Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

Therefore now I'll speak of the Gain of being with Christ. Now I confess there are many things that might be opened: The Communion of the Soul departed with Jesus Christ,

As First, It shall be immediate, the Souls of the Saints while they are in the Body, they have Communion with Christ; but it is Mediately, by other things, by Ordinances and Means, whereby Christ conveys Himself to them; but there they shall have Communion with Christ Immediately, only Christ and the Soul together. Now the more Immediate the Communion is with Christ, it is the more pure: Here we have some Communion with Christ, but a great deal of Sin mixed together with it. That that is immediately from the Fountain is more pure, that that comes in the Streams hath Dirt mixed with it. So that that we shall have with Christ immediately shall be pure, we shall have Communion with Him and nothing else: We shall have no mixtures at all of any evil in our own Spirits.

As First, It shall be immediate, the Souls of the Saints while they are in the Body, they have Communion with Christ; but it is Mediately, by other things, by Ordinances and Means, whereby Christ conveys Himself to them; but there they shall have Communion with Christ Immediately, only Christ and the Soul together. Now the more Immediate the Communion is with Christ, it is the more pure: Here we have some Communion with Christ, but a great deal of Sin mixt together with it. That that is immediately from the Fountain is more pure, that that comes in the Streams hath Dirt mixed with it. So that that we shall have with Christ immediately shall be pure, we shall have Communion with Him and nothing else: We shall have no mixtures at all of any evil in our own Spirits.

And then Secondly, Immediate communion with Christ, it is more Sweet: As the more Pure, so the more Sweet. As now, the Wine that comes immediately from the Grape, it hath more Spirits, and is more delightful than that that is poured from Vessel to Vessel. That which we have here from Christ, it is that that is poured from Vessel to Vessel; but that which Souls departed have from Christ is immediate, and so comes more Sweet. As if the Child suck Milk from the Breast, it is more sweet to the Child than the Milk in a Spoon. That that we have from Christ here, is Milk as it were from the Spoon; but that that Souls have that are departed, they suck from Christ immediately, and so comes to be more sweet.