N34404:822
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.
N34404:822
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.
Lastly, They shall have society with the Lord himself in heaven, glorious communion with God and Christ, which is the perfection of happiness. I choose to speak of communion with God, and the man Christ together; because as we derive our grace from the Lamb, so we will derive our glory from him too; the man Christ being (if I may be allowed the expression) the centre of the divine glory in heaven, from whence it is diffused unto all the saints. This seems to be taught us by these scriptures, which express heaven's happiness by being with Christ, Luke xxiii. 43. This day shalt thou be with me in paradise, John xxvii. 24. Father I will that th•se also, whom thou hast given me, be with me. (And remarkable to this purpose is what follows, that they may behold my glory.) 1 Thess. iv. 17. So shall we ever be with the Lord, to wit, the Lord Christ, whom we shall meet in the air. This also seems to be the import of these scriptures, wherein God and the Lamb, the slain Saviour, are jointly spoken of, in the point of the happiness of the saints in heaven, Rev. vii. 17. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, Chap. xxi. 3. Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, to wit, as in a tabernacle, (so the word signifies) that is, in the flesh of Christ, (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 saints in heaven, that without which they could never be happy, though lodged in that glorious ⟨p. 305⟩place, and blessed with the society of angels there. What I will venture to say of it, shall be comprised in three things.
Lastly, They shall have society with the Lord himself in heaven, glorious communion with God and Christ, which is the perfection of happiness. I chuse to speak of communion with God, and the man Christ together; because as we derive our grace from the Lamb, so we will derive our glory from him too; the man Christ being (if I may be allowed the expression) the centre of the divine glory in heaven, from whence it is diffused unto all the saints. This seems to be taught us by these scriptures, which express heaven's happiness by being with Christ, Luke xxiii. 43. This day shalt thou be with me in paradise, John xxvii. 24. Father I will that th•se also, whom thou hast given me, be with me. (And remarkable to this purpose is what follows, that they may behold my glory.) 1 Thess. iv. 17. So shall we ever be with the Lord, to wit, the Lord Christ, whom we shall meet in the air. This also seems to be the import of these scriptures, wherein God and the Lamb, the slain Saviour, are jointly spoken of, in the point of the happiness of the saints in heaven, Rev. vii. 17. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, Chap. xxi. 3. Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, to wit, as in a tabernacle, (so the word signifies) that is, in the flesh of Christ, (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 saints in heaven, that without which they could never be happy, though lodged in that glorious ⟨p. 305⟩place, and blessed with the society of angels there. What I will venture to say of it, shall be comprised in three things.
1st. The saints in heaven shall have the glorious present• of God, and of the Lamb: God himself shall be with them, Rev. xxi 3. And they shall ever be with the Lord. God is every-where present, in respect of his essence; the saints militant have his special glorious presence: but in heaven they have his glorious presence. There they are brought near to the throne of the great King, and stand before him, where he shows his inconceivable glory. There they have the tabernacle of God, on which the cloud of glory rests, the all glorious human nature of Christ, wherein the fullness of the Godhead dwells, not veiled as in the days of his humiliation, but shining through that blessed flesh, (that all the saints may behold his glory) and making that body more glorious than a thousand sons: so that the city has no need of the sun, 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 sun 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 humiliati••; but that, now and then, it darted out some rays of this light, which dazzled the eyes of the spectators: but now it is set on high, in the city of God, where it shines, and shall shine for ever, in perfection of glory. It was sometimes laid aside, as a stone disallowed 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 most precious, even like a jasper stone clear as crystal, ver. 11.
1st. The saints in heaven shall have the glorious present• of God, and of the Lamb: God himself shall be with them, Rev. xxi 3. And they shall ever be with the Lord. God is every-where present, in respect of his essence; the saints militant have his special glorious presence: but in heaven they have his glorious presence. There they are brought near to the throne of the great King, and stand before him, where he shews his inconceivable glory. There they have the tabernacle of God, on which the cloud of glory rests, the all glorious human nature of Christ, wherein the fulness of the Godhead dwells, not vailed as in the days of his humiliation, but shining through that blessed flesh, (that all the saints may behold his glory) and making that body more glorious than a thousand sons: so that the city has no need of the sun, 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 sun 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 humiliati; but that, now and then, it darted out some rays of this light, which dazzled the eyes of the spectators: but now it is set on high, in the city of God, where it shines, and shall shine for ever, in perfection of glory. It was sometimes laid aside, as a stone disallowed 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 most precious, even like a jasper stone clear as crystal, ver. 11.
Who can conceive the happiness of the saints, in the presence-chamber of the great King, where he sits in his chair of state, making his glory eminently to appear in the man Christ? His gracious presence makes a mighty change upon the saints in this world: his glorious presence in heaven then must needs screw up their graces to their perfection, and elevate their capacities. The saints do experience, that the presence of God now with them in his grace, can make a little heaven of a sort of hell: how great then must the glory of heaven be, by his presence there in his glory! If a candle, in some sort, beautifies a cottage or prison, how will the shining sun beautify a palace or paradise! The gracious presence of God made a wilderness lightsome to Moses, the valley of the shadow of death to David, a fiery furnace to the three children: what a ravishing beauty shall then arise from the sun of righteousness, shining in his meridian brightness on the street of the city laid with pure gold? This glorious presence of God in heaven will put a glory on the saints themselves. The pleasant garden hath no beauty, when the-darkness of the night sits down on it; but the shining sun puts a glory on the blackest mountains: so these ⟨p. 306⟩who are now as bottles in the s••ak, when set in the glorious presence of God, will be glorious both in soul and body.
Who can conceive the happiness of the saints, in the presence-chamber of the great King, where he sits in his chair of state, making his glory eminently to appear in the man Christ? His gracious presence makes a mighty change upon the saints in this world: his glorious presence in heaven then must needs screw up their graces to their perfection, and elevate their capacities. The saints do experience, that the presence of God now with them in his grace, can make a little heaven of a sort of hell: how great then must the glory of heaven be, by his presence there in his glory! If a candle, in some sort, beautifies a cottage or prison, how will the shining sun beautify a palace or paradise! The gracious presence of God made a wilderness lightsom to Moses, the valley of the shadow of death to David, a fiery furnace to the three children: what a ravishing beauty shall then arise from the sun of righteousness, shining in his meridian brightness on the street of the city laid with pure gold? This glorious presence of God in heaven will put a glory on the saints themselves. The pleasant garden hath no beauty, when the-darkness of the night sits down on it; but the shining sun puts a glory on the blackest mountains: so these
2dly, The saints in heaven shall have the full enjoyment of God and of the Lamb. This is it that perfectly satisfies the rational creature; and here is the saints everlasting rest. This will make up all their wants, and fill the desires of their souls, which after all here obtained, still cry, Give give, not without some anxiety; because though they do enjoy God, yet they do not enjoy him fully. As to the way and manner of this enjoyment, our Lord tells us, John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Now there are two ways, how a desirable object is known most perfectly and satisfyingly; the one is by sight, the other by experience: sight satisfies the understanding, and experience satisfies the will. Accordingly one may say, that the saints enjoy God and the Lamb in heaven, (1.) By an intuitive knowledge. (2.) By an experimental knowledge, both of them perfect, I mean, in respect of the capacity of the creature; for otherwise a creature's perfect knowledge of an infinite Being is impossible. The saints below enjoy God, in that knowledge they have of him by report, from his his holy word which they believe; they see him likewise darkly in the glass of ordinances, which do, as it were, represent the bridegroom's picture, or shadow, while he is absent: they have also some experimental knowledge of him, they taste that God is good, and that the Lord is gracious. But the saints above shall not need a good report of the King, they shall see himself; therefore faith ceaseth: they will behold his own face; therefore ordinances are no more; there is no need of a glass: they shall drink, and drink abundantly of that whereof they have tasted; and so hope ceaseth, for they are at the utmost bounds of their desires.
1. The saints in heaven shall enjoy God and the Lamb, by sight, and that in a most perfect manner, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face. Here our sight is but mediate, as by a glass, in which we see not things themselves, but the images of things: but there we shall have an immediate view of God and the Lamb. Here our knowledge is but obscure; there it shall be clear without the least mixture of darkness. The Lord doth now converse with his saints, through the lattices of ordinances: but then shall they be in the presence-chamber with him. There is a veil now on the glorious face as to us: but when we come to the upper house, that veil, through which some rays of beauty are now darted, will be found entirely taken off; and then shall glorious excellencies and perfections, not se•••n•am by mortals, be clearly discovered, for we shall see his face, Rev. xxii. 4. The phrase seems to be borrowed from the honour put on some in the courts of monarchs, to be attendants on the king's person. We read, Jer. liii. 25. of seven men of them that were (Heb. Seers of the king's face, i. e. as we read it) near the king's person. O unspeakable glory! the great King keeps his court in heaven; ⟨p. 307⟩and the saints shall all be his courtiers, ever near the King's person, seeing his face. The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face, Rev. xxii. 3, 4.
1. The saints in heaven shall enjoy God and the Lamb, by sight, and that in a most perfect manner, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face. Here our sight is but mediate, as by a glass, in which we see not things themselves, but the images of things: but there we shall have an immediate view of God and the Lamb. Here our knowledge is but obscure; there it shall be clear without the least mixture of darkness. The Lord doth now converse with his saints, through the lattesses of ordinances: but then shall they be in the presence-chamber with him. There is a vail now on the glorious face as to us: but when we come to the upper house, that vail, through which some rays of beauty are now darted, will be found entirely taken off; and then shall glorious excellencies and perfections, not senam by mortals, be clearly discovered, for we shall see his face,
(1.) They shall see Jesus Christ with their bodily eyes, since he will never lay aside the human nature. They will always behold that glorious blessed body, which is personally united to the divine nature, and exalted far above principalities and powers, and every name that is named. There we will see, with our eyes, that very body, which was born of Mary at Bethlehem, and crucified at Jerusalem betwixt two thieves; that blessed head that was crowned with thorns; the face that was spit upon; the hands and feet that were nailed to the cross; all shining with unconceivable glory. The glory of the man Christ will attract the eyes of all the saints, and he will be for ever admired in all them that believe, 2 Thess. i. 10. Were each star, in the heavens, shining as the sun in its meridian brightness, and the light of the sun so increased, as the stars, in that case, should bear the same proportion to the sun, in point of light, that they do now; it might possibly be some faint resemblance of the glory of the man Christ, in comparison with that of the saints; for though the saints shall shine forth as the sun ▪ yet not they, but the Lamb shall be the light of the city. The wise men fell down, and worshipped him, when they saw him a young child, with Mary his mother, in the house. But O! what a ravishing, sight will it be to see him in his kingdom on his throne, at the Father's right hand! The Word was made flesh, (John i. 14.) and the glory of God shall shine through that flesh, and the joys of heaven, spring out from it, unto the saints, who shall see and enjoy God, in Christ. For since the union betwixt Christ and the saints is never dissolved but they continue his members for ever; and the members cannot draw their life, but from their Head; seeing that which is dependent on the head, as to the vital influence, is no member: therefore Jesus Christ will remain the everlasting bond of union betwixt God and the saints; from whence their eternal life shall spring, John xvii. 2, 3. Thou hast given him power overall flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, &c. Ver. 22, 23. And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.
Wherefore the immediate enjoyment of God in heaven is to be understood, in respect of the laying aside of word and sacraments, and such external means, as we enjoy God by in this world; but not, as if the saints should then cast off their dependence on their Head for vital influences: nay, the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, Rev. vii. 17.
Now when we shall behold him, who died for us, that we might live for evermore, whose matchless love made him swim through the ⟨p. 308⟩Red-sea, of God's wrath, to make a path in the midst of it for us, by which we might pass safely to Canaan's land: then we will see what a glorious One he was, who suffered all this for us; what entertainment he had in the upper-house; what hallelujahs of angels could not hinder him to hear the groans of a perishing multitude on earth, and to come down for their help: and what a glory he laid aside for us. Then will we be more able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height: and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, Eph. iii. 19 When the saints shall remember, that the waters of wrath he was plunged into, are the wells of salvation from whence they draw all their joy; that they have got the cup of salvation, in exchange of the cup of wrath his Father gave him to drink, which his sinless human nature shivered at: how will their hearts leap within them, burn with seraphic love, like coals of juniper, and the arch of heaven ring with their songs of salvation? The Jews celebrating the feast of tabernacles, (which was the most joyful of all their feasts, and lasted seven days) went once every day about the altar, singing hosanna, with their myrtle, palm and willow-branches in their hand, (the two former signs of victory, the last of chastity) in the mean time bending their boughs towards the altar. When the saints are presented as a chaste virgin to Christ, and as conquerors have got their palms in their hands, how joyfully will they compass the altar evermore; and sing their hosannas, (or rather their hallelujahs) about it, bending their palms towards it, acknowledging themselves to owe all unto the Lamb that was slain, and redeemed them with his blood! and to this agrees what John saw, Rev. vii 9, 10. A great multitude—stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands: and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Now when we shall behold him, who died for us, that we might live for evermore, whose matchless love made him swim through the ⟨p. 308⟩Red-sea, of God's wrath, to make a path in the midst of it for us, by which we might pass safely to Canaan's land: then we will see what a glorious One he was, who suffered all this for us; what entertainment he had in the upper-house; what hallelujahs of angels could not hinder him to hear the groans of a pershing multitude on earth, and to come down for their help: and what a glory he laid aside for us. Then will we be more able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and heighth: and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
(2.) They shall see God, Matth. v. 8. They will be happy in seeing the Father, Son, and holy Ghost (not with their bodily eyes, in respect of which God is invisible 1 Tim i 17. but) with the eyes of their understanding; being blest with the most perfect, full, and clear knowledge of God and divine things, which the creature is capable of. This is called the beatific vision, and is the perfection of the understanding, the utmost term thereof. It is but an obscure delineation of the glory of God, that mortals can have on earth; a sight, as it were of his back part, Exod. xxxiii. 23. But there they will see his face, Rev. xxii. 4. They shall see him in the fullness of his glory, and behold him fixedly; whereas it is but a passing view they can have of him here, Exod. xxxiv. 6. There is a vast difference betwixt the sight of a king in his night-clothes, quickly passing by us; and a fixed leisure view of him sitting on his throne in his royal robes, his crown on his head, and his sceptre in his hand: such a difference will there be, between the greatest manifestation of God that ever a saint had on earth; and the display of his glory that shall be seen in heaven. There the saints ⟨p. 309⟩shall eternally, without interruption, feed their eyes upon him, and be ever viewing his glorious perfections. And as their bodily eyes shall be strengthened and fitted, to behold the glorious majesty of the man Christ; as eagles gaze on the sun, without being blinded thereby: so their minds shall have such an elevation, as will fit them to see God in his glory […] capacities shall be enlarged, according to the measure in which he shall be pleased to communicate himself unto them for their complete happiness.
(2.) They shall see God, Matth. v. 8. They will be happy in seeing the Father, Son, and holy Ghost (not with their bodily eyes, in respect of which God is invisible 1 Tim i 17. but) with the eyes of their understanding; being blest with the most perfect, full, and clear knowledge of God and divine things, which the creature is capable of. This is called the beatifick vision, and is the perfection of the understanding, the utmost term thereof. It is but an obscure delineation of the glory of God, that mortals can have on earth; a sight, as it were of his back part,
This blissful sight of God, being quite above our present capacities, we must needs be much in the dark about it. But it seems to be something else, than the fight of that glory, which we will see with our bodily eyes, in the saints and in the man Christ, or any other splendour or refulgence from the Godhead whatsoever▪ for no created thing can be our chief good and happiness, nor fully satisfy our souls; and it is plain, that these things are somewhat different from God himself. Therefore I conceive, that the souls of the saints shall see God himself: so the scriptures teach us, that we shall see face to face, and know even as we are known, 1 Cor xiii 12. And that we shall see him as he is, 1 John iii. 12. Howbeit the saints can never have an adequate conception of God; they cannot comprehend that which is infinite. They may touch the mountain, but cannot grasp it in their arms They cannot with one glance of their eye, behold what grows on every side: but the divine perfections will be an unbounded field, in which the glorified shall walk eternally, seeing more and more of God: since they can never come to the end of that which is infinite. They may bring their vessels to this ocean every moment, and fill them with new waters. What a ravishing sight would it be, to see all the perfections, and lovely qualities, that are scattered here and there among the creatures, gathered together into one! but even such a sight would be infinitely below this blissful sight the saints shall have in heaven. For they shall see God, in whom all these perfections shall eminently appear, with infinitely more; whereof there is no vestige to be found in the creature. In him shall they see every thing desirable, and nothing but what is desirable.
This blissful sight of God, being quite above our present capacities, we must needs be much in the dark about it. But it seems to be something else, than the fight of that glory, which we will see with our bodily eyes, in the saints and in the man Christ, or any other splendor or refulgence from the Godhead whatsoever▪ for no created thing can be our chief good and happiness, nor fully satisfy our souls; and it is plain, that these things are somewhat different from God himself. Therefore I conceive, that the souls of the saints shall see God himself: so the scriptures teach us, that we shall see face to face, and know even as we are known, 1 Cor xiii 12. And that we shall see him as he is,
Then shall they be perfectly satisfied, as to the love of God towards them, which they are now ready to question on every turn. They will be no more set to persuade themselves of it, by marks, signs, and testimonies: they will have an intuitive knowledge of it. They shall (with the profoundest reverence be it spoken) look into the heart of God, and there see the love he bore to them from all eternity, and the love and good-will he will bear to them for evermore. The glorified shall have a most clear and distinct understanding of divine truths, for in his light we shall see light, Psal. xxxvi. 9. The light of glory will be a complete commentary on the Bible, and loose all the hard and knotty questions in divinity. There is no joy on earth, comparable to that which ariseth from the discovery of truth; no discovery of truth comparable to the discovery of scripture-truth, made by ⟨p. 310⟩the Spirit of the Lord unto the soul. I rejoice at thy word, says the Psalmist, as one that findeth great spoil, Psal. cxix. 162. Yet it is but an imperfect discovery we have of it while here. How ravishing then will it be, to see the opening of the whole treasure, hid in that field! they shall also be let into the understanding of the works of God. The beauty in the works of creation and providence will then be set in a due light. Natural knowledge will be brought to perfection by the light of glory. The web of providence concerning the church, and all men whatsoever, will then be cut out, and laid before the eyes of the saints, and it will appear a most beautiful mixture; so as they shall say together, on the view of it, he hath done all things well. But, in a special manner, the work of redemption shall be the eternal wonder of the saints, and they will admire and praise the glorious contrivance for ever. Then shall they get a full view of its suitableness to the divine perfections, and to the case of sinners: and clearly read the covenant, that past betwixt the Father and the Son, from all eternity, touching their salvation. They shall for ever wonder and praise, and praise and wonder at the mysteries of wisdom and love, goodness and holiness, mercy and justice, appearing in the glorious device. Their souls shall be eternally satisfied with the fight of God himself, and of their election by the Father, their redemption by the Son, and application thereof to them by the Holy Spirit.
Then shall they be perfectly satisfied, as to the love of God towards them, which they are now ready to question on every turn. They will be no more set to persuade themselves of it, by marks, signs, and testimonies: they will have an intuitive knowledge of it. They shall (with the profoundest reverence be it spoken) look into the heart of God, and there see the love he bore to them from all eternity, and the love and good-will he will bear to them for evermore. The glorified shall have a most clear and distinct understanding of divine truths, for in his light we shall see light,
2. The saints in heaven shall enjoy God in Christ by experimental knowledge, which is, when the object itself is given and possessed. This is the participation of the divine goodness in full measure; which is the perfection of the will, and utmost term thereof. The Lamb shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, Rev. vii. 17. These are no other but God himself, the fountain of living waters, who will fully and freely communicate himself unto them. He will pour out of his goodness eternally into their souls: and then shall they have a most lively sensation, in the innermost part of their souls, of all that goodness they heard of, and believed to be in him; and of what they see in him by the light of glory. This will be an everlasting practical exposition of that word, which men and angels cannot sufficiently unfold, to wit, God himself shall—be their God, Rev. xi. 3. God will communicate himself unto them fully: they will no more be set to taste of the streams of divine goodness in ordinances, as they were wont, but shall drink at the fountain-head. They will be no more entertained with sips and drops, but filled with all the fullness of God. And this will be the entertainment of every saint: for though in created things, what is given to one, is withheld from another; yet an infinite good can fully communicate itself to all, and fill all. These who are heirs of God, the great heritage, shall then enter into a full possession of their inheritances: and the Lord will open his treasures of goodness unto them, that their enjoyment may be full. They shall not be stinted to any ⟨p. 311⟩measure: but the enjoyment shall go as far as their enlarged capacities can reach. As a narrow vessel cannot contain the ocean, to neither can the finite creature comprehend an infinite good: but no measure shall be set to the enjoyment, but what ariseth from the capacity of the creature. So that, although there be degrees of glory, yet all shall be filled, and have what they can hold; tho' some would be capable to hold more than others, there will be no want to any of them, all shall be fully satisfied, and perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of divine goodness, according to their enlarged capacities. As when bottles of different sizes are filled, some contain more, others less; yet all of them have what they can contain.
The glorified shall have all, in God, for the satisfaction of all their desires. No created thing can afford satisfaction to all our desires: clothes may warm us, but they cannot feed us; the light is comfortable, but cannot nourish us. But in God we shall have all our desires, and we shall desire nothing without him. They shall be the happy ones, that desire nothing but what is truly desirable; and withal have all they desire. God will be all in all to the saints; he will be their life, health, riches, honour, peace, and all good things. He will communicate himself freely to them: the door of access to him shall never be shut again, for one moment. They may, when they will, take of the fruits of the tree of life, for they will find it on each side the river, Rev. xxii. 2. There will be no veil betwixt God and them, to be drawn aside; but his fullness shall ever stand open to them. No door to knock at, in heaven; no asking to go before receiving; the Lord will allow his people an unrestrained familiarity with himself there.
The glorified shall have all, in God, for the satisfaction of all their desires. No created thing can afford satisfaction to all our desires: clothes may warm us, but they cannot feed us; the light is comfortable, but cannot nourish us. But in God we shall have all our desires, and we shall desire nothing without him. They shall be the happy ones, that desire nothing but what is truly desirable; and withal have all they desire. God will be all in all to the saints; he will be their life, health, riches, honour, peace, and all good things. He will communicate himself freely to them: the door of access to him shall never be shut again, for one moment. They may, when they will, take of the fruits of the tree of life, for they will find it on each side the river, Rev. xxii. 2. There will be no vail betwixt God and them, to be drawn aside; but his fulness shall ever stand open to them. No door to knock at, in heaven; no asking to go before receiving; the Lord will allow his people an unrestrained familiarity with himself there.
Now they are in part made partakers of the divine nature: but then they shall perfectly partake of it; that is to say, God will communicate to them his own image, make all his goodness not only pass before them, but pass into them, and stamp the image of all his own perfections upon them, so far as the creature is capable to receive the same; from whence shall result a perfect likeness to him, in all things in or about them, which completes the happiness of the creature. And this is what the Psalmist seems to have had in view, Psal. xvii. 15. I shall be satisfied when I awake, with thy likeness; the perfection of God's image, following upon the beatific vision. And so says John, 1 John iii 2 We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Hence there shall be a most close and intimate union betwixt God and the saints: God shall be in them, and they in God, in the way of a most glorious and perfect union; for then shall they dwell in love made perfect. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him, 1 John iv. 16. How will the saints knit with God, and he with them; when he shall see nothing in them but his own image; when their love shall arrive at its perfection, no nature, but the divine nature, being left in them, and all imperfection swallowed up in that glorious transformation ⟨p. 312⟩into the likeness of God! their love to the Lord being purged from the dross of self-love, shall be most pure; so as they will love nothing but God, and in God. It shall be no more saint and languishing, but burn like coals of juniper. It will be a light without darkness, a flaming fire without smoke. As the live coal, when all the moisture is gone out of it, is all fire; so will the saints be all love, when they come to the full enjoyment of God in heaven, by intuitive and experimental knowledge of him, by sight and full participation of the divine goodness.
Now they are in part made partakers of the divine nature: but then they shall perfectly partake of it; that is to say, God will communicate to them his own image, make all his goodness not only pass before them, but pass into them, and stamp the image of all his own perfections upon them, so far as the creature is capable to receive the same; from whence shall result a perfect likeness to him, in all things in or about them, which completes the happiness of the creature. And this is what the Psalmist seems to have had in view,
Lastly, From this glorious presence and enjoyment shall arise an unspeakable joy, which the saints shall be filled with. In thy presence is fullness of joy, Psal. xvi. 11. The saints sometimes enjoy God in the world, when their eyes being held, that they cannot perceive it, they have not the comfort of the enjoyment; but then, all mistakes being removed, they shall not only enjoy God, but rest in the enjoyment with inexpressible joy and satisfaction. The desire of earthly things breeds torment, and the enjoyment of them often ends in loathing. But though the glorified saints shall ever desire more and more of God, their desires shall not be mixed with the least anxiety, since the fullness of the Godhead stands always open to them; therefore they shall hunger no more, they shall not have the least uneasiness, in their eternal appetite after the hidden manna: neither shall continued enjoyment breed loathing; they shall never think they have too much; therefore it is added, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat, Rev. vii. 16. The enjoyment of God and the Lamb will be ever fresh and new to them, through the ages of eternity: for they shall drink of living fountains of waters, where new waters are continually springing up in abundance, ver. 17. They shall eat of the tree of life, which, for variety, affords twelve manner of fruits, and these always new and fresh, for it yields, every month, Rev. xxii. 2. Their joy shall be pure and unmixed, without any dregs of sorrow: not slight and momentary, but solid and everlasting, without interruption. They will enter into joy, Matth. xxv. 21. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. The expression is somewhat unusual, and brings me in mind of that word of our suffering Redeemer, Mark xiv. 34. My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death. His soul was beset with sorrows, as the word, there used, will bear, the floods of sorrow went round about him, encompassing him on every hand; whithersoever he turned his eyes, sorrow was before him; it sprang in upon them from heaven, earth, and hell, all at once: thus was he entered into sorrow, and therefore saith, Psal. lxix. 2
but then joy shall not only enter into us, but we shall enter into it, and swim for ever in an ocean of joy: where we will see nothing but joy, whithersoever we turn ⟨p. 313⟩our eyes. The presence and enjoyment of God and the Lamb will satisfy us with pleasures for evermore: and the glory of our souls and bodies, arising from thence, will afford us everlasting delight. The spirit of heaviness, how closely soever it cleaves to any of the saints now, shall drop off then: their weeping shall be turned into songs of joy, and bottles of tears shall issue in rivers of pleasures. Happy they who now sow in tears, which shall spring up in joy, in heaven, and bow their heads there with a weight of glory upon them.
Lastly, From this glorious presence and enjoyment shall arise an unspeakable joy, which the saints shall be filled with. In thy presence is fulness of joy, Psal. xvi. 11. The saints sometimes enjoy God in the world, when their eyes being held, that they cannot perceive it, they have not the comfort of the enjoyment; but then, all mistakes being removed, they shall not only enjoy God, but rest in the enjoyment with inexpressible joy and satisfaction. The desire of earthly things breeds torment, and the enjoyment of them often ends in loathing. But though the glorified saints shall ever desire more and more of God, their desires shall not be mixt with the least anxiety, since the fulness of the Godhead stands always open to them; therefore they shall hunger no more, they shall not have the least uneasiness, in their eternal appetite after the hidden manna: neither shall continued enjoyment breed loathing; they shall never think they have too much; therefore it is added, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat, Rev. vii. 16. The enjoyment of God and the Lamb will be ever fresh and new to them, through the ages of eternity: for they shall drink of living fountains of waters, where new waters are continually springing up in abundance, ver. 17. They shall eat of the tree of life, which, for variety, affords twelve manner of fruits, and these always new and fresh, for it yields, every month, Rev. xxii. 2. Their joy shall be pure and unmixed, without any dregs of sorrow: not slight and momentary, but solid and everlasting, without interruption. They will enter into joy, Matth. xxv. 21. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. The expression is somewhat unusual, and brings me in mind of that word of our suffering Redeemer, Mark xiv. 34. My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death. His soul was beset with sorrows, as the word, there used, will bear, the floods of sorrow went round about him, encompassing him on every hand; whithersoever he turned his eyes, sorrow was before him; it sprang in upon them from heaven, earth, and hell, all at once: thus was he entered into sorrow, and therefore saith, Psal. lxix. 2. I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. Now wherefore all this, but that his own might enter into joy? Joy sometimes enters into us now, with much ado to get access, while we are compassed with sorrows: