spirit of faith and love and desire and longing in all those that have past through the new birth Attainments in many of them are little and low but in all of them desires are high And though these desires are exceeding good yet they are very painful as â—…arp hunger is to an almost starved creature How uneasie is a longing Woman it makes her sick at the very heart not seldom causeth a faintness and swoonings and puts her into a great discomposure throughout So do the desires of a longing Saint too too often he over-looks and pays not unto God due acknowledgments for nor doth he himself tast the sweetness and take the comfort of what he hath because he cannot as yet get what he wants Oh how much doth such an one hasten after a deliverance from sin How eagerly doth he thirst for increases of grace How doth he aspire to an holy fixation of mind free from those avocations and diversions which afflict him And as the hunted parched Hart panteth after the Water-brooks so doth his Soul pant after the Living God and an intimate unbroken Communion with him and it is even sick with love and longings because it finds not what it thus seeks It doth hardly enjoy it self because it hath not those enjoyments that it would But when once Death hath done its work upon him there is a rest from these things too not because the Souls love is in the least cool'd and abated for then it is perfected and raised up to the purest hottest and highest flame in which it shall everlastingly continue but because it hath plenary fruition of that which it loves of all which it loves While the gracious Soul is here in the body it hath its sallyings out its earnest reaches and lofty flights Oh that it were so and so Thus poor Iob as you have it in Iob 29 v. 2 c. O that I were as in months past as in the days when God preserved me when his Candle shined upon my head and when by his light I walked thorough darkness when the secret of God was upon my Tabernacle when the Almighty was yet with me So O that it were with me as sometimes I have found it O that it were with me as it is with such an one and such an God more and love him more and live him more But when the Soul comes to Heaven it takes the place appointed and prepared for it and there it sits down at ease because it is where it would be and as it would be There is no desire because a compleat satisfaction Psal. 17. ult As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness There desires are turned into and swallowed up of delights There is indeed in glorified Souls a natural desire of the resurrection of their bodies and a reunion to them but that desire is no impairing of their happiness not in the least afflictive because moderate and rightly tempered and sweetened with a full assurance that it shall be done at the time appointed by the Father And in the mean while they are abundantly pleas'd having a fulness of joy in the vision and fruition of God Father Son and Spirit who is to them infinitely better than the body can be Come we now to the next thing propounded viz. the properties of that rest into which the holy Soul doth enter after death or what kind of rest it is and that I shall endeavour to shew you in these three particulars First It is a compleat rest every way perfect there is not any thing wanting thereunto There is indeed a sweet and blessed rest which those have here in this life who come to Christ and make a believing closure upon the terms propounded in the Gospel though they have not the rest of the World yet they have a rest in the World and that in the midst of concussions and confusions when they are tumbled and toss'd up and down they have a rest out of their Enemies reach This our dear Lord and Saviour hath promised and he cannot but be as good as his word Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest not only a right to it but the possession of it that which they could not meet with before neither in themselves nor in the creature they meet with in him as the Dove that could find no place for the sole of its foot when it was abroad as the Raven could that would light and feed upon Carrion the dead carcasses floating upon the surface of the waters yet it found rest in the Ark upon its return to it Those that before were through the stingings of Conscience and the apprehensions of Divine wrath and impending Judgments as persons upon a Rack are through the sprinklings of the blood of the Covenant upon them and the sealings and witnessings of the Spirit within them as in a Bed of Down or Roses Those wounds that formerly smarted are graciously healed and their Agonies are over unless they cause new ones by their foolishness but for all this here aliquid deest something is wanting as well as something amiss Paul in 1 Thes. 3. 10. speaks of something that was lacking in their Faith and truly the same may be affirmed of the best improved and most grown Saints on this side of Heaven that there is something lacking in their Faith yea and in their Love and in their Humility and Meekness and Patience and in all the graces that have been by the blessed Spirit of God wrought in them And we may be sure of this that as long as there is something lacking in the grace there will be something not be arrived at a perfect state But after death all these wants will be supplied and all these defects made up there will be no vacancy in the Soul nothing lacking then that which is perfect will be come and so that which is imperfect shall be done away and hereupon that rest which the Soul shall have when it comes to Heaven will be greater and fuller than that which it had when it first came to Christ or all the while that it lived a sojourner in the World there will be perfect holiness and by consequence there will be a perfect happiness God will not in any thing be behind hand with his people or wanting to them there they are continually before the Throne of God always in his presence and David tells us Psal. 16. 11. That in his presence there is fulness of joy and a fulness of joy doth necessarily imply and carry along with it a fulness of rest and that which followeth hereupon Secondly It is an undisturbed rest Here our peace is oftentimes broken and our rest is gone It is said of Ahasuerus that he could not sleep his sleep fled away from him he did all that in him lay to compose himself he would gladly have slept
first I do earnestly desire you all to be without any further unreasonable delays upon your return unto God Look where you arâ—… sinners in a state of sin and wrath and is it good to be so Look whitheâ—… you are going is it not to Hell and do you think it will be good to bâ—… there Do not go on but stand sinner I do in the name of the great God bâ—… thee stand and come back too remember from whence you are fallen aâ—… from whom you have departed and come back The expressions that our Lorâ—… Iesus used to the Church his Spouse come into my mind Cant. 6. 13. Hâ—… bespeaks her thus Return return O Shulamite return return that wâ—… may look upon thee What will ye see in the Shulamite as it were tâ—… company of two Armies Let me speak to you in the same manner onlâ—… let me first propound to you this one serious and weighty Question Hoâ—… do you find matters are within you Is there such a sight as this to be seen I mean to be seen in your Souls Do you feel strugglings in you as Râ—… bekah once did in her womb Is there the company of two Armies Oâ—… that there were in some of you it would be welcom news to me I shoulâ—… be glad â—…t heart and with my Soul bless God for it I know there is onâ—… Army in the very worst of men the greatest Debauchees and vilest Monsteâ—… trenched and fortified themselves and fight against God and War against the Soul and it is not improbable but that there may be a Legion of Devils too which side with them and yet all this while there is no noise no disturbance of the sinners rest but he goeth on in his way and enjoys himself for as our Saviour hath told us while the strong man armed keeps the house his goods are in peace there is a sinful quietness though indeed that is a dismal and woful one But what say you is there the Company of two Armies in you Is there a Law in your minds warring against that Law of Sin and Death which is in your members Is there a Spirit within you lusting against the flesh is there a contest and combating within you And that not only between one faculty and another but between the same faculty and itself So that you cannot sin with that freedom and plenary consent that you were wont to do but you find a reluctancy and opposition in your selves Oh that it were so with you that you were able to say you hate what you do though you cannot do what you would And to you I do now call return return O sinners return return That we may look upon you and love to look that your Ministers and Relations and Friends your Parents that have travailed in birth to see Christ formed in you your dear Yoakfellows who love you and longed for your Spiritual and Eternal welfare and have looked upon you with sad hearts Sighing Shaking their Heads wringing their hands and shedding Rivers of tears may now look upon you with comfort and rejoycing and count you their blessings That when they look upon you they may see your faces Sion ward and Heaven ward and your feet directed into the ways of peace and that when God who looks from Heaven upon all the Children of men doth look upon you and into you also he may see your hearts are toward himself really set for his Service and honour and the enjoyment of him You that are Elder and are yet in your sins walking on in the vanity of your minds suffer the word of exhortation do you return and that presently for you have nothing to shew why you should not you have taken your swing and rambled far enough and lived without God long enough a man would think you have had your belly full of wind and ashes and husks that you have had enough of base sins and what is worse than childish vanities and are guilty of such egregious and ruining follies that you have reason to be weary of them I beseech you learn to be wise it is indeed it is high time if you will not be wise now when will you You that are younger do ye apply your hearts to true wisdom come ye Children hearken to me come ye young-men and maidens come in to God who desires you who calls you who stands with his arms ready and stretched out to receive you come to him in whom you will find rest to your Souls and have such joys as will be great and cheap and never end in sorrow It is much more easy for you to return than it is for old sinners who have grown grey in their rebellion and obstinacy for you are not gone so far from God as they have done and you have not so many Chains and Fetters as Satan and lust and a continued conceive how exceeding welcom you shall be how glad Heaven will be of you Oh how doth God Father Son and Spirit embrace the young converts how ready will the blessed Angels be to watch over you to encamp about you to minister to you and to do you acts of kindness What huggs and kisses did the affectionate Father bestow upon his repenting and returning Prodigal He ran to meet him and that while he was a great way off he could not sit still when he saw him coming but must get up himself and while the good old mans feet did run I doubt not but his heart leap'd within him Use Second Under this I shall direct my discourse to you who already are converted and have hearkened to the voice and calls of God in the Gospel and come in to him And you I advise to improve all your experiences to the utmost for the drawing of your hearts more out to God and bringing you into a closer Communion with him Thou hast been my help said David Psal. 63 7. What then my Soul followeth after thee ver 8. Because thou hast been my help in work in trouble hast assisted me in such and in such a case yea in every case therefore my Soul now doth and still shall follow hard after thee that I may have more of thy help as I need it and more and more of thy self too so as you have heard in the Text return unto thy rest O my Soul unto that God who is thy rest for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee Consider and call to mind what sights have you had of Gods power and glory in the Sanctuary What tasts of his sweetness in the banquetting house of Ordinances what tokens of love sent in in various ways what Messages of peace by his holy and blessed Spirit what returns of prayer by the hand of gracious providences how great things hath God done for you consuting your fears and exceeding your expectations how good and gracious hath he been to you compassing you about with his favour as with a Shield and daily loading you with his
but he could not So it is Spiritually with the Saints themselves their rest fleeth from them Sometimes they break their own rest Psal. 38. There is no rest in my bones because of my sin and as there was none in his bones so none in his flesh and none in his Spirit and sometimes God breaks their rest one while he gives them rest round about at another time he makes them fear round abouâ—… Iob 7. 13 14. When I say my Bed shall comfort me my Couch shall ease my complaint then thou scarest me with Dreams and terrifiest me with Visions Oh the dismal thoughts that some good people have in the night they lie down with holy and gracious thoughts with believing thoughts with God admiring thoughts but in their sleep they have Vain Absurd Defiling and Disquieting thoughts so that they wake in an affright and as the Psalmist tells us sometimes sorrow endures for a night and joy comes in the morning So experience tells us that at other times joy endures for a day and sorrow comes in the Evening The bright and comfortable sun sets in a dark Cloud David reckoned without his host when in Psal. 30. he thought his Mountain stood strong his State of Peace and Prosperity was firm and unalterable so that he should never be moved that he should never more feel what broken bones meant nor be any more hunted by his enemy as a Partridge upon the Mountains nor be again smitten and almost consumed by the blow of the Divine hand nor have his moisture turned into the drought of Summer But he was quickly convinced of his mistake God hid his face and he was troubled So troubled as that he was at his wits end almost beside himself both Counsel and Courage failed him But now when once the Soul comes to Heaven there shall be nothing of a disturbance no such inroads made upon its peace but a perpetual Serenity and Calm a clear Sun-shine without any Eclipse or Clouds or Overcastings No hiding of the face of God no damp upon the Soul No frown without no fear an holy reception no anger in God to obstruct and stop his gracious communication God will be continually giving out of himself and the Soul shall be continually taking in The glorified Soul shall be always full up to the brim and as God shall please according to the exceeding riches of his grace and kindness to dart forth new beams and rays of his glory so he will strengthen the eye that it shall behold them with inconceivable delight and pleasure as he shall please to open his hand of Love so he will widen the Vessel and inlarge its capacity Thirdly It will be an everlasting rest as it knows no disturbance so no end The Soul for certain shall not sleep as some have fondly and foolishly imagined the body indeed doth that enjoys a sweet sleep in its bed of dust where it lies in Jesus for death hath not broken the Union between it and Christ 1 Thes. 4. 14. Them which sleep in Iesus shall God bring with him But the Soul sleeps not it is not suitable to the nature of it it meets with enough to keep it awake Yea it will be so far from sleeping as that it shall not so much as wink for it shall not know any such thing as lassitude or weariness It shall be continually acting and that with Strength and Vigour to the utmost of its power and yet not be tyred by those actings The bow shall be always bent yet not hereupon grow a Slug but abide in strength But though the Soul shall never sleep yet it shall always rest when it is once entered into it it shall abide and never come out more there are as you have heard from the Word pleasures for evermore and therefore there shall be rest for evermore O Eternity Eternity its length is not to be measured but its weight and importance to be seriously consider'd that is the sweet ingredient in the joys above and that the Gall which is put into the Cup of trembling and astonishment below the damned in Hell shall be in everlasting misery their worm dieth not and the glorified Souls shall have an everlasting felicity Let us apply to this those sweet expressions which we find in Rev. 7. 15 16 17. They are before the Throne of God as Heavens Courtiers and Favourites whom the King of Kings loves to look upon They serve him day and night in his Temple They shall be altogether taken up with God their whole business and employment shall be about God And he that sits upon the throne shall dwell among them And there cannot be better Company none so good His presence is enough alone they shall hunger no more neither thirst any more It is impossible they should be hungry who are at such a feast or thirst who have not only their Cups running over but are continually refreshing and bathing themselves in a River of pleasure and of life clear as Christal which proceeds out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb neither shall the Sun light on them nor any beat there shall be beams to refresh them but none to scorch them Nothing that shall render them faint or uneasy For the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them He loves to do it and he will be sure to give them the best and with a large liberal hand and shall lead them to fountains of living water all fresh and pure and at the first hand and God removed all sorrow from their hearts if there be not a tear then not a sigâ—… no nor a sad thought and further you may be also sure that since God doâ—… with his own gracious hand wipe away all their tears none of them shaâ—… return nor shall any new ones succeed and come in the room of the formeâ—… a tear shall not be found in the eye nor upon the cheek throughout all eteâ—… nity Thus have I done what I promised as to the first Doctrine the usâ—… whereof I shall defer until I have spoken to the second Doctrine and then shall make some short application of them both together Now that Doctrinâ—… as was said before will arise from the reason of Davids calling upon his Soul 〈◊〉 return unto its rest or if you please from the argument and motive he useth fâ—… the perswading it so to do taken from Gods former providences and graâ—… ous dispensations towards him For the Lord hath dealt bountifully wâ—… thee Which is such an argument as doth become every Saint every one 〈◊〉 his Children for upon them all he hath shewn and magnified his merâ—… The Doctrine shall be this Doct. 2. Gods dealing bountifully with a Soul should be a powerful aâ—… cogent argument with it for its return to him It doth carry a great dâ—… of weight and reason in it and it should come with a proportionable strengâ—… upon the Soul It should be effectual It should
many common mercies than the least of which you are less and how many special mercies upon which you may read Love you are not able to number them being more than the hairs upon your heads How many messages of peace have been brought to you by his Ministers and Spirit How many comfortable Answers hath he given so that you have been constrained to say He hath not turned away your prayer nor his mercy from you How many rich tokens hath he blest you with every one of greater value than an Orient Pearl or glistering Diamond How many marks of Covenant-favour hath he set upon you In short how often and how greatly hath he made your Souls to rejoyce and your Hearts to leap within you and then how well may you argue thus with your selves If there be so much coming from God what is there in God If there be such conveyances made by the Pipes of Ordinances and Duties what is there in him in whom are all my Springs If messages be so delicious what are the closest embraces If there be such beams at a distance such comfortable beams and vital influences communicated in this state of absence what light and life what beauty and glory is there in the Eternal Sun Secondly From this bountiful dealing of God with you you may argue to his liberality and the singular pleasure which he takes in giving forth of that his fulness to his People which is infinitely beyond the delight of the most affectionate Mother in drawing her full and pained Breast to her sucking and smiling Infant Death it is true will carry you from all your enjoyments in this World it will strip you to your skins and not so much you do now taste the greatest sweetness and from which you fetch your greatest comfort You must shake hands with faithful Friends dearest Relations and Possessions your places and preferments your worldly honours and preheminences will know you no more If a man die saith Iob shall he live again Yes he shall but not in the same place not in the same state not to the same ends and purposes that he did before But what of all that if you be such as you ought to be and mind that for which you were sent hither you shall at death go directly to him who is able to do for you far more abundantly than all these things could do and to supply all your needs according to his riches in glory and since he is able you may by the sufficient warrant both of his Promise and your own Experiences say I am sure also that he will do it That God who hath been so good so exceeding good to you here you have no reason to question but he will be as good to you there You have seen how mindful he is of his Covenant and faithful to his Promises how much his heart is set upon your good his name is I am though the Heavens wax old like a garment and shall be chang'd as a Vesture yet he is always the same without any variableness or shadow of turning as great as ever as full as ever yea and as good as ever It is not strange that good old Iacob and all his family were forward to go into Egypt when Ioseph who had already been so kind to them sent this encouraging invitation Come to me for I will give you the good of the Land of Egypt and you shall eat the fat of the Land regard not your stuff for the good of all the Land of Egypt is before you Oh! saith the Text when they had told him all the words of Joseph and when he saw the Waggons which Joseph had sent to carry him his spirit revived and he said It is enough Joseph is yet alive I will go and see him Gen. 45. 27 28. How much more may you be of the same mind how much more readily may you set up your Sail for the other World when God saith Come my Son my Daughter come away come to me regard not your stuff all the good of Heaven is before you And when you see the Messenger that must carry you hence you may take Heart this may be as they are wont to say a lightning before death my God is still alive and my Saviour still alive and he lives for evermore I will go and see him and live with him I can tell what he is I am sure he hath been a loving God to me and that he delighteth in mercy I have many and many a time tasted that he is gracious and therefore I will not fear him now Since mercy and goodness have followed me all the days of my life I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever What though I am going to another world yet I shall be with the same God and blessed are they that dwell in his house for they are still praising Heaven whither I am to go is filled with glory and admiration and rings with Allelujahs And then which follows hereupon Thirdly These bountiful dealings of God with his people are a very firm and solid foundation upon which they may without fear build their comfortable hopes and expectations for Eternity Mercies to such are like pay the debts she owed and upon the rest she was to live So in mercies which you receive from God there is the mercy it self to answer the present occasion to discharge the present expence and then there is the experience to live upon for the future Thus the Saints have argued from Gods former dealings with them to his further dealings with them So David did 1 Sam. 17. 37. The Lord that delivered me from the paw of the Lion and out of the Paw of the Bear he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine And such were the noble and heroick actings of Pauls faith he having received the same Spirit of Faith and being at that time under the like influence 2 Cor. 1. 9 10. We had the Sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver And the like we meet with in Psal. 23. 5 6. Thou preparest a Table before me in the presence of mine enemies thou anointest mine head with Oyl my Cup runneth over But possibly David this will not last God hath done all for thee that he intends he will now stay his hand nay but saith he I am certain that he will not Surely mercy and goodness shall follow me all the days of my life Thus they have argued unto further mercies in time and you may take a further reach and argue from your present experiences to mercies for Eternity Psal. 84. 11. The Lord God is a Sun and a Shield That our sense speaks him to be We are now refreshed with his beams and secured by his shadow but what will he be and