The next Privilege is Union; our being with Christ is not only local, but conjugal: We shall so behold him as to be made one with him. What nearer then union? what sweeter? Union is the spring of joy, the ground of privilege; by virtue of this blessed union with Christ, all those rare beauties wherewith the humane nature ⟨p. 98⟩of the Lord Jesus is bespangled, shall be ours. Let us compare two Scriptures, Joh. 17.24. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory. That is, the glory of the humane nature; but that is not all, Ver. 22. The glory that thou hast given me, I have given them. Christ hath not his glory only for himself, but for us: we shall shine by his beams: *Here Christ puts his graces upon his Spouse, and in heaven he will put his glory upon her. No wonder then the Queens daughter is all glorious within, Psal. 45.14. and her clothing of wrought gold. How glorious will the Spouse be, when she hath Christ's jewels upon her? Judge not of the Saints by what they are, but by what they shall be: It doth not yet appear what we shall be, 1 Joh. 3.1. Why, what shall we be? We shall be like him. The Spouse of Christ shall not only ⟨p. 99⟩be made one with Christ, but she shall be made like Christ: in other marriages, the Spouse changeth her condition, but here she changeth her complexion: not that the Saints in glory shall receive of Christ's Essence (a Socinian error,) They shall have as much glory, as the humane nature is capable of: but though Christ conveys his Image, yet not his Essence. The Sun shining upon a glass, leaves a print of its beauty there; and it is hard to distinguish between the glass and the sun-beam: but the glass is not the beam, the sun conveys only it's likeness, not it's essence.
THe next Priviledge is Union; our being with Christ is not only locall, but conjugall: We shall so behold him as to be made one with him. What nearer then union? what sweeter? Union is the spring of joy, the ground of priviledge; by vertue of this blessed union with Christ, all those rare beauties wherewith the humane nature ⟨p. 98⟩of the Lord Jesus is bespangled, shall be ours. Let us compare two Scriptures, Ioh. 17.24. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory. That is, the glory of the humane nature; but that is not all, Ver. 22. The glory that thou hast given me, I have given them. Christ hath not his glory onely for himselfe, but for us: we shall shine by his beames: *Here Christ puts his graces upon his Spouse, and in heaven he will put his glory upon her. No wonder then the Queens daughter is all glorious within, Psal. 45.14. and her cloathing of wrought gold. How glorious will the Spouse be, when she hath Christ's jewels upon her? Judge not of the Saints by what they are, but by what they shall be: It doth not yet appeare what we shall be, 1 Joh. 3.1. Why, what shall we be? We shall be like him. The Spouse of Christ shall not only ⟨p. 99⟩be made one with Christ, but she shall be made like Christ: in other marriages, the Spouse changeth her condition, but here she changeth her complexion: not that the Saints in glory shall receive of Christ's Essence (a Socinian errour,) They shall have as much glory, as the humane nature is capable of: but though Christ conveys his Image, yet not his Essence. The Sun shining upon a glasse, leaves a print of its beauty there; and it is hard to distinguish between the glass and the sun-beam: but the glass is not the beam, the sun conveys only it's likenesse, not it's essence.
- *Non tantum aderit gloria sed ine•it. Bernard.
