N34404:797
Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses
Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses. / By Mr. Thomas Boston, late Minister of the Gospel at Etterick.
N34404:797
Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses. / By Mr. Thomas Boston, late Minister of the Gospel at Etterick.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Two things I shall here inquire into, (1.) The nature of this kingdom. (2) The admission of the saints thereto. And then I shall make some practical improvement of the whole.
FIRST, As to the nature of the kingdom of heaven, our knowledge of it is very imperfect; for eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. ii. 9. As, by familiar resemblances, parents instruct their little children, concerning things, of which otherwise they can have no tolerable notion: so our gracious God, in contemplation of our weakness, is pleased to represent to us heaven's happiness, under similitudes taken from earthly thing•, glorious in the eyes of men; since naked discoveries of the heavenly glory, divested of earth•y resemblances, would be too bright for our weak eyes, and in them we would but lose ourselves. Wherefore now, one can but speak as a child of these things, which the day will fully discover.
FIRST, As to the nature of the kingdom of heaven, our knowledge of it is very imperfect; for eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. ii. 9. As, by f•miliar resemblances, parents instruct their little children, concerning things, of which otherwise they can have no tolerable notion: so our graci•u• God, in contemplation of our weakness, is pleased to represent to us heaven's happiness, under similitudes taken from earthly thing•, glorious in the eyes of men; si•ce naked discoveries of the heavenly glory, divested of earth•y resemblances, would be too bright for our weak eyes, and in them we would but lose ourselves. Wherefore now, one can but speak as a child of these things, which the day will fully discover.
The state of glory is represented under the notion of a kingdom; a kingdom among men, being that in which the greatest number of ⟨p. 294⟩earthly good things doth c•ncen•er. Now every saint shall, as a king, inherit a kingdom. All Christ's subjects shall be kings, each one with his crown upon his head: not that the great K••g shall divest himself of his royalty, but he will make all his children partakers of his kingdom
I. The saints shall have kingly power and authority given them. Our Lord gives not empty title •o his favou••res; he makes them kings indeed. The dominion of the saints will be a dominion far exceeding that of the greatest monarch ever was on earth. They will be absolute masters over sin, that sometime had dominion over them. They will have a complete ru•e over their own spirits; an entire management of all their affections and inclinations, which now create them so much molestation: the turbulent root of corrupt afflictions shall be for ever expelled out of that kingdom, and never be able any more to give them the least disturbance. They shall have power over the nations, the ungodly of all nations, and shall rule them with a rod of iron, R•v ii 26 27. The wh•le world of the wicked shall be broken before them: Satan shall be bruised under their feet, Rom. xvi 20. He shall never be able to fallen a temptation on them any more: but he will be judged by them: and in their sight, cast with the reprobate crew unto the l•ke of fire and brimstone. So shall the rule over their oppressors. Having fought the good fight, and got the victory, Christ will entertain them as Joshua did his captains, causing them come near, and put their feet on the necks of kings, Josh. x. 24
I. The saints shall have kingly power and authority given them. Our Lord gives not empty title •o his favou••res; he makes them kings indeed. The dominion of the saints will be a dominion far exceeding that of the greatest monarch ever was on earth. They will be absolute masters over sin, that sometime had dominion over them. They will have a compleat rue over their own spirits; an entire management of all their affections and inclinations, which now create them so much molestation: the turbulent root of corrupt afflictions shall be for ever expelled out of that kingdom, and never be able any more to give them the least disturbance. They shall have power over the nations, the ugodly of all nations, and shall rule them with a rod of iron, Rv ii 26 27. The whle world of the wicked shall be broken before them: Satan shall be bruised under their feet, Rom. xvi 20. He shall never be able to fallen a temptation on them any more: but he will be judged by them: and in their sight, cast with the reprobate crew unto the lke of fire and brmstone. So shall the rule over their oppressors. Having fought the good fight, and got the victory, Christ will entertain them as Joshua did his captains, causing them come near, and put their feet on the necks of kings,
II. They shall have the ensigns of royalty. For a throne, Christ will grant them to sit with him on his throne, Rev iii 12. They will be advanced to the highest honour and dignity they are capable of; and, in the enjoyment of […], they wil• have an eternal undisturbed repose, after all the tossings they meet with in the world, in their way to the throne For a crown, they shall receive a crown of glory, that fadeth not away, 1 Pet. v. 4. Not a crown of flowers, as subjects being conquerors, or victors, sometimes have got: such a crown quickly fades, but their crown never fadeth. Not a crown of gold, such […] r••hly kings do wear: even a crown of gold is often staired, and at b•st can never make them happy who wear it. But it shall be a crown of glory. A crown of glory is a crown of life, (Rev ii. 10.) that life which knows no end: a crown which death can never make to fall off one's head. It must be an abiding crown; for it is a crown of righteousness, 2 Tim. iv. 8. It was purchased for them by Christ's righteousness, which is imputed to them; they are qualified for it by inherent righteousness; God's righteousness or faithfulness secures is to them. They shall have a sceptre, a rod of iron, (Rev. ii. 27.) terrible to all the wicked world. And a sword toe, a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishment upon the people, Psal. cxlix 6, 7. They shall have royal apparel. The royal robes in this kingdom are white robes, ⟨p. 295⟩Rev. iii. 4. They shall walk with me in white. And these last do, in a very particular manner, point at the inconceivable glory of the state of the saints in heaven
II. They shall have the ensigns of royalty. For a throne, Christ will grant them to sit with him on his throne, Rev iii 12. They will be advanced to the highest h•nour and dignity they are capable of; and, in the enjoyment of , they wil have an eternal undisturbed repose, after all the tossings they meet with in the world, in their way to the throne For a crown, they shall receive a crown of glory, that fadeth not away,
The Lord is pleased often to represent unto us the glorious state of the saints, under the notion of their being clothed in white garments. It is promised to the overcomer, that he shall be clothed in white raiment, Rev. iii. 5. The elders about the throne are clothed in white raiment, chap. iv. 4. The multitude before the throne are clothed with white robes, chap. vii. 9 arrayed in white robes, ver. 13. made white in the blood of the Lamb, ver. 14. I own the last two testimonies adduced, do respect the state of the saints on earth: but withal the terms are borrowed from the state of the church in heaven. All garments, properly so called, being badges of sin and shame, shall be laid aside by the saints, when they come to their state of glory. But if we consider on what occasions white garments were wont to be put on, we shall find much of heaven under them.
First, The Romans when they manumitted their bond-servants, gave them a white garment, as a badge of their freedom. So shall the saints that day get on their white robes; for it is the day of the glorious liberty of the children of God, (Rom. viii. 21.) the day of the redemption of their body, ver. 23. They shall no more see the house of bondage, nor lie any more among the pots. If we compare the state of the saints on earth with that of the wicked, it is indeed a state of freedom; whereas the other is a state of slavery: but in comparison with their state in heaven, it is but a servitude. A saint on earth is indeed a young prince, and heir to the crown; but his motto may be, I serve, for "•he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all," Gal. iv. 1. What are the groans of a saint, the sordid and base work he is sometimes found employed in, the black and tattered garments he walks in, but badges of this comparative servitude? But from the day the saints come to the crown, they receive their complete freedom, and serve no •ore. They shall be fully freed from sin, which of all evils is the worst, both in itself, and in their apprehension too: how great then must that freedom be, when these Egyptians whom they see today, they shall see them again no more for ever? They shall be free from all temptation to sin: Satan can have no access to temptation, any more, by himself, nor by his agents. A full answer will then be given to that petition, they have so often repeated, Lead us not into temptation. No hissing serpent can come into the paradise above: no snare nor trap can be laid there, to catch the feet of the saints: they may walk there fearlessly, for they can be in no hazard: there are no lions dens, no mountains of the leopards, in the promised land. Nay, they shall be set beyond the possibility of sinning, for they shall be confirmed in goodness. It will be the consummate freedom of their will, to be for ever unalterably determined to good. And they shall be freed from all the effects of sin; There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, Rev. ⟨p. 296⟩xxx. 4: What kingdom is like unto this? Death makes its way now into a palace, as easily as into a cottage: sorrow fills the heart of one who wears a crown on his head, royal robes are no fence against pain, and crying by reason of pain.
But in this kingdom no misery can have place. All reproaches shall be wiped off; and never shall a tear drop any more from their eyes They shall not complain of desertions again; the Lord will never hide his face from them: but the Sun of righteousness shining upon them in his meridian-brightness, will dispel all clouds, and give them an everlasting day, without the least mixture of darkness. A deluge of wrath, after a fearful thunder-clap from the throne, will sweep away the wicked from before the judgment-seat, into the lake of fire: but they are, in the first place, like Noah brought into the ark, and out of harm's way.
Secondly, White raiment hath been a token of purity, Therefore the Lamb's wise is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, Rev xix. 8. And those who stood before the throne washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, chap. vii. 14. The saints shall then put on the robes of perfect purity, and shine in spotless holiness, like the sun in his strength, without the least cloud to intercept his light. Absolute innocence shall then be restored, and every appearance of sin banished far from his kingdom The guilt of sin, and reigning power of it, are now taken away in the saints; nevertheless sin dwelleth in them, Rom. vii. 20. But then it shall be no more in them: the corrupt nature will be quite removed, that root of bitterness will be plucked up, and no vestiges of it left in their souls: their nature shall be altogether pure and sinless. There shall be no darkness in their minds; but the understanding of every saint, when he is come to his kingdom, will be as a globe of pure and unmixed light. There shall not be the least aversion to good, or inclination to evil, in their wills: but they will be brought to a perfect conformity to the will of God; blest with angelical purity, and fixed therein Their affections shall not be liable to the least disorder or irregularity: it will cost them no trouble to keep them right: they will get such a set of purity, as they can never lose. They will be so refined from all earthly dross, as never to savour more of any thing but heaven. Were it possible they should be set again amidst the ensnaring objects of an evil world, they should walk among them without the least defilement; as the sun shines on the dunghill, yet untainted, and as the angels preserved their purity in the midst of Sodom. Their graces shall then be perfected; and all the imperfections now cleaving to them, done away. There will be no more ground of complaints of weakness of grace: none in that kingdom shall complain of an ill heart, or a corrupt nature. It doth not y•t appear what we shall be, but—when he shall appear, we shall be like him. 1 John iii. 2.
Secondly, White raiment hath been a token of purity, Therefore the Lamb's wise is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, Rev xix. 8. And those who stood before the throne washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, chap. vii. 14. The saints shall then put on the robes of perfect purity, and shine in spotless holiness, like the sun in his strength, without the least cloud to intercept his light. Absolute innocence shall then be restored, and every appearance of sin banished far from his kingdom The guilt of sin, and reigning power of it, are now taken away in the saints; nevertheless sin dwelleth in them,
Thirdly, Among the Jews, these who desired to be admitted into the priestly office, being tried, and found to be of the priest's line, and without blemish, were clothed in white, and enrolled among the ⟨p. 297⟩priests. This seems to be alluded to, Rev. iii. 5. He that overcometh—the saints shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life. So the saints shall not be kings only, but priests withal; for they are a Royal Priesthood, 1 Pet. ii. 9. They will be priests upon their thrones. They are judicially found descended from the great High-Priest of their profession, begotten of him by his Spirit, of the incorruptible seed of the word, and without blemish: so the trial being over, they are admitted to be priests in the temple above, that they may dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. There is nothing upon earth more glorious than a kingdom, nothing more venerable than the priesthood: and both meet together in the glorified state of the saints. The general assembly of the first-born, (Heb. xii. 23.) whose is the priesthood the double portion, appearing in their white robes of glory, will be a reverend and glorious company. That day will show them to be the persons, whom the Lord has chosen out of all the tribes of the earth, to be near unto him, and to enter into his temple, even into his holy place. Their priesthood, begun on earth, shall be brought to its perfection, while they shall be employed in offering the sacrifice of praise to God and the Lamb, for ever and ever. They got not their portion, in the earth, with the rest of the tribes: but the Lord himself was their portion, and will be their double portion, through the ages of eternity.
Thirdly, Among the Jews, these who desired to be admitted into the priestly office, being tried, and found to be of the priest's line, and without blemish, were clothed in white, and enrolled among the ⟨p. 297⟩priests. This seems to be alluded to, Rev. iii. 5. He that overcometh—the saints shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life. So the saints shall not be kings only, but priests withal; for they are a Royal Priesthood,
Fourthly, They were wont to wear white raiment, in a time of triumph; to the which also there seems to be an allusion, Rev. iii. 5. "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment." And what is heaven but an everlasting triumph! None get thither, but such as fight, and overcome too. Though Canaan was given to the Israelites, an inheritance: they behoved to conquer it, ere they could be possessors of it. The saints, in this world, are in the field of battle; often in red garments, garments rolled in blood: but the day approacheth, in which they shall stand before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, (Rev. vii. 9.) having obtained a complete victory over all their enemies. The palm was used as a sign of victory; because that tree, oppressed with weights, yieldeth not, but rather shooteth upwards. And palm-trees were carved on the doors of the most holy place, (1 Kings vi. 32.) which was a special type of heaven; for heaven is the place, which the saints are received into, as conquerors.
Fourthly, They were wont to wear white raiment, in a time of triumph; to the which also there seems to be an allusion, Rev. iii. 5. "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment." And what is heaven but an everlasting triumph! None get thither, but such as fight, and overcome too. Though Canaan was given to the Israelites, an inheritance: they behoved to conquer it, ere they could be possessors of it. The saints, in this world, are in the field of battle; often in red garments, garments rolled in blood: but the day approacheth, in which they shall stand before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, (Rev. vii. 9.) having obtained a compleat victory over all their enemies. The palm was used as a sign of victory; because that tree, oppressed with weights, yieldeth not, but rather shooteth upwards. And palm-trees were carved on the doors of the most holy place, (1 Kings vi. 32.) which was a special type of heaven; for heaven is the place, which the saints are received into, as conquerors.
Behold the joy and peace of the saints in their white robes. The joys arising from the view of past dangers, and of riches and honours gained at the very door of death, do most sensibly touch one's heart: and this will be an ingredient in the everlasting happiness of the saints, which could have had no place, in the heaven of innocent Adam, and his sinless offspring, supposing him to have stood Surely the glorified saints will not forget the entertainment they met with in the world: it will be for the glory of God to remember it, and also for the heightening of their joy. The Sicilian king, by birth the son of a potter, ⟨p. 298⟩acted a wise part, in that he would be served at his table, with earthen vessels: the which could not but put an additional sweetness in his meals, not to be relished by one born heir to the crown. Can ever meat be so sweet to any, as to the hungry man! Or can any have such a relish of plenty, as he who has been under pinching straits: The more difficulties the saints have passed through, in their way to heaven, the place will be the sweeter to them, when they come at it. Every happy stroke, struck in the spiritual warfare, will be a jewel in their crown of glory. Each victory obtained against sin, Satan and the world, will raise their triumphant joy the higher. The remembrance of the cross will sweeten the crown: and the memory of their travel through the wilderness, will put an additional verdure on the fields of glory; while they walk through them, minding the day, when they went mourning without the sun.
And now that they appear triumphing in white robes, it is a sign they have obtained an honourable place; such a peace as their enemies can disturb no more. So every thing peculiarly adapted to their militant condition is laid aside. The sword is laid down; and they betake themselves to the pen of a ready writer, to commemorate the praises of him, by whom they overcame. Public ordinances, preaching, sacraments, shall be honourably laid aside; there is no temple there, Rev. xxi▪ 22. Sometimes these were sweet to them: but the travellers being all got home, the inns, appointed for their entertainment by the way, are shut up; the candles are put out, when the sun is risen; and the tabernacle used in the wilderness is folded up, when the temple of glory is come in its room. Many of the saints duties will then be laid aside; as one gives his staff out of his hand, when he is come to the end of his journey. Praying shall then be turned to praising: and, there being no sin to confess, no wants to seek the supply of; confession and petition shall be swallowed up in everlasting thanksgiving. There will be no mourning, in heaven: they have sown in tears, the reaping time of joy is come, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, Rev. xxi. 4. No need of mortification there; and self-examination is then at an end. They will not need to watch any more; the danger is over. Patience has had its perfect work, and there is no use for it there. Faith is turned into sight, and hope is swallowed up in the ocean of sensible and full enjoyment. All the rebels are subdued, the saints quietly set on their throne: and so the forces, needful in the time of the spiritual warfare, are disbanded; and they carry on their triumph in profoundest peace.
Lastly, White garments were worn, on festival days, in token of joy. And so shall the saints be clothed in white raiment; for they shall keep an everlasting sabbath to the Lord, Heb. iv. 9. There remaineth therefore a rest (or keeping of a sabbath) to the people of God. The sabbath, in the esteem of saints, is the queen of days: and they shall have an endless sabbatism in the kingdom of heaven; so shall their garments be always white. They will have an eternal rest, with an uninterrupted joy: ⟨p. 299⟩for heaven is not a resting place, where men may sleep out an eternity; (there they rest not day nor night) but their work is their rest and continual recreation, and toil and weariness have no place there. They rest there in God, who is the centre of their souls. Here they find the complement, or satisfaction of all their desires; having the full enjoyment of God, and uninterrupted communion with him. This is the point, unto the which till the soul come, it will always be restless: but, that point reached, it rests; for he is the last end, and the soul can go no farther. It cannot understand, will, nor desire more; but in him it has what is commensurable to its boundless desires. This is the happy end of all the labours of the saints; their toil and sorrows issue in a joyful rest. The Chaldeans measuring the natural day, put the day first, and the night last: but the Jews counted the night first, and the day last. Even so, the wicked begin with a day of rest and pleasure, but end with a night of everlasting toil and sorrow: but God's people have their gloomy night first, and then comes their day of eternal rest. The which Abraham, in the parable, observed to the rich man in hell, Luke xvi. 25. Son, remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
III. If one enquires where the kingdom of the saints lies? It is not in this world; it lies in a better country, that is, an heavenly, (Heb. xi. 16.) a country better than the best of this world; namely, the heavenly Canaan, Immanuel's land, where nothing is wanting to complete the happiness of the inhabitants. This is the happy country, blest with a perpetual spring, and which yieldeth all things for necessity, conveniency, and delight. There men shall cat angels food; they shall be entertained with the hidden manna, (Rev. ii. 17) without being set to the painful gathering of it: they will be fed to the full, with the product of the land falling into their mouths, without the least toil to them. That land enjoys an everlasting day, for there is no night there, Rev. xxi. 25. An eternal sun-shine beautifies this better country, but there is no scorching heat there: No clouds shall be seen there for ever: yet it is not a land of drought; the trees of the Lord's planting are set by the rivers of water, and shall never want moisture, for they will have an eternal supply of the Spirit, by Jesus Christ, from his Father. This is the country from whence our Lord came, and whither he is gone again: the country which all the holy patriarchs and prophets had their eye upon, while on earth; and which all the saints, who have gone before us, have fought their way to; and unto which, the martyrs have joyfully swimmed, through a sea of blood. This earth is the place of the saints pilgrimage: that is, their country, where they find their everlasting rest.
IV. The royal city is that great city, the holy Jerusalem, described, at large, Rev. xxi. 10 to the end of the chapter. (It is true, some learned divines place this city in the earth: but the particulars of ⟨p. 300⟩the description seem to me to favour those most, who point us to the other world for it.) The saints shall reign in that city, whose wall is of jasper, (ver. 16) and the foundations of the wall garnished with all manner of precious stones, (ver. 19.) and the streets of pure gold, (ver. 20) so that their feet shall be set on that, which the men of this world set their hearts upon. This is the city God hath prepared for them, Heb. xi. 16. A city that hath foundations, (ver. 10.) A continuing city, (chap xiii. 14.) which shall stand and flourish, when all the cities of the world are laid in ashes; and which shall not be moved, when the foundations of the world are overturned. It is a city that never changeth its inhabitants: none of them shall ever be removed out of it: for life and immortality reign there, and no death can enter into it. It is blessed with a perfect and perpetual peace, and can never be in the least disturbed. Nothing from without can annoy it; the gates therefore are not shut at all by day, and there is no night there, Rev. xxi. 25. There can nothing from within trouble it. No want of provision there; no scarcity; no discord amongst the inhabitants. Whatever contentions are amongst the saints now; no vestige of their former jarrings shall remain there. Love to God, and to one another, shall be perfected: and these of them, who stood at greater distance here, will joyfully embrace and delight in one another there.
First, The Romans when they manumitted their bond-servants, gave them a white garment, as a badge of their freedom. So shall the saints that day get on their white robes; for it is the day of the glorious liberty of the children of God, (Rom. viii. 21.) the day of the redemption of their body, ver. 23. They shall no more see the house of bondage, nor ly any more among the pots. If we compare the state of the saints on earth with that of the wicked, it is indeed a state of freedom; wheras the other is a state of slavery: but in comparison with their state in heaven, it is but a servitude. A saint on earth is indeed a young prince, and heir to the crown; but his motto may be, I serve, for "•he differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all," Gal. iv. 1. What are the groans of a saint, the sordid and base work he is sometimes found employed in, the black and tattered garments he walks in, but badges of this comparative servitude? But from the day the saints come to the crown, they receive their compleat freedom, and serve no •ore. They shall be fully freed from sin, which of all evils is the worst, both in itself, and in their apprehension too: how great then must that freedom be, when these Egyptians whom they see today, they shall see them again no more for ever? They shall be free from all temptation to sin: Satan can have no access to temptation, any more, by himself, nor by his agents. A full answer will then be given to that petition, they have so often repeated, Lead us not into temptation. No hissing serpent can come into the paradise above: no snare nor trap can be laid there, to catch the feet of the saints: they may walk there fearlesly, for they can be in no hazard: there are no lions dens, no mountains of the leopards, in the promised land. Nay, they shall be set beyond the possibility of sinning, for they shall be confirmed in goodness. It will be the consumminate freedom of their will, to be for ever unalterably determined to good. And they shall be freed from all the effects of sin; There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, Rev. ⟨p. 296⟩xxx. 4: What kingdom is like unto this? Death makes its way now into a palace, as easily as into a cottage: sorrow fills the heart of one who wears a crown on his head, royal robes are no fence against pain, and crying by reason of pain.