6 4. (2.) The other way in which our senses may promote this heavenly work, is, by comparing the objects of sense with the objects of faith. As for instance: you may strongly argue with your hearts from the corrupt delights of sensual men, to the joys above. Think with yourselves, Is it such a delight to a sinner to do wickedly? and will it not be delightful indeed to live with God? Hath the drunkard such delights in his cups, that the fears of damnation will not make him forsake them? Will the whoremonger rather part with his credit, estate, and salvation, than with his brutish delights? If the way to hell can afford such pleasure, what then are the pleasures of the saints in heaven! If the covetous man hath so 3. (1.) For the helping of thy affections in | see far more than ever they saw, till they were heavenly contemplation, draw as strong suppo- loosed from the flesh, as I must be.' Thus you sitions as possible from thy senses. Think on see how it excites our affections in this heavenly the joys above, as boldly as scripture hath ex- work, if we make strong and familiar suppositions pressed them. Bring down thy conceptions to from our bodily senses, concerning the state of the reach of sense. Both love and joy are pro- blessedness, as the spirit hath in condescending moted by familiar acquaintance. When we at- language expressed it. tempt to think of God and glory, without the scripture manner of representing them, we are lost, and have nothing to fix our thoughts upon; we set them so far from us, that our thoughts are strange, and we are ready to say,' What is above us, is nothing to us.' To conceive of God and glory, only as above our conception, will beget but little love; or as above our love, will produce little joy. Therefore put Christ no farther from you than he hath put himself, lest the divine nature be again inaccessible. Think of Christ as in our own glorified nature. Think of glorified saints, as men made perfect. Suppose thyself a companion with John, in his survey of the New Jerusalem, and viewing the thrones, the majesty, the heavenly hosts, the shining splendour, which he saw. Suppose thyself his fellow-much pleasure in his wealth, and the ambitious traveller into the celestial kingdom, and that thou hadst seen all the saints in their white robes, with palms in their hands; and that thou hadst heard those songs of Moses and of the Lamb.' If thou hadst really seen and heard these things, in what a rapture wouldst thou have been? And the more seriously thou puttest this supposition to thyself, the more will thy meditation elevate thy heart. Do not, like the papists, draw them in pictures; but get the liveliest picture of them in thy mind that thou possibly canst, by contemplating the Scripture account of them, till thou-Compare also the delights above, with the caust say, Methinks I see a glimpse of glory! Methinks I hear the shouts of joy and praise, and even stand by Abraham and David, Peter, and Paul, and other triumphant souls! Methinks I even see the Son of God appearing in the clouds, and the world standing at his bar to receive their doom; and hear him say, “Come ye blessed of my Father ;" and see them go rejoicing into the joy of their Lord! My very dreams of these things have sometimes greatly affected me, and should not these just suppositions much more affect me? What if I had seen, with Paul, those "unutterable things?" Or, with Stephen, “heaven opened, and Christ sitting at the right hand of God?" Surely that one sight was worth his storm of stones. What if I had seen, as Micaiah did, "the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand, and on his left ?" Such things did these men of God see; and I shall shortly had seen 6 man in places of power and titles of honour; what then have the saints in everlasting treasures, and in heavenly honours, where we shall be set above principalities and powers, and be made the glorious spouse of Christ? How delightfully will the voluptuous follow their recreations from morning to night, or sit at their cards and dice nights and days together! O the delight we shall have when we come to our rest, in beholding the face of the living God, and in singing forth the praises unto him and the Lamb' lawful and moderate delights of sense. Think with thyself, How sweet is food to my taste when I am hungry, especially if it be, as Isaac said, "such as I love," which my temperance and appetite incline to! What delight then must my soul have in feeding upon "Christ, the living bread," and in "eating with him at his table in his kingdom!" Was a mess of pottage so sweet to Esau in his hunger, that he would buy it at so dear a rate as his birthright? How highly then should I value this never-perishing food! How pleasant is drink in the extremity of thirst, scarcely to be expressed; enough to make the strength of Samson revive! O how delightful will it be to my soul to drink of that "fountain of living water, which whoso drinketh it shall thirst no more!" How delightful are grateful odours to the smell; or music to the ear; or beautiful sights to the eye! What fragrance then hath the precious ointment which is poured on the head of our glorified Saviour, and which must be poured on the head of all his saints, and will fill all heaven with its odour! How delightful is the music of the heavenly host! How pleasing will be those real beauties above! How glorious the building not made with hands, the house that God himself dwells in, the walks and prospects in the city of God, and the celestial paradise!' Christ, and in the tual intimacy with Jesus 5. Compare also the delights above, with those we find in natural knowledge. These are far beyond the delights of sense; but how much further are the delights of heaven! Think then, 'Can an Archimedes be so taken up with his mathematical invention, that the threats of death cannot disengage him, but he will die in the 6. Compare also the excellencies of heaven, midst of his contemplations? Should not I be with those glorious works of creation which our much more taken up with the delights of glory, eyes now behold. What wisdom, power, and and die with these contemplations fresh upon my goodness, are manifested therein! How does soul; especially when my death will perfect my the majesty of the Creator shine in this fabric of delights, while those of Archimedes die with the world! His works are great, sought out him? What exquisite pleasure it is to dive into of all them that have pleasure therein.' What the secrets of nature, and find out the mysteries divine skill in forming the bodies of men or of arts and sciences; especially if we make a new beasts! What excellency in every plant! What discovery in any one of them! What high de- beauty in flowers! What variety and usefulness lights are there then in the knowledge of God in herbs, plants, fruits, and minerals! What and Christ! If the face of human learning be wonders are contained in the earth and its inso beautiful, as to make sensual pleasures appear habitants; the ocean of waters, with its motions base and brutish; how beautiful then is the face and dimensions; and the constant succession of of God! When we meet with some choice book, spring and autumn, of summer and winter! how could we read it day and night, almost for- Think then, if these things, which are but sergetful of meat, drink, or sleep! What delights vants to sinful men, are so full of mysterious are there then at God's right hand, where we worth, what is that place where God himself shall know in a moment all that is to be known!' dwells, and which is prepared for just men made -Compare also the delights above with the de- perfect with Christ! What glory is there in lights of morality, and of the natural affections. the least of yonder stars! What a vast resWhat delight had many sober heathens in the plendent body is yonder moon, and every planet! rules and practice of moral duties, so that they What an inconceivable glory hath the sun! But took him alone for an honest man, who did well all this is nothing to the glory of heaven. Yonthrough the love of virtue, and not merely for der sun must there be laid aside as useless. fear of punishment; yea, so much valued was Yonder is but darkness to the lustre of my this moral virtue, that they thought man's chief Father's house. I shall myself be as glorious as happiness consisted in it. Think then, What that sun. This whole earth is but my Father's excellency will there be in our heavenly perfec- footstool. This thunder is nothing to his dreadful tion, and in that uncreated perfection of God voice. These winds are nothing to the breath which we shall behold! What sweetness is there of his mouth. If the "sending rain, and making in the exercise of natural love, whether to chil- the sun to rise on the just and on the unjust," dren, parents, yoke-fellows, or intimate friends! be so wonderful, how much more wonderful and Does David say of Jonathan, "Thy love to me glorious will that sun be, which must shine on was wonderful, passing the love of women?" none but saints and angels!'-Compare also the Did the soul of Jonathan cleave to David? Had enjoyments above, with the wonders of providence Christ himself one disciple whom he especially in the church and world. Would it not be an loved, and who was wont to lean on his breast? astonishing sight, to see the sea stand as a wall If then the delights of close and cordial friend- on the right hand and on the left, and the dry ship be so great, what delight shall we have in land appear in the midst, and the people of Israel the friendship of the most High, and in our mu-pass safely through, and Pharaoh and his host 1113 7 B : drowned? or to have seen the ten plagues of Egypt? or the rock gushing forth streams? or manna and quails rained from heaven? or the earth opening and swallowing up the wicked? But we shall see far greater things than these; not only sights more wonderful, but more delightful there shall be no blood nor wrath intermingled; nor shall we cry out, as the men of Bethshemesh, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? How astonishing, to see the sun stand still in the firmament; or the dial of Ahaz go back ten degrees! But we shall see when there shall be no sun; or rather shall behold for ever a sun of infinitely greater brightness. What a life should we live, if we could have drought or rain at our prayers; or have fire from heaven to destroy our enemies, as Elijah had; or raise the dead, as Elisha; or miraculously cure diseases, and speak all languages, as the apostles! Alas, these are nothing to the wonders we shall see and possess with God; and all of them wonders of goodness and love! We shall ourselves be the subjects of more wonderful mercies than any of these. Jonah was raised but from a three days' burial in the belly of a fish; but we shall be raised from many years' rottenness and dust; and that dust exalted to the glory of the sun; and that glory perpetuated through eternity. Surely, if we observe but common providences; as, the motions of the sun; the tides of the sea; the standing of the earth; the watering it with rain, as a garden; the keeping in order a wicked confused world; with many others, they are all admirable. But what are these to the Sion of God, the vision of the divine Majesty, and the order of the heavenly host? Add to these, those particular providences which thou hast thyself enjoyed and recorded through thy life, and compare them with the mercies thou shalt have above. Look over the mercies of thy youth and riper age, of thy prosperity and adversity, of thy several places and relations; are they not excellent and innumerable, rich and engaging? How sweet was it to thee, when God resolved thy doubts; scattered thy fears; prevented the inconveniencies into which thy own counsel would have cast thee; eased thy pains; healed thy sickness; and raised thee up as from death and the grave! Think then, Are all these so sweet and precious, that without them my life would have been a perpetual misery? Hath his providence on earth lifted me so high, and his gentleness made me so great! How sweet then will his glorious presence be! How high will his eternal love exalt me! And how great shall I be made in 6 communion with his greatness! If my pilgri mage and warfare have such mercies, what shall I find in my home, and in my triumph! If God communicates so much to me while I remain a sinner, what will he bestow when I am a perfected saint! If I have had so much at such a distance from him, what shall I have in his immediate presence, where I shall ever stand before his throne!' 7. Compare the joys above with the comforts thou hast here received in ordinances. Hath not the bible been to thee as an open fountain, flowing with comforts day and night? What suitable promises have come into thy mind; so that, with David, thou mayest say, 'Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction! Think then, If his word be so full of consolations, what overflowing springs shall we find in God himself! If his letters are so comfortable, what will the glories of his presence be! If the promise is so sweet, what will the performance be! If the testament of our Lord, and our charter for the kingdom, be so comfortable, what will be our possession of the kingdom itself!'-Think farther, 'What delights have I also found in the word preached! When I have sat under a heavenly, heart-searching teacher, how hath my heart been warmed! Methinks I have felt myself almost in heaven. How often have I gone to the congregation troubled in spirit, and returned joyful! How often have I gone doubting, and God hath sent me home persuaded of his love in Christ! What cordials have I met with to animate me in every conflict! If but the face of Moses shine so gloriously, what glory is there in the face of God! If the feet of them that publish peace, that bring good tidings of salvation, be beautiful; how beautiful is the face of the Prince of peace! If this treasure be so precious in earthen vessels; what is that treasure laid up in heaven! Blessed are the eyes that see what is seen there, and the ears that hear the things that are heard there. There shall I hear Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John, Peter, Paul: not preaching to gainsayers, in imprisonment, persecution, and reproach; but triumphing in the praises of him that hath raised them to honour and glory.'-Think also, What joy is it to have access and acceptance in prayer; that I may always go to God, and open my case and unbosom my soul to him, as to my most faithful friend! But it will be a more unspeakable joy, when I shall receive all blessings without asking, and all my necessities and miseries will be removed, and when God himself will be the portion and inheritance of my soul.'—As for the Lord's supper, 'What a privilege is it to be 8. Compare the joys thou shalt have in heaven, with what the saints have found in the way to it, and in the foretastes of it. When did God ever reveal the least of himself to any of his saints, but the joy of their hearts was answerable to the revelation? In what an ecstacy was Peter on the mount of transfiguration! 'Master,' says he, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.' As if he had said, O let us not go down again to yonder persecuting rabble; let us not return to our mean and suffering state. Is it not better to stay here, now we are here? Is not here better company, and sweeter pleasure?' How was Paul lifted up with what he saw ! How did the face of Moses shine, when he had been talking with God! These were all extraordinary foretastes; but little to the full beatific vision. How often have we read and heard of dying saints, who have been as full of joy as their hearts could hold; and when their bodies have felt the extremity of sickness and pain, have had so much of heaven in their spirits, that their joy hath far exceeded their sorrows! If a spark of this fire be so glorious, even amidst the sea of adversity; what then is glory itself! O the joy that the martyrs have felt in the flames! They were flesh and blood, as well as we; it must therefore be some excellent thing that filled their spirits with joy, while their bodies were burning. Think, Reader, in thy meditations, Sure it must be some wonderful foretaste of glory that made the flames of fire easy, and the king of terrors welcome. What then is glory itself? What a blessed rest, when the thoughts of it made Paul desire to depart, and be with Christ; and makes the saints never think themselves well, till they are dead! Shall Saunders embrace the stake, and cry, Welcome cross! and shall not I more delightfully embrace my blessedness, and cry, Welcome, crown? Shall Bradford kiss the faggot, and shall not I kiss the Saviour? Shall another poor martyr rejoice to have her foot in the same hole of the stocks in which Mr Philpot's had been before her? and shall not I rejoice, that my soul shall live in the same place of glory, where Christ and his apostles are gone before me? Shall fire and faggot, prisons and banishment, cruel mockings and scourgings, be more welcome to others than Christ and glory to me? God forbid !' 9. Compare the glory of the heavenly kingdom, with the glory of the church on earth, and of Christ in his state of humiliation. If Christ's suffering in the room of sinners had such excellency, what is Christ at his Father's right hand! If the church under her sins and enemies have so much beauty, what will she have at the marriage of the Lamb! How wonderful was the son of God in the form of a servant! When he is born, a new star must appear, and conduct the strangers to worship him in a manger! heavenly hosts with their songs must celebrate his nativ- | have at last, with the gracious change which ity; while a child, he must dispute with doctors; the Spirit hath here wrought on thy heart. when he enters upon his office, he turns water into wine; feeds thousands with a few loaves and fishes; cleanses the lepers, heals the sick, restores the lame, gives sight to the blind, and raises the dead. How wonderful then is his celestial glory! If there be such cutting down of boughs, and spreading of garments, and crying Hosanna, for one that comes into Jerusalem, riding on an ass; what will there be when he comes with his angels in his glory! If they that heard him preach the gospel of the kingdom, confess, Never man spake like this man ;' they then that behold his majesty in his kingdom, will say, 'There was never glory like this glory.' If, when his enemies came to apprehend him, they fell to the ground; if, when he is dying, the earth quakes, the vail of the temple is rent, the sun is eclipsed, the dead bodies of the saints arise, and the standers by acknowledge, Verily this was the Son of God;' O what a day will it be, when the dead must all arise, and stand before him when he will once more shake, not the earth only, but the heavens also! when this sun shall be taken out of the firmament, and be everlastingly darkened with his glory! and when every tongue shall confess him to be Lord and King! If, when he rose again, death and the grave lost their power; if angels must roll away the stone, terrify the keepers till they are as dead men, and send the tidings to his disciples; if he ascend to heaven in their sight; what power, dominion, and glory, is he now possessed of, and which we must for ever possess with him! When he is gone, can a few poor fishermen and tentmakers cure the lame, blind, and sick, open prisons, destroy the disobedient, raise the dead, and astonish their adversaries? what a world will that be, where every one can do greater works than these! If the preaching of the gospel be accompanied with such power as to discover the secrets of the heart, humble the proud sinner, and make the most obdurate tremble: if it can make men burn their books, sell their lands, bring in the price, and lay it down at the preacher's feet; if it can convert thousands, and turn the world upside down; if its doctrine from the prisoner at the bar, can make the judge on the bench tremble; if Christ and his saints have this power and honour in the day of their abasement, and in the time appointed for their suffering and disgrace; what then will they have in their absolute dominion, and full advancement in their kingdom of glory! 11. Once more, compare the joys which thou 10. Compare the glorious change thou shalt shalt have above, with those foretastes of it There is not the smallest sincere grace in thee, but is of greater worth than the riches of the Indies: not a hearty desire and groan after Christ, but is more to be valued than the kingdoms of the world. A renewed nature is the very image of God; Christ dwelling in us; and the Spirit of God abiding in us: it is a beam from the face of God; the seed of God remaining in us: the only inherent beauty of the rational soul: it ennobles man above all nobility: fits him to understand his Maker's pleasure, do his will, and receive his glory. If this grain of mustard-seed be so precious, what is the 'tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God!' If a spark of life, which will but strive against corruptions, and flame out a few desires and groans, be of so much worth; how glorious then is the fountain of this life! If we are said to be like God, when we are pressed down with a body of sin; sure we shall be much more like God, when we have no such thing as sin within us. Is the desire after, and love of heaven, so excellent; what then is the thing itself? Is our joy in foreseeing and believing so sweet; what will be the joy of full possession? How glad is a Christian when he feels his heart begin to melt, and be dissolved with the thoughts of sinful unkindness! Even this sorrow yields him joy. O what then will it be, when we shall know, and love, and rejoice, and praise in the highest perfection! Think with thyself, What a change was it, to be taken from that state wherein I was born, and in which I was rivetted by custom, when thousands of sins lay upon my score, and if I had so died, I had been damned for ever! What an astonishing change, to be justified from all these enormous crimes, and freed from all these fearful plagues, and made an heir of hea ven! How often, when I have thought of my regeneration, have I cried out, O blessed day! and blessed be the Lord that ever I saw it! How then shall I cry out in heaven, O blessed eternity! and blessed be the Lord that brought me to it! Did the angels of God rejoice to see my conversion? Surely they will congratulate my felicity in my salvation.-Grace is but a spark raked up in the ashes, covered with flesh from the sight of the world, and sometimes covered with corruption from my own sight; but my everlasting glory will not be so clouded, nor my light be under a bushel, but upon a hill, even upon mount Sion the mount of God. |