Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

no more out from us.

ever and ever. There will we fee our godly friends, relations and acquaintances, pillars in the temple of God, to go And it is more than probable, that the faints will know one another in heaven: that at least, they will know their friends, relatives, and these they were acquainted with on earth, and fuch as have been moft eminent in the church: howbeit that knowledge will be purged from all earthly thoughts and affections. This feems to be included in that perfection of happiness to which the faints fhall be advanced there. If Adam knew who and what Eve was at first fight, when the Lord God brought her to him, (Gen. ii. 23, 24.) why fhould one queftion, but huf bands and wives, parents and children, will know each other in glory? If the Theffalonians, converted by Paul's miniftry, fhall be his crown of rejoicing in the prefence of our Lord Jefus Chrift, at his coming, (1 Theff. ii. 19) Why may not one conclude, that minifters fhall know their people, and people their minifters in heaven? And if the difciples, on the mount of transfiguration, knew Mofes and Elias, whom they had never feen before, (Matth. ii. 19.) we have ground to think, we shall know them too, and fuch as they, when we come to heaven. The communion of faints fhall be most intimate there; they hall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, Matth. viii. 11. Lazarus was carried by the angels into Abraham's bafom, (Luke xvi. 23.) which denotes moft intimate and familiar fociety. And though diverfity of tongues hall ceafe, (1 Cor. xiii. 8.) I make no question, but there will be an use of fpeech in heaven; and that the faints will glorify God in their bodies there, as well as in their fpirits, speaking forth his praises with an audible voice. (As for the language, we shall understand, what it is, when we come thither). When Paul was caught up to the third heaven, the feat of the bleffed, he heard there unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter, 2 Cor. xii. 4 Mofes and Elias, on the mount with Christ, talked with him, Matth. xvii, 3. and spake of his deceafe which he should accomplith at Jerufalem, Luke ix. 31.

Secondly, The faints will have the fociety of all the holy angels there. An innummerable company of angels shall be companions to them in their glorified ftate. Happy were

the

383 the shepherds, who heard the fong of the heaven lyhost, when Chrift was born; but thrice happy they, who shall join their voices with theirs, in the choir of faints and angels in heaven, when he fhall be glorified in all, who shall be about him there. Then fhall we be brought acquainted with the bleffed fpirits, who never finned. How bright will thefe morning Aars fhine in the holy place! they were miniftring fpirits to the heirs of falvation, loved them for their Lord and Mafter's fake; encamped round about them, to preferve them from danger: how joyfully will they welcome them to their everlasting habitations; and rejoice to fee them come at length totheir kingdom, as the tutor doth in the profperity of his pupils! The faints fhall be no more afraid of them, as fometime they were wont to be: they fhall then have put off mortality, and infirmities of the flesh, and be themselves, as the angels of God, fit to entertain communion and fellowship with thefe fhining ones. And both being brought under one head, the Lord Jefus Chrift; they shall join in the praifes of God, and of the Lamb, faying, with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, &c. Rev. v. 11, 12. Whether the angels fhall (as fome think) affume airy bodies, that they may be feen by the bodily eyes of the faints, and be in nearer capacity to converse with them, I know not: but as they want not ways of converfe amongst themselves, we have reafon to thick, that converfation, betwixt them and the faints, fhall not be for ever blocked up,

Lafily, They fhall have fociety with the Lord himself in heaven, glorious communion with God and Chrift, which is the perfection of happinefs. I chufe to fpeak of commu. nion with God, and the man Chrift, together; because as we derive our grace from the Lamb, fo we will derive our glory from him too; the man Chrift being (if I may be allowed the expreffion) the centre of the divine glory in heaven, from whence it is diffufed unto all the faints. This feems to be taught us by thefe fcriptures, which exprefs heaven's happiness by being with Chrift, Luke xxiii. 43. This day fhalt thou be with me in paradife. John xxvii. 24. Father I will that these alfo, whom thou hast given me, be with me. (And remarkable to this purpose is what follows, that they may behold my glory.) 1 Theff. iv. 17. So fhall we ever be

[ocr errors]

State IV. with the Lord, to wit, the Lord Chrift, whom we fhall meet in the air. This alfo feems to be the import of these fcriptures, wherein God and the Lamb, the flain Saviour, are jointly fpoken of, in the point of the happiness of the faints in heaven. Rev. vii. 17. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, fhall feed them, and shall lead them, ⚫unto living fountains of waters: and God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes.' Chap xxi. 3. Behold the ta bernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them," to wit, as in a tabernacle, (fo the word fignifies) that is, in the flesh of Chrift, (compare John i. 14.and ver. 22.), The • Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are the temple of it." Here lies the chief happiness of the faints in heaven, that without which they could never be happy, though lodged in that glorious place, and bleffed with the fociety of angels there. What I will venture to fay of it, fhall be comprised in three things

*

1A, The faints in heaven shall have the glorious presence of God, and of the Lamb: God himself shall be with them, Rev. xxi. 3. And they fhall ever be with the Lord. God is every where prefent, in refpect of his effence; the faints. militant have his fpecial gracious prefence: but in heaven they have his glorious prefence. There they are brought near to the throne of the great King, and stand before him, where he fhews his inconceivable glory. There they have, the tabernacle of God, on which the cloud of glory rests, the all glorious human nature of Chrift, wherein the fulness of the Godhead dwells, not vailed as in the days of his humiliation, but fhining through that bleffed flefh (that all the faints may behold his glory) and making that body more glorious than a thousand funs: fo that the city has no need of thefun, nor of the moon, but the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof, (properly, the candle thereof) Rev. xxi. 23. i. e. The Lamb is the luminary, or luminous body, which gives light to the city; as the fun and moon now give light to the world, or as a candle lightens a dark room; and the light proceeding from that glorious luminary, for the city is the glory of God. Sometime that candle burnt very dim, it was hid under a bushel, in the time of his humiliatfon: but that, now and then, it darted out fome rays of this light, which dazzled the eyes

of

of the fpectators: but now it is fet on high, in the city of God, where it fhines, and shall shine for ever, in perfection of glory. It was fometimes laid afide, as a stone difallowed, of the builders: but now it is, and for ever will be, the light or luminary of that city; and that, like unto a stone moft precious, even like a jasper stone clear as cryftal, ver. 11.

Who can conceive the happiness of the faints in the prefence chamber of the great King, where he fits in his chair of state, making his glory eminently to appear in the man Chrift? His gracious prefence makes a mighty change upon the faints in this world': his glorious prefence in heaven then must needs fcrew up their graces to their perfection, and elevate their capacities. The faints do experience, that the prefence of God now with them in his grace, can make a little heaven of a fort of hell: how great then must the glory of heaven be, by his prefence there in his glory! If a candle, in fome fort, beautifies a cottage or prifon, how will the shining fun beautify a palace or paradife! The gracious prefence of God made a wilderness lightsom to Mofes, the valley of the fhadow of death to David, a fiery furnace to the three children: what a ravishing beauty fhall then arife from the fun of righteousness, fhining in his meridian brightnefs on the flreet of the city laid with pure gold? This glorious prefence of God in heaven will put a glory on the faints themselves. The pleasant garden hath no beauty, when the darkness of the night its down on it; but the shining fun puts a glory on the blackest mountains: fo these who are now as bottles in the fmoak, when fet in the glorious prefence of God, will be glorious both in foul and body.

2dly, The faints in heaven shall have the full enjoyment of God and of the Lamb. This is it that perfectly fatisfies the rational creature; and here is the faints everlasting reft. This will make up all their wants, and fill the defires of their fouls, which after all here obtained, ftill cry, Give give, not without fome anxiety;becaufe though they do enjoy. God, yet they do not enjoy him fully. As to the way and manner of this enjoyment, our Lord's tells us, John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent.' Now there are two ways, how a defirable object is known molt perfectly

Bb

and

State IV and fatisfyingly; the other is by fight, the other by exper ence fight fatisfies the understanding, and experience fatisfi the will. Accordingly one may fay, that the faints enj God and the Lamb in heaven, (1.) By an intuitive know Jedge. (2.) By an experimental knowledge, both of the perfect, I mean, in refpect of the capacity of the creatur for otherwife a creature's perfect knowledge of an infini Being is impoffible. The faints below enjoy God, in th knowledge they have of him by report, from his holy wo which they believe; they fee him likewife darkly in glufs of ordinances, which do, as it were, reprefent the bri groom's picture, or fhadow, while he is ablent: they h alfo fome experimental knowledge of him, they tafte God is good, and that the Lord is gracious. But the fa above fhall not need a good report of the King, they fee himfelf; therefore faith ceafeth: they will behold own face; therefore ordinances are no more; there is need of a glafs they fhall drink, and drink abundantl that whereof they have tafted; and fo hope ceafeth, they are at the utmoft bounds of their defires.

1. The faints in heaven shall enjoy God and the Lamb fight, and that in a moft perfect manner, I Gor. xiii For now we fee through a glafs darkly; but then face to Here our fight is but mediate, as by a glafs, in which fee not things themselves, but the images of things: there we fhall have an immediate view of God and Lamb. Here our knowledge is but obfcure; there it be clear without the leaft mixture of darkness. The doth now converfe with his faints, through the lattef ordinances but then fhall they be in the prefence-cha with him. There is a vail now on the glorious face, us: but when we come to the upper houfe, that vail, thi which fome rays of beauty are now darted, will be entirely taken off; and then fhall glorious excellencie - perfections, not feen in him by mortals, be clearly dif ed, for we fhall fee his face, Rev. xxii. 4. The feems to be borrowed from the honour put on fome courts of monarchs, to be attendants on the king's P We read, Jer. liii. 25. of feven men of them that were Seers of the king's face, i, e. as we read it) near the

« AnteriorContinuar »