there is many a gracious visit loving embrace sweet and comfortable intercourse but in heaven you shall be with him after another manner than ever you were in all your lives before Lord said the penitent Thief remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom To day saith our Saviour shalt thou be with me in Paradice not only in Paradice but with me in Paradice and indeed this is the sweetest flower in that Garden this is the best and choicest part of the happiness above the repróach of Christ was by Moses counted greater riches than the Treasures of Egypt What then is the presence and bosome of Christ to depart from him is the worst ingredient in wicked mens misery to be with him is the Crown and completion of good mens felicity 3. Being where Christ is doth compreheâ—… it â—…joyment of happiness together with him God â—…fied Christ with his own self and he will glorifie the Saints with Christ as the wife partakes in all the riches and honours and advancements of her husband so doth the Believer in the glory and preferments of Christ the oâ—…l of gladness the Spirit and Grace poured out upon him descends to all his members the lowest and meanest of them so shall the glory they shall so be in Christ's company as to be suited to it he shall not be ashamed to own them and call them Bretheren he shall be the King they the Courtiers he shall shine as the Sun they as the Stars he shall shine with his own beams they with light communicated and derived from him Solomon sat cloathed with Glory and Majesty and the Queen did stand at his right hand in Gold of Ophir Psal. 45. 9. The very bodies of the Saints which were made of dust and are become vile by reason of sin shall then be made like unto Christ's own most glorious body the sights whlch Believers have now of Christ are transforming sights by them grace is begun and improved as 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. Yet these are but transient sights and as in a glass what then will be the issue and product of that full view which they shall have in heaven what a blessed glorious change will that make upon them they shall see God and enjoy him too and be like him Christs glory will be theirs as his members and every one of them shall have such a personal glory as that he shall see no reason to envy another 4. Being where Christ is doth carry along with it unspeakable delight so that the glorified is not only pleased and satisfied but also filled with amazement and wonder at the Divine love and goodness Oh that God should ever do so much for him Psal. 16. 11. In thy presence is fulness of joy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore Christ finds fulness of joy in the glorious presence of his Father and so do the Saints in the glorious presence of Christ. The presence of the Creatures doth afford no more than an empty scanty fading joy and indeed what else can be expected from empty enjoyments But the presence of God in Heaven affords a fulness of joy such as cannot enter into them but they must into it Well done good and faithful servant enter thou into thy Masters joy Joy unspeakable and full of glory is the off-spring of faith what is that then which is caus'd by sight What! it is such a joy as fills the soul up to the brim nay more such as doth even swallow it up surround and encompass it as an huge vast Ocean doth a little vessel cast into it In that state the Saints are enlarged to their utmost and yet they find the joys and delights there are above and beyond their capacities they cannot contain but must admire them Oh how doth the released soul stand and gaze how is it wrapt up into a kind of extasie as soon aâ—… ever it enters into the gates of that City and treads upon the golden street transparent as glass and there beholds what delights what feasts what glories the great God hath prepared for them that love him 5. Lastly this being with Christ doth import an unchangable state an eternity of duration His servants shall not only be with him but they shall be always with him This world is full of Vicissitudes the changes are rung every day Changes and wars are upon me said poor Job And David cried out Thou hast lifted me up and cast me down Christians do you not find it so in respect of your spiritual condition Here are meetings and parting 's approaches and recesses comfortable visits and mournful withdrawings too short communion but long absence Sometimes the gracious enamoured soul triumphs it skipâ—… and leaps for joy He is come I he is come but then again he sits down mourning as a Turtle alone and weeping crys out with the be-nighted deserted Spouse I secâ—… him but I cannot find him I call him but he gives me nâ—… answer But there is there will be no such thing in Heaven 1 Thes. 4. 7. We shall meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Ever without end and without intermission we shall so be with him as never to be without him never from him But what is the reason os all this why shall Christs servants thus be where he is I will tell you in a few things 1. The relation which is between Christ and them callâ—… for it Christ is their Master and they his servants and should not servants follow and wait upon their Lordâ—… Christ is their King and they his Courtiers and should noâ—… Courtiers Favourites wait upon their Prince They are his children whom his soul travelled for yea he died iâ—… travel and should they not live with their Father They arâ—… here espoused to him and at the day of the Resurrectioâ—… they shall be married to him at that day shall be thâ—… solemnization of the Nuptials and should not they cohabiâ—… with their Husband Nay the Church is his Body and all true Believers are his members and certainly they should not be separated from their Head Christ hatâ—… been graciously pleased to take upon himself all relationâ—… to his people and those do not only call for utmost dearness but likewise for all possible nearness as relation doth call for cohabitation so cohabitation doth maintain and uphold affection in its life and vigour And so 2. Christ and his people are united in most intire affection they love most dearly their hearts are knit one unto the other there is no such love in the world as that which Christ bears to them and which they again bear to him The love of Jacob to Rachel and that of Jonathan to David though it passed the love of women was cold as ice if compared
troubles and difficulties and take joyfully the spoiling of their goods knowing that they have a better and more enduring substance such as hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive of It is such a place as doth surpass the most sublimated thoughts of the most enobled souls Should one come from thence he could not fully describe it but would rather invite you to come and see It is such a place as shall express and to the life set forth the greatness and goodness and glory of that God which framed it Give me leave to set before you something of its amiable beauties and excellency in these four Particulars 1. Heaven is full of light If it be a pleasant thing to behold the Sun what is it to behold the Sun of Righteousness darting forth his brightest beams of love and glory with which he shall not dazle but delight the glorified eye that will be strengthened and enabled without weariness to fix and dwell upon such an object God and Christ are the Temple of that City so that it hath no need of the Sun nor of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof Rev. 21. 22 23. And where there is such full and glorious light there can be no cloud nor darkness No there is no ignorance no error not the smallest mistake no half notions or imperfect apprehensions of things Here we seek and cannot find propound many questions but receive no satisfactory answers we follow on to know yet are deficient in our knowledg But there all Truths are plainly reveal'd all Mysteries are clearly and fully opened the most abstruse Providences are interpreted the most difficult Questions are resolved and not one â—…not left untied The meanest Saint in Heaven if there be any differences and degrees of glory there knows God and himself and all things better than the best read and most learned Doctor upon earth what was puzling here is plain there for they see as they are seen and know as they are known The Lambs there do most delightfully wade through those deeps in which the admired and lofty Elephants here are swallowed up 2. Heaven is full of grace and holiness It is called the holy hill and the habitation of Gods holiness It is a glorious place and God and holiness are the glory of it Holiness here is in its infancy there in its strength and glory Saints when arrived there have attained to their highest perfection because they do fully enjoy God and are compleatly conformed to him Now alâ—… the groans of a longing soul are these Oh! I have not apprehended I have not yet attâ—…ined neither am I already perfect And therefore he reacheth forth to that which is before and presseth on to the mark The children of God here meet with many troubles from without but that which must breaks their rest and above all things imbitters their condition to them is sin and souâ—…-wants under this he complains There is a great deal of corruption sâ—…ll much dross after all my refiâ—…ings and much chaff afâ—…er all my winnowings O wretched mâ—…n that I am who shall deliver me from this body of deâ—…th And there is but a little grace a dim eye and a feeble hand and a short breath how doth faith stagger and hope faint and patience tire Ah my leanness my leanness I say it is under these things that the renewed and truly gracious soul doth more groan and lament than under all the pressures of the world Were these wants supplied these burdens removed he would carry others comfortably and laugh at the frown of a creature and the shaking of the spear Now in Heaven there is no sin and all grace all fairness and no spot nor wrinkle not the least blemish David in Psal. 17. 14. had been speaking of the flourishing estate of the men of this world who have abundance for themselves and enough to spare for their babes though this is a cutting and killing consideration that what they have now is all the comfort they are like to have They have their portion in this life Well now observe every one as they like saith he vers 15. As for me I will behold thy facâ—… in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness Here they complain that they are so unlike to God that while they call him Father and bear his name they have no more of his nature and image it is the design of the Gospel and work of the Spirit to change them into that image from glory to glory but in Heaven there shall be a perfect change such as will issue in their satisfaction 1 Joh. 3. 2. Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yeâ—… appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as â—…e is When once you come to Heaven there will be an heaven in you God will make all grace to abound but especially and above all Love shall shine forth with the greatest luster and burn with the most vehement flame There God will magnifie his love upon you and there shall you abound in your love to God Here it is your great grief that you can love God no more and you may pick matter of comfort and joy out of that very grief It is a sign thou lovest God dearly if thou dost indeed mourn because thou canst love him no more And in this also rejoice that in Heaven your love to God will be perfected There you shall love him as much as he requires though to all eternity you shall not love him so much as he deserves He shall have your all though that all falls short It being utterly impossible that a created love should be commensurate with Divine Perfections 3. Heaven is full of excellent company It is no lonesome solitary place In this world wheresoever we come we find but a few alas too few that do in sincerity fear God Atheists and Papists and Hypocrites and Formalists and profane ones overspread the earth and like ill weeds come up apace the flowers appear only here and there We have indeed many Professors a power of people that call themselves Christians and he that will may believe them such but how few be there that are experimentally acquâ—…inted with the power of godliness and have Christ formed in their hearts But in Heaven there is great store of them and none else In a clear frosty night if you do look up you will see the Sky full of Stars but there are inconceivably more on the other side There is already an innumerable company of Angels and spirits of just men made perfect what do you think then will there be when all shall meet together in the morning of the Resurrection 〈◊〉 what a noble glorious huge Assembly will that be Without doubt you will find company enough and that so
with this flame and is it not pity that those who love so well should be parted since Christ hath placed his delight in them and they their happiness in him is it not pity but they should live together and rejoice together and be a comfort to one another The Lord Jesus hath abundantly manifested his love to them in this that let them be how they will and where they will he doth come and keep them company when any of them are in prisons he visits them there and puts songs into their mouths when some of them were in a fiery furnace he came to them and walked with them and was a shadow to them from that heat His sweet promise runs thus in Joh. 14. 18. I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you Whoever leaves you though friends and estate and all leave you I will not when you have no comforts I will bring you some And sure those who are such friends at a distance should come into a closer fellowship 3. They have been together in troubles these servants have again by way of grateful return exprest their love to their Master Afflictions tribulations persecutions death it self could not divide them and what shall they be divided at the last Certainly nothing shall separate them from the presence of Christ whom nothing could separate from the love of Christ. They have drunk of the cup which he drunk of and been baptized with the baptism which he was baptized with and therefore they shall enter into his joy and be with him in his Kingdom They have carried his Cross and they shall be with him upon his Throne They have sought his battels and been with him in his conflicts therefore they shall share in his Triumphs Peter thought he had done something when he said Mat. 19. 27. Behold we have for saken all and followed thee what shall we have therefore Sure he thought Christ was beholding to them for leaving a few old nets and leaking boats and pitiful houshold-stuff to follow him Our Saviour might have shewn him his error but observe his answer vers 28. Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel q d. Do not trouble your self Peter neither you nor any of my faithful Disciples shall be losers by me though you and they may be sufferers for me you forsake little things for me but you shall have great things from me You part with Nets and I will give you Thrones But here remember that the Saints losses and afflictions do not merit this happiness no read Rom. 8. 18. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us Yet through the condescending love and rich grace of God that happiness shall attend and crown those troubles Rom. 8. 17. We are joint-heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together 4. The friends and servants of Christ cannot be happy upon other terms Being with Christ is the only thing that can afford rest and satisfaction to them all the world besides cannot do it Let the Saints have never so great a confluence of Creature-delights suppose them possest of Relations friends estate honour peace plenty what you will these are nothing if alone meer Cyphers unless the enjoyment of Christ put a significancy into them Without the presence of Christ and the manifestations of his love and favour all these things are in their esteem vanity and vexation of spirit The heart of poor tender Rachel was so let out to her children and her comforts so much bound up in them that when they were not she â—…efused to be comforted Now the heart of a true believer is as much set upon Christ and his comforts are as much bound up in Christ he knows that if he lose him he loseth all if he miss of him he is an undone man Hence it comes to pass that if Christ doth now hide and withdraw the manifestations of himself and suspend his influences the gracious Soul cannot sit still but up it gets and away it runs searching and enquiring with trembling and tears Saw ye him whom my soul loveth Cant. 3. 3. If during this state of desertion and darkness he repairs to the precious ordinances and there hears a Son of consolation whose lips drop as an Honey-comb and is entertained with the most sweet cordial promises the marrow and fatness of the Gospel yet he is not refreshed all is to him as a dry â—…chip as the white of an egg if he do not meet with Christ there the Lord Jesus is to him all in all he alone is all though there be nothing else but all things are nothing Heaven and Earth are nothing without Christ. Psal. 73. 25. Whom â—…ave I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Paul had doubtless a very considerable number of dear and loving friends upon earth as well as Enemies and he had a great deal of excellent work to do here yet notwithstanding all his friends and work he had good man a desire to depart andâ—… to be with Christ which he counted far better than what than any thing you can name in this world 5. Lastly There is a place in Heaven already taken up for them yea for all and every one of them by name as the house is built and richly furnished so the â—…ooms are disposed of Joh. 14. 2. In my Fathers house are many mansions I go to prepare a place for you tâ—… prepare it and that for you I will take it up for youâ—… and when he ascended into Glory he entered as in hiâ—… own person so in his people's names Heb. 9. 19 20 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both surâ—… and stedfast and which entred into that within the vail whither the forerunner even Jesus is for us entred Matâ—… that he is entred for us not only for our good thaâ—… he might there make intercession for us and preseâ—… our prayers to his Father and from thence convey Spiritual blessings to us but he is entred in our name Thâ—… high Priest under the Law was you know a Type oâ—… Christ and when he entred into the Holy of Holiâ—… he carried the names of all the Tribes with him upoâ—… his breast So did Christ our high Priest at his entrancâ—… into the most holy place Heaven he entred in thâ—… name of all his people which clearly shewed that they must follow him thither for otherwise this action oâ—… Christ was in vain and that is impossible nay upoâ—… this account Believers are said to sit in Heaven in Christ as they shall one day sit there with him so they do noâ—… sit there in him Eph. 2. 6. God who is rich in