for it is either good or evil if it be good you have no cause to be troubled if it be evil it is threefold the evil of sin or natural infirmities or outward meanness If it be the evil of sin then either you are guilty or not guilty if you be guilty it is not reproach but right judgement of thy condition and if there be such a great evil for others to speak of it what a great evil is it for thee to be guilty of it and therefore you should turn all the trouble that you have for the notice which is taken of it upon your guiltiness in it and many times although the thing be true they say of you yet it is so poor and mean a thing that you may comfort your self in this that surely they cannot perceive worse in you for if they could they would make use of that Latimer in his last Sermon before K. Edward says He was glad when any objected indiscretion against him in his Sermons for says he by that I knew the matter was good else they would soon have condemned that And if you be not guilty innocency is bulwark enough Says Seneca He is to be ashamed that does unjustly and shall you be ashamed that are innocent Yes others think I am guilty But if you go on in an innocent way whosoever do think so do disgrace themselves for suppose one should say the Sun were dark and another should believe it who is disgraced the Sun or the man that either said it or believed it so if an aspersion be cast upon those that are godly and they walk in a shining conversation before others it will be such a reproach to any that raises the reproach as it will keep others from believing of it But if the evil be some natural infirmity weakness of parts or the like then thou mayest comfort thy self in this that there is no dishonor in natural infirmity it is onely sin that brings shame there is a relation between sin and shame but between nothing else and shame it is a sign also they want other things when they reproach thee for natural infirmities Seventhly consider what honor God hath put upon you and what he intends to put upon you if you be godly he hath put honor enough upon you and that may be enough to uphold the heart under all the reproaches and stains that men and Devils can cast upon you Hath not the Lord been pleased to bring you into the honorable estate of sonship and hath put his glory upon your souls and hath honored you by that near relation you have to Christ he hath honored you by the glorious priviledges of the Gospel he hath honored you by giving himself and Christ to you he hath honored you in the hearts of his Saints men of precious spirits who know much of Gods minde who are able to judge wherein true excellency consists their hearts are with you they bless God for you the esteem of one godly man is more to be regarded then thousands of others your name is precious amongst the Saints and that is enough When Doeg reproached David with devouring words in Sauls Court yet David blessed himself in this Psalm 52. 8. But I am a green Olive-tree in the house of God Doeg flourisheth in the Court and my name may be blasted there but In the house of God there my name is precious I am there as a green olive-tree and that is more to me then flourishing in Sauls Court Now shall the reproach of an evil tongue take away the comfort of a godly heart that hath so great honors We count it a great evil and exceeding was the basenes of the spirit of Haman when he was so honored by the King and his Nobles yet that he should be vexed because Mordecai would not bow to him that all his honor should do him no good so is it not the baseness of the spirits of Gods Servants truly it is to be called by no other name when as God hath raised them to such glory when as God hath made them Members of and Coheirs with his Son and they are invited to the Banquet of the Lord to the great Supper of the Lamb and the Lord hath provided for them all the glory of Heaven and there are such glorious things spoken of them in the word yet for all this if they come into wicked company and have but an evil tongue speak against them they are so discouraged and cast down as if all the honor that God had put upon them were nothing What an evil thing is this And how do you derogate from the goodness of God to walk thus unbeseeming Christians If you had never so much filth upon you for the present being there is so much honor to come what need you to care If a man be going to be crowned and to be glorified and those that do not know him as he goes contemn him what cares he He knows that within a few days he shall be honored by
nothing that must needs have a great deal of power to enable the heart to part with any thing in the world in the cause of God those who by the eye of faith are able to behold the reality and certainty of those glorious things they look upon all things below as poor mean slight contemptible things As we know the glory of the light of the Sun darkens the glory of the light of a candle the light of a candle is comfortable in the night in the dark but when the light of the Sun riseth that is nothing So long as the men of the world are in darkness the light and comfort of the creature is a great matter to them but when God lets the glory of the things of his Kingdom appear to them then the comfort of the creature is nothing A Glow-worm glisters in the dark but when the day comes the brightness and the glistering of the Glow-worm is not seen so all the brightness and glistering of the creature that takes the hearts of men is gone when God lifts up his light upon them and shews them the greatness of his Kingdom And the reason why people are so hardly brought to suffer any thing for God is because they have such high esteem of these things that which a man hath high esteem of he is loth to part withal but when a mans heart is taken from them as there is no longer a high esteem of them he is willing to part with them As Saint Paul said I am ready not to be bound onely but also to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus his life was not dear to him he accounted it not worth the least degree of glory to God A gracious heart as it accounts nothing low in any duty that tends to this glorious reward so it accounts nothing high to part with for the recompence of reward It is a notable passage we have of Joseph to his Father Jacob Gen. 45. 20. Regard not your stuff for the good of all the Land of Egypt is yours It may be Joseph thought his Father Jacob might think I have many Goods here and what shall I leave all that I have here to go to Egypt into a strange countrey he might think this might be some let to his Father but Ioseph calls it all stuff you have a deal of stuff and lumber but let it not grieve you to leave your stuff and lumber all the good of the Land of Egypt is yours So God says to a gracious heart when it looks upon any thing it should part withal and it is loth to part with it says God Regard not your stuff and lumber you have here for not the good of all the Land of Egypt is yours but all the good that is in Heaven is yours and the good that is in the God of Heaven and the good that is in Christ is all yours That soul that understands the glory of Heaven and the Interest that it hath in it shall hear a voyce tell it That all the good in Heaven and in God and in Christ is its own and therefore he will not regard any thing here if we knew no better things then these we would be loth to part with them if we had never seen the light of the Sun we would have accounted the Moon a glorious creature and as a mighty Ornament to Heaven and to the world but when we come to see the glory of the Sun that is nothing to us in comparison Children that are born in a dungeon and know no better things would be loth to part with that they have there but when they come to know what is in the world then all they had before is nothing to them greater glory diminisheth that which is less So that we may apply that the Apostle speaks concerning the comparison of the Gospel with the Law to this we are speaking of 2 Cor. 3. 10. That which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelleth though there was some glory in the administration of the Law yet it is no glory in comparison of that which excelleth So though there may be glory in the outward comforts of the world yet there is no glory in comparison of that glory which excelleth in comparison of that glory which hath been opened and that is the first thing Secondly as the glory of the world is darkned by having respect to this glorious recompence of reward so all the evils of the world are wonderfully lessened You know what the Apostle says in Rom. 8. 18. That the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us As we use to say It is not to be named the same day not to be reckoned with the glory that shall be revealed in us A Father upon that place hath a notable gloss says he Sufferings are not to be compared looked upon in respect first of the punishment that we have deserved which is passed by and pardoned and then not to be compared and reckoned with the present grace and comfort that Gods people have here But then much less is to be compared and reckoned with the weight of glory that is to come that is promised to us And so in 2 Cor. 4. 17 18. While we look at things that are eternal not temporal this light affliction all is but light and nothing in comparison What is it for one to have a rainy day who is going to take possession of a Crown there is no man would be much sensible of a little cold in his head if it were uncovered a while to have a Crown of gold put on I have read of a foolish woman that was afraid her Son should get cold by putting off his night-cap to have a Crown set upon his head but no wise man would much consider the cold he should get in his head upon that ground Great things swallow up small things and great joys will swallow up small evils there is no comparison between the evil we suffer here and the glory that is to come What is a drop of vinegar put into an Ocean of sweet wine it is not so much as taken notice of here when a man receives a great good he is not affected with lesser evils As for example in Saul when Saul had the Kingdom some did despise him 1 Samuel 10. 27. but Saul held his peace he was not troubled at that though he was a man afterward froward enough he thought this good of the Kingdom is enough to take away the apprehension of any evil in being despised what though a company of poor people despise me and speak against me when as I have the Kingdom and am anointed of God and have this dignity put upon me A man that knows any thing of his own worth and that God hath bestowed much upon him this takes off any other evil that
such a glorious reward such blessed things as these reserved for the people of God hence then let us dwell a little in admiring at the goodness of God at the infinite treasures of the riches of the glory of the grace of God towards the children of men Certainly Brethren great are the thoughts of God towards mankinde wonderful are his ways to this poor creature of his What is man says the Psalmist nay what is man indeed when as we consider what God hath done for him In Rom. 8. 31. after the Apostle had spoke of glorification and of the blessed estate of Gods people hereafter says the Apostle What shall we say to these things So seeing these things are so that are revealed What shall we say to these things O the heighth and length and depth and breadth of the loving kindeness of the Lord how unsearchable are his judgements shall we say How unsearchable are his mercies and his mercies past finding out O how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought before the sons of men Psal 31. 19. If ever God wrought about any thing it was about the communication of his goodness to mankinde yea how great is it before the sons of men before us that have but a little made known to us How great is it before Angels then and before God himself In Psal 113. 6. it is said God humbleth to behold things that are done in heaven It is much that God should vouchsafe to behold any thing in heaven but now that God should vouchsafe to behold such a poor wretched creature as man is here upon earth and not to behold him onely but to work thus gloriously for him and that from all eternity to make it his great work to communicate himself to man O how does God humble himself here and how is his mercy and goodness to be admired and adored by the sons of men God is to be praised for the least of his mercies here but he is to be admired in the glory of his rich grace in heaven We read Psal 136. God is praised twenty five times for his mercies but the conclusion of all is Praise the God of Heaven for his mercies endure for ever his mercies as he is the God of heaven they are the glorious mercies indeed When the Scripture would set forth the excellency of a thing it expresseth it by heaven as the excellency of Christ He is the Lord from heaven 1 Cor. 15. 47. The excellency of God the God of heaven Jonah 1. 9. It is made the top of Christs glory that he is made higher then the heavens Heb. 7. 26. When Christ would shew the excellency of the bread of life he says It is bread from heaven the excellency of spiritual blessings is set out in this that they are blessings in heavenly places Eph. 1. Because gold is the most precious mettal therefore we lay it over other things not onely wood and cloth but silver it self so because heaven is so excellent the Lord gilds as it were his choicest blessings with this adjunct and all to shew the wonderful excellency there is in heaven it self Brethren God hath therefore revealed these things to us to that end that the glory of his grace might be great in the world God would have us have high and honorable and glorious thoughts of his goodness God would have the high praises of his grace to be in the hearts and in the mouthes of his Saints it is a great evil to have low and mean apprehensions of the glorious grace of God to mankinde you do not know what dishonor you bring to God in it If your hearts be not raised on high and enlarged in the thoughts of the free and glorious grace of God to mankinde it is an exceeding dishonor to him To see the riches of Gods glorious grace to the children of men it is a mighty work of faith and such a work as the soul is enabled to do onely by a mighty and glorious work of the holy Ghost in it indeed there is in the world a base and poor and mean apprehension of the grace of God in Christ such as does not work at all to raise and enlarge and glorifie the heart of a man but the true sight of the riches of Gods glorious grace it hath a mighty power to raise and enlarge and glorifie the hearts of the children of men while they are here as mark the expressions of the Apostle in his Prayer for the Ephesians 1 Ephes 17. 18. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him The eyes of your understanding being enlightned that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints not the inheritance of the Saints but the inheritance in the Saints and the glory of the inheritance and the riches of the glory and they must not onely have understanding to know this but the eyes of their understanding must be enlightened and this must come from the knowledge of Christ from the Spirit of wisdom and Revelation and from the Father of glory the God of our Lord Jesus Christ The sight of the excellency and riches of Gods grace here it is that that is the work of God shining into the heart 2 Cor. 4. 6. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ The unsearchable truths of the Gospel are in that which hath been revealed so far as we are able to wade into them The sight of Gods rich glory is that which the Princes of the world have not known it is that which requires a work of the Spirit of God Of that Spirit which searcheth the deep things of God O brethren if you had a true spiritual sight of the richness of the goodness of God in the way of his communication of happiness and glory to the children of men then you see into the great design of God into the deep counsels of his wisdom then God hath laid open his heart unto you God hath brought you into the treasures of his riches and given you a view of them the very secrets of Gods soul are imparted to you and blessed are your eyes that have seen these things if the sight of Gods glory in his grace towards mankinde be seen in true beauty and height and glory indeed there is no fear that they should do hurt to any soul it is true the apprehension of the grace of God in a natural way is the cause of security or presumption in many but there was never any in the world that was furthered in a way of security and presumption upon the spiritual sight and view they
have had of the heighth and depth of the riches of the glory of the grace of God in the face of Jesus Christ That sight of Gods grace that is the cause of security in people is that which is grounded meerly upon a natural light which hath no efficacy to raise and enlarge and to purge the heart But this true spiritual sight of Gods grace it hath a mighty efficacy and nothing more to raise and enlarge and purge the heart In 2 Corinth 3. 18. says the Apostle We beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror What then are we secure and presumptuous upon this No We are changed into the same image from glory to glory What was that glory that the Apostle did behold the glory of God in the mirror of the Gospel the glory of God in the riches of his grace towards the Saints Now says he While we behold as in a mirror this glory of God this is the fruit of it We are changed from glory to glory People talk of Gods mercy but how few ever had a spiritual sight of Gods mercy they would have Ministers preach much of Gods mercy but if people had eyes to behold it in the glory of it how would it change their hearts wherefore then I beseech you labor to have more then a natural sight of Gods mercy and goodness towards mankinde A man by a low apprehension of Gods mercy and goodness may think thus So long as I serve God it shall be well with me God will bless me and be merciful to me but that spiritual and supernatural sight of the riches of the glory of Gods mercy is this for a soul though it sees it self a base vile wretched worm a lump of filth and sees it self standing guilty before the Lord and God seems to look with an angry face upon it and conscience within it accuses it and the threats of the fiery Law come out against it yet for a soul to be able to look into the deep bowels of Gods infinite compassion that are in Christ and in them to look upon it self for all this as an heir of glory and eternal life so as to have the soul raised and enlarged and devoted to the magnifying praising and adoring the riches of Gods grace and to venture all upon this this is more then a natural sight of Gods grace and of his mercy towards mankinde You will say We could admire Gods grace and mercy towards mankinde and praise him and bless him for it and our hearts would be enlarged If we were sure these things did belong to us and that we had any interest in them there is enough in them to enlarge and raise our hearts but this is that which hinders We do not know that we have an interest therein To that I answer That this very work of God it self that gives this sight of his grace to raise up the heart to close with it and to make the soul venture all upon it that does bring the soul to devote it self to the praise and honor of it this very work of it self does interest your souls in it therefore do not say If I were interested in these things then I could praise and magnifie God for them If you can do this you are interested in them for this is an immediate work of faith and it is from a divine principle to be able to do this and therefore though you know no good at all in your selves before and you had no arguments to encourage you before and you had no preparation in your own apprehensions before yet if you have but this work of grace it does interest your souls in all that which hath been revealed concerning the recompence of reward of the Saints of God But may we not presume to think that such great things belong to us To that I answer Where ever presumption is it is built upon a natural sight of Gods grace and that is a poor low flat dead thing that hath no such efficacy to raise the heart to such a glorious work as this is and therefore if the heart be raised to such a glorious work as this by the appprehension of the riches of the grace and goodness of God towards mankinde that is not presumption And this is the sixth Use CHAP. LIV. Gods people to be highly honored SEventhly if there be such blessed things reserved for the people of God Hence let us look upon all the servants of God as honorable in our eyes and let them be honored in our thoughts for great are the thoughts of God upon them and towards them and therefore great and honorable should be our thoughts of them though they be never so poor and mean in the world We use to look upon great heirs with admiring thoughts and blessing of them every time we look upon them Do you see one walking in the ways of God whatsoever he be for his outwards let your hearts bless him and say Here is one indeed born to great things other maner of things then any the world affords Did we know what were the things that the people of God should be possessed of within a while we would say in our hearts O blessed that ever they were born blessed is the womb that bare them and blessed are the paps that gave them suck Did we with a spiritual believing eye behold what things they should have and saw them as now possessed of them we would see cause to fall down and kiss the ground upon which they tread The blessed Angels look upon them as great ones as the glory of the world and therefore do joyfully minister unto them because they know they are the great heirs of Heaven for whom such great things are prepared Great things are spoken of thee O thou City of God says the Psalmist Great things are spoken of you O ye Saints of God If Heaven must be so glorious to entertain the Saints how glorious are those for whom heaven is prepared Says Ahasuerus What shall be done to the man whom the King will honor O what shall be done to those whom an infinite God hath set his heart upon to raise to honor and to manifest to Angels and to all the world what his infinite power is able to do in raising of a creature to glory In the Saints there is a meeting as it were of the beams of Gods grace and goodness as in a center and that must needs be very warm and hot indeed The beams of the Sun in the circumference scattered in the ayr are warm but in a glass where they are united together as it were in a center there they warm after another maner there they burn so all the works of Gods grace abroad in the world they are as the beams of the Sun in the circumference that are scattered abroad but in his people there is the center where they are united together and there they burn and
by this means he scatters his people abroad in the world to disperse his truth to spread his Gospel further then otherwise it would be as Acts 8. 3 4. it is said Saul made havock of the Church haling men and women committing them to prison therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the Word according to the prophesie of Daniel chap. 12. 4. prophesying of the times of the troubles of the Church he says Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased Secondly this God suffers for the manifestation of his glorious power and that four ways First in the continuing of his Church and the profession of his truth notwithstanding all the rage of men and devils Gods power was seen in preserving the bush from being consumed though it were all on a light fire to preserve a spark of fire alive in the midst of the waves of the sea and to keep a light set up in the midst of storms and tempests is a great work there appears as great a power of God in preserving his Church in the midst of so much opposition notwithstanding their grievous afflictions and persecutions as there did appear in the preservation of the three Children in the fiery furnace Eliah would have water poured upon the sacrifice he would have it covered with water that the power of God might more appear in the fire that came down from Heaven upon it so God will have afflictions persecutions troubles to befal his people that he may manifest his power so much the more in their preservation Secondly the power of God appears not onely in the upholding but in the raising the spirits of this servants in their afflictions with what courage holy magnanimity heavenly chearfulness that appeareth in them even weak women and children triumphing over the most sore afflictions and grievous distresses which made a Heathen one Calocerius beholding this break forth with this acclamation Of a truth great is the God of the Christians Bernard says Those whom God frees from troubles have experience how sweet the Lord is and those whom he exercises with many troubles have experience how strong the Lord is The glory of Gods power is as clear in the raising the spirits of his servants in suffering as if he should deliver them from suffering by miracle And therefore Rupertus saith that God did more gloriously triumph in St. Laurence his patience and constancy when he was broiled on the Gridiron then if he had saved his body from burning by a miracle 3. The power of God is glorious not onely in preserving his Church in raising the spirits of his servants in their greatest afflictions but in increasing his Church by them if it be a wonder to be upheld in them it is much more to be encreased by them the more we are cut down the more still we are saith Tertullian The Church never grew so fast as when it was under most affliction Sulpitius says of the Christians in the primitive times that they then were as greedy of Martyrdom as in his time men were greedy of Bishopricks The blood of Martyrs was the seed of the Church Pliny reports of the lilly that it is increased by its own juyce that drops from it so the Church which is the lilly that grows among the thorns the very blood that falls from them multiplies them the sufferings of one begets many to the love of the truth Mr. Knox in his History of Scotland reports of a Gentleman one John Lindsay familiar to Bishop James Bettoun that he said to the Bishop upon the occasion of the burning of Mr. Patrick Hamilton My Lord if you burn any more you will destroy your selves if you will burn them let them be burnt in hallow cellars for the smoak of Mr. Patrick Hamilton hath infected as many as it blew upon It is a report of one Cecilia a Virgin that by her constancy and exhortations before and at her Martyrdom was the means to convert four hundred people By blood and prayer the Church converts the whole world says Luther Fourthly God shews the glory of his power in doing such great things as he doth by a few afflicted distressed persecuted contemptible people The greatest things that ever God hath done in the world have been by these the more afflicted the more mean and despised they have been the more hath the arm of the Lord appeared in them Gods power is made perfect in weakness 2 Cor. 12. What great things hath God done by a few afflicted persecuted fishermen the Apostles What great things by St. Paul who many times had not rags to cover his nakedness who was whipped up and down and put into stocks and counted the basest and vilest of men the very off-scouring of men and the filth of the earth and yet never were such great things done in the world by those who had the greatest learning the most power the most valor the most glory in the world as was done by these they did even subdue the world unto them and that by preaching the Gospel a Doctrine so above nature so contrary unto nature Chrysostom in a Sermon upon the 10. of Matthew speaking concerning this argument calls forth Plato and Pythagoras and the rest of the Phylosophers and challenges them to shew what they had done in comparison of these But because some might say that amongst the Heathens there have been most famous Captains who have done great things as Themistocles and Pericles If you compare says he what they have done with what hath been done by these poor fishermen all their bravest acts will appear but childes plays and the enterprizes of simple men Thirdly that which God ayms at is the tryal of the graces of his people an afflicting condition is a trying condition Hence Dan. 11. 35. Some shall fall and be tryed This is a prophesie of the times of the Maccabees under Antiochus Epiphanes in the 11. Heb. we have the History of this where verse 36. we have the like expression others had tryals of cruel mockings and scourgings We read of Queen Elizabeth in her sister Queen Maries days when she was locked up close in the prison at first she was much daunted but after she brake forth into this speech The skill of a Pilot is unknown but in a tempest the valor of a Captain is unseen but in battel and the worth of a Christian does not appear but in time of tryal and temptation Fire tryes mettals what dross is in them strong winds storms and tempests try what our foundation is whether we be built upon the rock or upon the sands they discover what sap the leaves have from the root withered leaves when the wind rises fall off the green leaves that have sap holds on they try what soundness is in us if you hang heavy weights upon the boughs of trees that are rotten they presently break but if upon sound
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
he will joy over thee with singing One word is heaped upon another to set out the abundance of delight that God takes in his people Hence the Church hath that name given her Hephzibah because God delighteth in her Isaiah 62. 4. And in Deut. 33. 3. it is said He loved his people there is a general love All his Saints are in his hand and they sate down at his feet that is more particular and in Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my Spouse c. One would think by the reading of the words they were rather the speech of the Spouse to Christ but it is the speech of Christ to his Spouse And so again in Cantic 5. 2. Open to me my sister my love my dove my undefiled these are the expressions of the delight that God hath in his people The Lord loves the gates of Zion more then all the ling places of Jacob that is God delights in the publike communion of his people more then in all their private dwellings If we be of Gods minde and have Gods Spirit our hearts must be where God is Gods bowels yern towards them I am afflicted with thee in all thy afflictions and how shall I give thee up There is a notable expression in Hosea 9. 10. where God sets out much of his delight in his Church I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness as a traveller wearied parched in the wilderness if he findes bunches of grapes O how sweet and refreshing are they to him so says God was Israel to me and further I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig-tree at her first time Fruit when it comes at the first and is dainty how is it prized some will give an incredible price for some kinde of timely fruit when it is rare at the first Thus God sets out his delight never Longer did delight more in some timely rare fruit then God does in his Saints God takes delight you see in his people above all others and therefore it is good to be with them Sixthly Consider the glorious titles that in Scripture are put upon the Saints in a way of Church communion as 1. They are Gods portion Deut. 32. 9. The Lords portion is his people 2. His pleasant portion Jer. 12. 10. They have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness 3. His inheritance Isaiah 19. 25. other people are the work of Gods hands but Israel is his inheritance 4. The dearly beloved of his soul Jer. 12. 7. He gave the dearly beloved of his soul into the hands of their enemies 5. His treasure his peculiar treasure Exod. 19. 5. Ye shall be a peculiar treasure to me above all people for all the earth is mine that is called peculium which the son and heir of the house hath of his own besides the right of his fathers inheritance which he may dispose of as he thinks good so though the earth be the Lord Christs by inheritance by right of creation yet he hath a special interest in his Church above all other God hath treasure in the works of nature and it is called his good treasure Deut. 28. 12. The Lord shall open to thee his good treasure but this is his peculiar treasure 6. His glory Isaiah 46. 13. I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory 7. The house of Gods glory Isa 60. 7. 8. A crown of glory Isa 62. 3. 9. The throne of God Exod. 17. 16. The words may be read thus because the hand upon the throne of the Lord and so by many they are translated and then the sense is because Amaleks hand was upon the Church the throne therefore God threatens war against them vea 10. The Throne of glory Jer. 4. 21. 11. The Ornament of God Ezek. 7. 20. 12. The beauty of his ornament Ezek. 7. 20. 13. The beauty of his ornament set in majesty Ezek. 7. 20. 14. A royal Diadem Isaiah 62. 3. Many other such expressions you may meet with in Scripture but put these together and you see it is desireable to be with the Saints in their communion Seventhly There is a special presence of God amongst them and to be there where God is in his especial presence it is worth the enduring of a great deal of affliction God is there in a special maner as in the last words of the prophesie of Ezekiel the Church is called by that name Iehova Shammah the Lord is there And the Lord filled his Tabernacle with his presence the Tabernacle was a type of the Church and did typifie his especial presence with his people in Church-communion And as God is there present so observe the expressions of his especial presence he is said to dwell there Psal 76. 2. In Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion Now it is good keeping house with God You are his house saith the Apostle the Church of God is his house and it is good to be in Gods house But though it be his dwelling Is it a dwelling that is lovely to him Yes for it is that his soul desires to be in as if so be God counted it a kinde of honor as we may speak with holy reverence to have such a habitation Psal 132. 14. Here will I dwell for I have desired it as if he should say If I might have but a dwelling among my people I desire no better habitation in the world Now you that are fain to be put into mean holes for your dwellings if you may be with Gods people do not think it much for God dwells there and desires no better habitation It is strange that God that hath Heaven to be his habitation should desire to dwell with his people yet says he I desire to dwell there and I will dwell there If a man make a house to do some mean business in he does not take much delight there but in that house where the Kings Majesty is manifested that is the greatest place in the Kingdom now in Psal 26. 8. it is Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house where thy honor dwelleth as if this were the chief house that God had that God delighteth in this above all other dwellings his honor dwells here But will God stay here Yea it is the place that he will dwell in for ever Psal 132. 13 14. Surely our hearts may rest where God rests and we should not be weary where God is not weary And he does not onely dwell here but he hath his delightful walks here the walks of God are amongst his people 2 Cor. 6. 16. If a man have a house that he rejoyces in he will have his garden as near his house as he can that he may have some walks to delight in and so the Church of God is such a house as hath not onely room for God to rest in and set his honor in but he walks there and walks in them saith the Apostle Thus the
Lord is pleased to condescend to our weakness to express his especial presence with his Church and therefore it is good to be with them these are the expressions of it But wherein does the presence of God with his people appear more then with other people In these two things especially First because there God makes himself known reveals himself there and makes his beauty to appear Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple It is the glory of Heaven to see God in his beauty and this is one of the greatest promises of God to his Church that they shall see the King in his majesty We may see some glimmering light of God in the Heavens Sun Moon and Stars but in the Church there God shews his beauty there we may see the face of God and this is that which Moses did desire Lord-shew me thy glory It is much granted to us in the Church in enjoying his Ordinances and there is no way to see Gods face so clearly as this way Every childe of God that is in the Temple shall speak of Gods glory for they see God in his glory in a special maner Secondly the especial presence of God with his people is especially manifested in that he communicates to his people as namely First the choice mercies of God are communicated to his people If you would have any share in Gods choice mercies his peculiar mercies come amongst Gods people joyn with them as that place is observable in Psal 134. 3. The Lord that made Heaven and earth bless thee out of Sion He does not say the Lord that made Heaven and Earth bless thee out of Heaven and Earth but the Lord that made Heaven and Earth bless thee out of Sion as if he should say The blessings that come out of Sion are the choice blessings and the peculiar mercies of God even above any that come out of Heaven and Earth Secondly God communicates his mercies more fully then any where else Isa 25. 6. And in this mountain that is in the Church I will make a feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow c. and Psal 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures In a private way there may be some drops of pleasure from God but there is not that full communication from God as with his people in his Ordinances there is in the world in the creature drops in private communion there are ponds but in a pulique Church-communion there are rivers of pleasure and that is the height of all Thirdly God communicates his mercies more powerfully in the Church then any where else Psal 133. 3. For there the Lord commanded the blessing even life for evermore God did not onely speak and said there should be a blessing but spake in a commanding way There Where is that There in the Church amongst his people there God commanded the blessing even life for evermore Lastly God blesseth more universally with all kinde of blessing and therefore he is more present there and in that respect the Psalmist says Psalm 87. 7. All my springs are in thee This whole Psalm is to set out the excellent condition of the Church and he concludes the Psalm with this All my springs are in thee Now this expression is very emphatical Spring is taken two or three ways in Scripture The Law of God the Doctrine of Gods Law is compared to a spring and heavenly knowledge is compared to a spring and then it is thus All my springs All the truths I have all the knowledge I come to be made partaker of are all in the Church Again All my springs all the comforts of my heart and that good and joy my spirit receives and all the graces of the Spirit that I have and all the quickning and strengthning I have is communicated to me this way And upon this ground the Church is called the very perfection of all beauty Psal 50. 2. Out of Zion the perfection of all beauty God hath shined Out of Zion there is his glory wonderfully apparent The word that is translated the perfection of beauty is translated by some the universality of beauty all kinde of beauty all kinde of excellency as if the Psalmist should say Put all excellencies together that possibly you can imagine to make a thing comely and lovely they are all in the Church Thus you see it is good being with Gods people when as God is thus present with them in a special maner Eighthly it is good being with Gods people because there is Gods special protection others are but as the wilderness the Church is as a garden enclosed Cant. 4. 12. A man regards his garden that he hath enclosed and bestowed cost about more then a wilde field the fields have hedges to keep out the beasts but gardens have brick wals or wood walls Isa 27. 3. I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day How full is this his care over it is such as he threatens those which shall but touch it Jer. 12. 14. to pluck them out of their land Zach. 2. 5. God promiseth he will be a wall of fire round about his people alluding to the custom of travellers in the wilderness who used to make fires round about them in the night for their safety because then none of the wilde beasts durst come near them such a defence is God to his people There is nothing in the Book of God wherein God is so full in his expression as when he comes to this argument to manifest his affection to his Church Christ is the Shepherd and when sheep are together they are under the protection of the Shepherd when the sheep are scattered the Shepherds eye is not so over them And therefore in Hosea 4. 16. God threatens his people he would feed them as a Lamb in a large place as a Lamb getting from the fold goes up and down bleating so when Gods people are scattered they are as a Lamb in a large place and when God would threaten the sorest judgement against his people Ezekiel 34. he says He will scatter them and they shall become to be meat to the beasts of the field And hence it is that the condition of the Church is so stable a condition and therefore in Isaiah 60. 15. the Church is called an eternal excellency because it is under the Lords protection and is it not good being there to be under the wing of God Ninthly to be amongst Gods people is a blessed thing because they have so many
priviledges from God every one desires to joyn with such societies as have great priviledges now Gods people have such as are very great Psal 87. 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee O City of God! What glorious things They have glorious priviledges What are they To them are committed the Oracles of God as the Apostle reasons for the Church of the Jews So to every Church of God is committed the Oracles and the Ordinances of God and those Offices for the dispensation of the mysteries of God which were the great gift that Christ triumphingly ascending to Heaven gave and surely that gift must needs be great The benefit but of one Ordinance the Ministery of the Word dispensed rightly is made an argument by God himself for the comfort of his people in all their adversities Isaiah 30. 20 21. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction yet shall not thy Teachers be removed any more into a corner but thine eyes shall see thy Teachers The word in the Ministery of it in the the right way is a great blessing When Chrysostom was banished many godly people were so grieved that they professed it were more sufferable for the Sun to withdraw his beams and so be darkned then for the mouth of Chrysostom to be stopped If this one Ordinance be so blessed what a blessing then is the enjoyment of all and that in a right way Every Church-fellowship is as the pillar to hold forth the truth to the world as a light set upon a hill to hold forth the glory of God And they have amongst them the broad seal of Heaven To Gods people that are together in a Church-fellowship the seals are committed now this is a mighty priviledge And besides they have the power of Christ with them 1 Cor. 5. 4. the power of Christ is committed to them And amongst other priviledges this is one of great worth that all the promises of God made to his Church in former ages is the heritage of every present Church Isaiah 54. 17. These are great and high priviledges and worth the enduring of a great deal of hardship to be made partakers of the good of them Tenthly it is a blessed thing to be with them though with some hardship because God is working more and more good for his people every day Now he is about fulfilling the glorious promises that we have in the Prophets to make an end of all the glory that he does intend in the world Now if God be working great things for his people as we hope he is To set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole earth Is it not good to be with them that we may be partakers of the glory that God intends to them Isa 58. 14. There is a promise that the Church shall ride upon the high places of the earth There is a time a coming that the society of Gods people in this world shall be set above all societies in the world and Isa 2. that The mountain of the Lord shall be raised above all mountains we cannot see how this hath been fulfilled Isaiah 60. 19. The Sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the Moon give light unto thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God thy glory This prophesie is spoken of the estate of the Church of God when was this fulfilled that there should be so much glory in the Church that there need not be any Sun or Moon but God should be in stead of Sun and Moon and all the glory of his people and to be with Gods people when God does such great things for them is worth the enduring much hardship In the former part of Isaiah 60. v. 7. God says He will glorifie the house of his glory and mark what follows ver 8. Who are those that fly as a cloud and as the Doves to their windows Seeing God will glorifie the house of his glory his people should fly to it as a cloud Those who are of heavenly not of drossie sensual spirits will do so and as Doves to their windows those who are of Dove-like spirits loving society and purity they will do so And it was the reason why some desired to live because in a few years they hoped to see some great things for his people And so the 102 Psalm is a prophetical Psalm into what a happy condition the Lord will bring his people and in the latter part of the Psalm the Psalmist brings in a gracious heart living in those times bemoaning the condition of it that it hath a sickly body and weak and like to dye before God would make good those promises made to the Church as if he should say Lord thou art bringing glorious things to pass for thy Church and thou art gathering the Kingdoms to serve thee Lord then take not me away in the midst of my days O God let me live to see all fulfilled Eleventhly It is good to be with Gods people because they are those people we shal live withal in Heaven If there were a company travelling together in a strange countrey and knew when they came to their own countrey they should live together in some great preferment in the Court how would they delight in one another So the godly should look upon one another here we have communion one with another and these are they we must joyn in communion withal hereafter to praise God eternally in the highest Heavens Lastly it is Heaven already to joyn with the people of God in communion The Scripture calls the Church of God and Church communion Heaven And therefore where there is a promise of God to restore his Church and recover it from thraldom and misery Isaiah 65. 17. Behold says God I create new heavens and new earth and so in Rev. 12. where the vision of the restoring of the Church was shewn to John it was shewn that way there was a new heaven and a new earth so that the Church of God is heaven it is not onely a company we shall live withal in Heaven hereafter but it is Heaven now and therefore our Savior says The least in the kingdom of Heaven shall be greater then John the least that lived after John in the Christian Church could speak more of Christ then John could The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man sowing his field with wheat that is the estate of the Church is a field sown with wheat and after the adversary sows tares in it The Church says Chrysostom in one of his Sermons upon the Corinthians is the place of Angels the Palace of Heaven yea Heaven it self And if it be so that communion with Gods people is Heaven already surely it is worth enduring of much affliction to be with them CHAP. XX. Perswasions to draw to the joyning with the people of God in the nearest communion HEnce then let me
busie to tend on him and to make a fire and get him dry cloathes So when the people of God meet with such hardship in the world when they shal come and meet with Christ for whom they have suffered how shall they be entertained What riches of glory shall they enjoy in the highest heavens for ever hereafter our sufferings are but the seeds of our glory and the deeper the furrows are the more plentiful will the Harvest be and therefore Gordius the Martyr said It is to my loss if you bate me any thing in my sufferings Are you reproached for Christ Blessed are you for the Brand of reproach says Basil shall be turned into the glory of an Angel A gracious heart counts it more riches to be conformable to Christ then to have Crowns upon his head As in Phil. 3. 8. he counted all the things of the world dogs meat for the fellowship of Christs sufferings he did not count all the world dogs meat for the glory he should have by Christ onely but for the fellowship he should have in the sufferings of Christ Truly happy is that soul and to be equalled with Angels says Jerome who is willing to suffer if it were possible as great things for Christ as Christ hath suffered for it Vera est illa anima faelix Angelis aequanda quae pro nomine opere Christi tanta quanta pro nobis ille sustinuit voluit sustinere Hyeronym Epist ad Oceanum Such as have been followers of eminent men they highly esteemed to be like their Masters though in things that were some dishonor As Plato was a man of a crooked back and his Schollars counted it an ornament for to go crooked And Aristotle had a lisping speech and his Schollars thought it an honor to have a lisping speech And Alexander had somewhat a wry neck and a harsh speech and his soldiers thought it an honor to be like him how much more should the godly count their sufferings an honor because they are comformable to Christ For Application In the first place hence we see the excellency of grace what an excellent and glorious thing it is wheresoever it is that it does conduce so far to encrease riches out of any thing great must needs be the gain of godliness when it gains from their sufferings and reproaches grace is such a thing as can turn dust into gold The Philosophers stone is counted a rich thing because it turns dust into gold grace will do it the dirt that the world casts upon Gods people is turned into gold well may it be called the Divine nature for as God brings light out of darkness and comfort out of sorrow and riches out of poverty and glory out of shame so does grace How does grace conduce to the comfortable life of Gods people as for the service that God employs them in they count that honorable and the sufferings that God calls them to they count them comfortable we need not therefore be so afraid of sufferings indeed if we have not a principle to change the nature of them we may be afraid but if God do put a principle into us to turn our shame into glory and sufferings into riches we need not be afraid If any did see Moses his Serpent he would be afraid but if he had Moses hand he would not be afraid because Moses hand had a divine vertue with it to turn the Serpent into a rod and so if we look upon sufferings as a Serpent ready to devour us we may be afraid but when we consider the excellency of grace that it hath a divine power to turn the Serpent into a rod you need not be afraid labor to prize this jewel of grace that can do such great things It was the curse upon the wicked that God would turn their glory into shame It is the blessing of grace that it will turn shame into glory Secondly we see a reason of the meekness and quiet behavior of Gods people in sufferings Though they are persecuted they carry themselves meekly and are ready to forgive they are not discouraged and sink in their sufferings because they look upon sufferings with another eye then the men of the world do they look upon their sufferings as their glory and riches When a man hath riches coming in he is quiet and though he were angry passionate and vexing before yet when riches come in that quiets his heart and he is ready to do any office of love then this is the reason why Gods people are ready to do any office of love to them that do persecute them because they look upon them as their glory St. Paul was a man that had a high esteem of his sufferings and therefore when he suffered much and from those that were his friends in Gal. 4. 12. see his behavior Brethren I beseech you be as I am for I am as you are ye have not injured me at all As if he should say How soever you have carried your selves yet be as I am I am as you are let our hearts close and joyn together you have not injured me at all Thus his spirit was carryed in this quiet and meek frame because he had a right understanding of the nature of sufferings And so we read of Stephen when they were stoning him says he Lord forgive them What was the ground of this He saw the heavens opened and Christ stand at the right hand of his Father he saw a great deal of glory that was in his sufferings when he suffered thus for Christ he could pray for his persecutors What was the reason Christ endured all so quietly he knew the good that was in his sufferings Indeed as for those that see no good in them that finde nothing but trouble and vexation no marvel though their hearts fret and revile again but where a gracious heart findes sweetness and good in suffering surely there need not be that fretting and vexation of spirit in them as in others And why should we vex and fret when we suffer any thing for God it must be upon one of these two grounds either because of the evil that we do endure or the evil of those from whom we do endure The evil that we do endure cannot cause fretting because it is turned to such great riches But you will say The suffering it self I do not care for but the base malicious hearts of those from whom I suffer that troubles me To that I answer It is reported concerning Socrates being once reproached and yet behaving himself meekly and quietly one came and asked him how he could be so meek and quiet when he was reproached by such a one as he was that did reproach him Socrates answered If as we go along we should meet with a man that had a diseased body more diseased then our bodies more weak then ours should we fret at him because we see the disease of his body more grievous
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
speak of the Triumphant Church The Angels shall admire at it O that these poor worms should be raised from this low estate to such a glorious condition they pry into the mystery of Salvation Then the love of Christ shall be enflamed to his people that love which caused him to plead with God for his people from all eternity that caused him to undertake this great work for his people from this love there will be most glorious embracements If at one salutation of the mother of our Lord John Baptist springs in the Womb for joy how shall the heart of a glorified Saint spring at the glorious embracements of Christ himself when he is in his glory And when we shall be in such a condition as we shall be fitted for communion with him we shall be able to understand Christ in another way we shall know the hypostatical union of his two natures and know Christ fully and be fitter to entertain the manifestation of his love whereas here we are not able to entertain much Christ looks through the lattess and we have but some few drops of his love but then when his love shall be enflamed and fully let out we shall be fitted for it And it shall be such a communion with Christ as we shall never leave but follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes There shall be no moment to all eternity wherein Christ shall be out of the sight of so many thousand thousands of Saints And though that Text in the Revelations be meant of the Church in this world and the following of Christ wheresoever he goeth here following of him in the ordinances but if it be an happiness here to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes much more in heaven You that are willing to suffer any thing to follow the Lamb in his ordinances here know there is enough to pay for all you shall be always following the Lamb in heaven and you shall always be in the company of Christ and this is the fifth particular namely The communion that the souls of Gods people shall have with Christ There are yet two things to be opened in this branch to shew what the recompence of reward of Gods people is and they are the enjoyment of communion with the Angels and Saints and the keeping a perpetual Sabbath in Heaven The enjoyment of communion with the Angels and Saints The Angels and Saints are joyned together under one head the Angels rejoyce here in being ministring spirits unto the Saints O what rejoycing will there be then in communion with them the Saints of God shall enjoy communion with the Angels in a familiar way they shall be fitted for communion with God and Christ himself much more fitted for communion with Angels yea the Angels shall account it part of their happiness to have communion with the Saints The sight of an Angel to us now in the flesh though he comes to bring good tidings is a great amazement but then the sight of the Angels shall be no amazement but we shall look upon them as our fellow creatures to have communion with them Heb. 12. 23. Ye are come vnto Mount Sion and to the City of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels This is spoken of the priviledge of the Gospel before by the Law there was nothing but terror that made Moses to fear and quake now we are not to come to Mount Sinai but to Mount Zion and unto the City of the living God Before without Christ we were vagabonds wandring up and down in the wilderness of the Word but by Christ we are gathered unto the City of the living God and the heavenly Ierusalem there were nothing but troubles before but now they are gathered to Ierusalem into peace and to an innumerable company of Angels Before the Angels were as Gods Host ready to revenge the quarrel of God upon us but now we are come to the innumerable company of Angels who are ministring spirits to us here and we shall enjoy communion with them The Angels are full of wisdom and therefore when the Scripture would set forth the excellency of wisdom it sets it forth by the wisdom of the Angels Doctor Taylor the Martyr rejoyced that he came into prison with Master Bradford that Angel Bradford though he was but one that had the likeness of an Angel and in prison yet he rejoyced in being with him What rejoycing will there be to be with all the Angels that are Angels indeed and that in our Fathers house The way and maner of the converse of Saints with Angels is very obscure how spirits do converse one with another we know but little we converse one with another by speaking there can be no such way of converse with Spirits The Schoolmen say By the act of their wills they come to make known what is in their mindes but we shall know more of the maner of converse with them afterwards CHAP. LI. The happiness of enjoying communion with the Saints in glory BUt it is more familiar to us to know our excellency in the converse with the Saints Heb. 12. 23. To the general Assembly and Church of the first-born which are written in heaven c. To enjoy communion with the Saints here is sweet to enjoy communion with all the Saints with all the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Iacob and Moses and Aaron and Ioshua and all the good Prophets and the good Kings and all Martyrs and Worthies of the Lord If to have communion with one or two be sweet then to have communion with all at once must needs be sweet it is worth the enduring much to get to heaven if it were onely to have communion with the Saints Secondly to have communion with none but them to have communion with the Saints is sweet though we are forced to have communion with the world but to have communion with the choicest of Gods servants with none else that is sweet indeed Thirdly to have communion with them made perfect The best now have many weaknesses and many frampold moods and offensive carriages that there must be a great deal born in communion with the best but then we shall be delivered from imperfections there shall be no ignorance but we shall have communion with those that are knowing and perfectly glorified The life of my Lord shall be bound up in the bundle of life it is the blessing of Abigail to David Now Interpreters expound it thus It is a Metaphor taken from binding up of yong plants that are removed from one place to be set in another Now there is a great deal of difference between a bundle of plants laid in the water to preserve them till they be set in the garden and those plants growing and flourishing in the garden It is a great blessing to be bound up amongst Gods people here that are plants that have life but we are here but as plants bound up and
to see my childe in heaven and the childe shall think what an happiness were it for me to see my Parents in Heaven you think so here We guess at things thus childishly but yet either this shall be or that which is as good or better then this As suppose I should think how glad should I be if such a one would give me a shilling if after I come to know he will give me this or a Twenty shilling piece I do not trouble my self to know whether he will give me a shilling or no. And so much for Communion with the Angels and Saints CHAP. LII The happiness of Gods people in the Perpetual Sabbath that they shall enjoy NOw the last thing in the Explication is to shew wherein the happiness of the Saints consists is that Perpetual Sabbath that they shall keep with God whereof this Sabbath is but a Type Heb. 4. 9. Sabbaths here are comfortable and we have felt some sweet and some comfort in some Sabbaths but take all the comfort that ever you had in all the Sabbaths you have had here and put all into one that would be a comfortable Sabbath but that perpetual Sabbath that shall be hereafter will be the accomplishment of all those Sabbaths and that will be sweet Now I shall express my self in these six or seven particulars to shew the happiness of Gods people in that perpetual Sabbath First they shall be exercised in the highest employments that any creature can be exercised in or that they are capable to be exercised in The happiness of a creature consists much in that which it is exercised in as there is a great deal of difference between the happiness of a Noble-man in Court and the happiness of one that is employed onely in cleansing channels and the meanest employment that is because their exercise is different the one is exercised about business that concerns a King and a State and the other is imployed about mean things therefore according as the exercise is that any creature is raised to so is the dignity and excellency of that creature Now we are exercised in mean things here in comparison of what we shall be hereafter and yet our business here in making provision for the flesh in getting meat and drink and clothes and money is sweet but though out of obedience to God we ought to go on comfortably in our callings and places wherein God hath set us because God calls us to these low mean things yet we are to account them a mean condition in regard of that which our natures are capable of it is but a sore travel that is laid upon man and this shall not satisfie us as if we were capable of no higher things but when we shall be raised to be busied about the highest employments that a created substance is capable to be busied about that must be comfortable as the Psalmist speaks The high praises of God shall be in their mouthes They shall be always busied in the high contemplations of God and of the Trinity and they shall be always singing praises to God and to him that sits upon the throne and to every Verse of the Song that they shall sing to the Lamb there shall be a Selah put to it it must be glorious because this is the highest glory that God hath not onely from his works here but from all the counsels of his wisdom about the great mystery of redemption from all his works in Heaven and the highest glory that he hath from all the communications of himself to the Saints in Heaven in his praises that they shall be exercised in all the happiness that we have from God here is a way of subserviency unto the actual praising of God there whatsoever God communicates to his creature the top of all is not that the creature should have it but that it should reflect the praise of all upon God The end of all that God does in the world is his glory that he shall have in Heaven and the end of all he does in Heaven is the actual working of the souls of his Saints upon himself Secondly the happiness of the perpetual Sabbath may be expressed in this in that the souls of Gods people shall be always up and fit for these high works God calls us many times to most excellent things to be exercised about himself but our hearts are not fit for these exercises sometimes we finde our hearts enlarged and when our hearts are up we take delight in holy exercises but at other times how hardly are we drawn to them and we are weary in obedience and count it a slavery those exercises are heavy to us but there is a time coming when our hearts shall be always up never to seek but shall be always upon the highest pin enflamed with heat continually as it is an heavy curse for a mans heart to be suitable and fitted for temptation when a temptation shall come so it is a wonderful blessing to be fitted for any holy employment when we are called to it this there shal be always in the Saints in heaven in keeping this their perpetual Sabbath It is reported of Anselm as he was walking out of his house he saw a bird that was fluttering to fly up and could not get up but fell down and looking upon it wishly he saw a string tyed to the leg and a stone at the end upon this his heart broke and he bemoaned himself This is my condition says he though sometimes I would fain get up in holy exercises with God O but this burthen of sin and weight of sin is like a stone and presses me down when I am got up a little way I am pull'd down again my heart is seldom fitted for holy exercises So it is with us usually though through Gods grace there are some wings to move up a little yet this weight and burthen of sins presses us down and makes us unfit for holy duties let us go humbly a while under that sore burthen but know we shall be freed from it ere long Thirdly the happiness of the Sabbath consists in this there shall be no intermission but they shall continue day and night though there shall be no night then we shall not go to duty and break off again and go again and break off again no there shall be no other imployment though the duties of Gods worship here be of an excellent nature yet we are not to spend all our time in them but then there shall be nothing else to spend one moment of time in to all eternity Fourthly there shall be no weariness though we do spend some time in holy exercises here we are quickly weary before we have done Though the spirit be willing the flesh is weak but when we shall have been praising of God millions of years we shall be as fresh at the end of them as at the first moment when we are
therefore let us consider whether our works be such as when they come to the tryal shall be found to be stubble and burn There are a great many whose works are like to burn and themselves too Many of the works of Gods people are like to burn but look too your selves for your main and principal works whether they will hold when they are examined by the rule of heaven and shall be rewarded It is nothing what your works are before men the people of God may highly esteem of your works but when they come to be examined in heaven they shall be examined strictly and unless God see a supernatural stamp upon them they will burn and therefore look to your works see whether they be supernatural in the principles in the ends and in the maner of doing of them and examine by these rules the assurance of this reward Mr. Latimer says the assurance of heaven is the sweet meats of the feast of a good conscience In great feasts there are good meats and banquets There are other dainty dishes in this feast and the assurance of heaven is the sweet meats and the banquet Now that we may have the feast of a good conscience made full let us take pains in examining whether this recompence of reward be ours if we did but apprehend this reward to be ours it would make us go on with power in our way whereas now every little thing is ready to turn us aside Again if upon examining by these arguments you finde some comfortable hope that the recompence of reward is yours what concerns you but patience to wait for it and in the mean time to live as those that shall have these things and labor to dye so First patiently to wait St. Iames says The Husbandman waits for the precious seed till the harvest come Though it be precious seed the Husbandman casts it into the earth he is not discontent because he hath not harvest next Week but he is content to let the winter the frost and snow go over it and so we must be content to have many troubles between the hope of the reward and the possession of it We must work in the vineyard of the Lord and endure the heat of the day and not expect our peny till night Mark how the Apostle would have those to walk who have the hope of heaven Rom. 2. 7. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality and eternal life Great things are to be expected and waited for If a man have a great venture at Sea that he expects some mighty profit by he is content to wait two or three years because he thinks it will make amends for all So in your way of merchandizing if a man go and buy a commodity of five or ten shillings he lays down present money but if the commodity come to a great sum of many hundred pounds he does but give something in earnest the great pay is to come many moneths after so when men will bargain with God for their obedience to have credit and esteem in the world yea those men that aspire after the greatest things in the world these are poor trifling matters and God gives them presently but because the Covenant that is between God and Christ so between Christ and us is about great matters and God intends to reward his people with glorious things eternally in the Heavens they have but the first-fruits of them for the present and they must not expect the fulness of them suddenly Great men have two kinde of Servants usually some servants that they hire by the day or the moneth or the year that they shall have so much wages and so their wages is paid them it may be every night or every week other servants have not their wages presently but that which they serve for is the expectation of some great office or living that their Lord should give to them after many years service and therefore they go on in their service though nothing come presently Here is the difference between the men of the world and others I speak of those who live the best lives who are not truly gracious they in some measure are the servants of God they do God some service onely such service as poor laboring men do that are hired in a great mans House that have their pay every week or day so you have your pay every day you have meat and drink and the comfort of the creatures but God hath other greater Servants godly people Christians and though they have not so much pay presently as wicked men have yet there are reversions and some glorious things that they expect hereafter and therefore they go on patiently though for the present they have not so much as others And you have no cause to envy others If there be two Servants in a great mans House the one sees the poor laboring man have his shilling given him shall he envy him and say I have served many years and have not had a shilling No he does not envy him because he expects some great things And so when you see the men of the world have the great things of the world do not envy them because you serve God for greater things Queen Elizabeth she envyed the milk-maid when she was in prison but if she had known what a glorious Reign she should have had for four and forty years she would not have envyed her Wait therefore patiently because the things are great and the longer you wait the greater they will be as it was the speech of the Son of an Emperor says he The longer the Cooks are preparing the meat there will be the better chear meaning The longer he staid for the Empire the greater it would be so go on in your way wait patiently the longer you wait the better it will be at the last and it is sure enough Christ is gone before to take possession and God never so wrought to make any thing sure as he hath wrought for the assuring of the good in the Covenant of grace Yet long after it and desire it In Rom. 8. 21. it is said The creature groaneth to be delivered from the bondage of corruption to come into the glorious liberty of the children of God and therefore we our selves should much more desire it and pant after that time we should cry out with David though with patience When shall I appear before God the living God CHAP. LVI Christians should live and dye as becomes heirs of such a glorious estate SEcondly learn if there be such a glorious reward to live and dye as becomes such glorious heirs this is the Exhortation of the holy Ghost unto us by St. Paul in his Epistle unto the Thessalonians As you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you that ye would walk worthy of God that hath called you unto his kingdom and glory
your hearts are set upon the creature and engaged there you falling down to the ground catch hold upon that which is next you some contentment in the creature and that drowns you in perdition and all our preaching is not available to such a soul that hath fastened it self upon any creature contentment here you take not hold on our line that we throw out to you and so you drown in eternal perdition take heed therefore of all creature earthly engagements Again if you will obtain this recompence of reward follow that Scripture and make much use of it in Psalm 73. 24. Guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory Would you be brought to glory Be willing to be guided by the counsels of God What do you think in your consciences are the counsels of God concerning you Take heed it be not said of you as it was of the Pharisees They rejected the counsels of God Never talk of hoping and trusting in Gods mercy if you neglect the counsels of God revealed in his word those counsels of his which were in his heart from all eternity that should be the way of bringing men to happiness It is all one with that of the Psalmist in Psalm 17. 15. As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness as if he should say I look to receive satisfaction from the likeness of God by beholding his face in righteousness Now I appeal to thee Canst thou behold the face of God in righteousness Are they such righteous ways as thou walkest in as thou canst look upon his face and behold him with comfort this is the way to come to this recompence of reward for so the Scripture says God hath called us to glory and vertue if you would come to glory go on in the way of vertue Lastly be willing to endure any difficulty any hardship in the world The stone will fall down to come to its own place though it breaks it self in pieces so we that we may get to our center which is upward though it be to break our souls in pieces that should suffice us It is said of Cyrus one day he set his Soldiers to hew wood and to do hard work the next day he feasted them with a great deal of delight and pleasure then he asked them which day they had rather have they said the latter he says to them If you would always have such days you must be willing for a while to strive with your enemies and then you shall have the spoil and always have such merry days and this he did to put heart into them Shall eating and drinking and a little pleasure here put heart into men to suffer hardships to endure difficulties How much more should the obtaining of this glorious recompence of reward put heart into us to endure any difficulty We read of the Devil he came to Christ and shewed him all the glory of the world and said Fall down and worship me and all this will I give thee but here is another maner of invitation to worship God God says to every man and woman Fall down and worship me and all the glory of heaven will I give thee It was but the glory of the world that the Devil shewed and he could not give it him it was but the Devil that offered it and it was by worshiping of the Devil to get it but it is the God of glory that hath all glory at his dispose that calls to you this day to worship him that is so infinitely worthy of all worship fall down and worship me and not onely the glory of this world but the glory of heaven and of an incorruptible crown will I give unto you I will make it sure to you God does out-bid all the world when sin and temptation comes to offerany thing to you know that God out-bids them they cannot give that which will reach this If a chapman come and bids for a commodity and another man comes and out-bids him he carries it away Hath any temptation come to draw away your hearts from God God comes and out-bids all temptations in the world to that end you may come and fall down and worship the Lord. O do not stick in the dross and mire of your filthiness still I have met with a Text in 1 Chron. 4. 23. which one interprets to be meant of the baseness of people that regard base things rather then joyning in Church-communion with Gods people God speaks of them in away of disgrace These were the potters those that dwelt c. When the people of God should return to Ierusalem they would still dwell with the King of Babylon and live amongst their pots so they might have maintenance rather then return to Ierusalem where the true worship of God was their own country and a type of heaven these are those base spirits It may be applyed to many if they live in places where they may follow their callings make pots so as to get a livelihood for themselves and their families rather then they would venture any thing to joyn with the people of God they would stay there But how much more base is it for people still to stick in the mire and dross rather then to seek after these glorious things Wherefore for conclusion of the Exhortation as St. John preached and so Christ himself Repent repent the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand So say I Repent repent break off sin reform for the kingdom of heaven not onely the kingdom of the Gospel and of grace but the kingdom of glory is at hand And therefore what remains but as we read in Rom. 1. 18. the Apostle speaking of the glory of heaven says There is glory to be revealed in us We have had in the opening of this Point the glory of heaven revealed to us the Lord grant that the glory of heaven may be revealed in us And thus we have finished the Application of the glorious recompence of the reward of Gods people the great argument that encouraged that strengthned that confirmed Moses in this his blessed choice FINIS Plin. lib. 7 c. 41. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Christianus Cructanus Qui non est Crucianus non est Christianus Luther in Gen. c. 29 Ecclesia cst haeres Crucis 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 3. 4. 5. What it is to live godly in Christ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Contentus est Devs noster ut et pax nostra serviat ut ci immaculatorum actuum puritate et vitae incōtaminabilis sanctitate placeamus plus ei fides devotio nostra debet quia minora a nobis exigit majora concessit ideo cum principes Christiava sint persecutio nulla fit religio non inquietetur qui ad probandam fidem experimentis durioribus non