A heavenly conference between Christ and Mary after His resurrection. Wherein the intimate familiarity,…

But to clear an objection a little, if God be ours, and all things else, ⟨p. 178⟩how comes it that we want so many things.

¹I answer, it is our own fault for the most part, we want faith to make use of, and improve this comfort. And then again we want nothing that is for our good, want it self is for our good. And observe this, our God is ²so powerful a God, that he maketh the worst things we suffer, a means to convey the greatest good oftentimes to us. If God be our God and Father in Christ, why have we sins? why vexed with the Devil? why persecuted with men? why straitened thus and thus and thus? all this is for our good. God is our God by these, and in the midst of these, and is never more our God, then in the greatest extremity of all; for then we come nearest the Fountain: there is near and sweet communion between this God and us, when we take of the fountain. When the means are drawn away, the Conduits of conveyance, and we have nothing to go to, but God immediately: there is sweet communion, and sweetest comfort in Heaven; we shall have God in Christ, who will be all ⟨p. 179⟩in all unto us. We shall need no Magistracy, Ministry, food, raiment, or defence against cold, or injury; we shall be out of the reach of Satan, and all enemies, God will be all in all ³immediately. The same God is all in all to us, either by means, or immediately. When means fail he conveyeth his sweetness, and his power immediately, but ordinarily by means; And what sight doth in Heaven, faith doth now in some proportion; for as sight in Heaven seeth God in Christ, all in all, and enjoyeth that happy vision, so faith seeth God to be all in all, and Christ to be all in all, though in an inferior degree to sight and clearness of vision: yet for the capacity of this life, we enjoy God now, as they do in Heaven. We have inward comforts when most deserted. God was never more near our blessed Saviour, then on the Cross, when he cried, my God, my God, &c. for then he found invincible strength, supporting him in the great undertaking under the wrath of his Father. And so God is never nearer, then in extremity. In strength, though not in sense and