We shall then have light without a candle, and perpetual day without the sun; for the city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God lightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof; there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light, and they shall reign forever and ever. We shall then have enlightened understandings without scripture, and be governed without a written law; for the Lord will perfect his law in our hearts, and we shall be all perfectly taught of God. We shall have joy, which we drew not from the promises, nor fetched home by faith or hope. We shall have communion without sacraments, without this fruit of the vine, when Christ shall drink it new with us in his Father's kingdom,† and refresh us with the comforting wine of immediate enjoyment. To have necessities, but no supply, is the case of them in hell. To have necessity supplied by means of the creatures, is the case of us on earth. To have necessity supplied immediately from God, is the case of the saints in heaven. To have no necessity at all, is the prerogative of God himself. § 8. (6) A farther excellence of this rest is, that it will be seasonable. He that expects the fruit of his vineyard at the season, and makes his people like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, will also give them the crown in season. He that will have a word of joy spoken in season, to him that is weary, will surely cause the time of joy to appear in the fittest season. They who are not weary in well doing, shall, if they faint not, reap in due season. If God giveth rain even to his enemies, both the former Rev. xxi. 23. xxii. 5. Matt. xxvi. 29. Mark xii. 2. 1 Gal, vi. 9. and the latter in his season, and reserveth the appointed weeks of harvest, and covenants that there shall be day and night in their season;* then surely the glorious harvest of the saints shall not miss its season. Doubtless he that would not stay a day longer than his promise, but brought Israel out of Egypt on the self same day when the four hundred and thirty years were expired; neither will he fail of one day or hour of the fittest season for his people's glory. When we have had in this world a long night of darkness, will not the day-breaking and the rising of the Sun of Righteousness be then seasonable? When we have passed a long and tedious journey, through no small dangers, is not home then seasonable? When we have had a long and perilous war, and received many a wound, would not a peace with victory be seasonable? Men live in a continual weariness; especially the saints, who are most weary of that which the world cannot feel. Some weary of a blind mind; some of a hard heart; some, of their daily doubts and fears; some, of the want of spiritual joys; and some, of the sense of God's wrath. And when a poor Christian hath desired, and prayed, and waited for deliverance many years, is it not then seasonable? We grudge that we do not find a Canaan in the wilderness; or the songs of Sion in a strange land; that we have not a harbour in the main ocean, nor our rest in the heat of the day, nor heaven before we leave the earth; and would not all this be very unseasonable? 9. (7) As this rest will be seasonable, so it will be suitable. The new nature of the saints doth suit their spirits to this rest. Indeed their holiness is nothing else but a spark taken from this * Jer. v. 24. xxxiii 20. + Exod. xii. 40, 41. element, and by the Spirit of Christ kindled in their hearts; the flame whereof, mindful of its own divine original, ever tends to the place from whence it comes. Temporal crowns and kingdoms could not make a rest for saints. As they were not redeemed with so low a price,* neither are they endued with so low a nature. As God will have from them a spiritual worship, suited to his own spiritual being, he will provide them a spiritual rest, suitable to their spiritual nature. The knowledge of God and his Christ, a delightful complacency in that mutual love, an everlasting rejoicing in the enjoyment of our God, with a perpetual singing of his high praises; this is a heaven for a saint. Then we shall live in our own element. We are now as the fish in a vessel of water, only so much as will keep them alive; but what is that to the ocean? We have a little air let into us, to afford us breathing; but what is that to the sweet and fresh gales upon Mount Sion? We have a beam of the sun to lighten our darkness, and a warm ray to keep us from freezing; but then we shall live in its light, and be revived by its heat forever. As the natures of saints are, such are their desires; and it is the desires of our renewed nature which this rest is suited to. Whilst our desires remain corrupted and misguided, it is a far greater mercy to deny them, yea, to destroy them, than to satisfy them: But those which are spiritual are of his own planting, and he will surely water them, and give the increase. He quickened our hunger and thirst for righteousness, that he might make us happy in a full satisfaction. Christian, this is a rest after thy own heart; it contains all that thy heart can wish; that which thou long * Pet. i, 18. est, prayest, labourest for, there thou shalt find it all. Thou hadst rather have God in Christ, than all the world: There thou shalt have him. What wouldst thou not give for assurance of his love? There thou shalt have assurance without suspicion. Desire what thou canst, and ask what thou wilt, as a Christian, and it shall be given thee, not only to half of the kingdom, but to the enjoyment both of kingdom and King. This is a life of desire and and prayer, but that is a life of satisfaction and enjoyment. This rest is very suitable to the saint's necessities also, as well as to their natures and desires. It contains whatsoever they truly wanted; not supplying them with gross created comforts, which, like Saul's armour on David, are more burden than benefit. It was Christ and perfect holiness which they most needed, and with these shall they be supplied. § 10. (8) Still more, this rest will be absolutely perfect. We shall then have joy without sorrow, and rest without weariness. There is no mixture of corruption with our graces, nor of suffering with our comfort. There are none of those waves in that harbour, which now so toss us up and down. To-day we are well, to-morrow sick; to-day in esteem, to-morrow in disgrace; to-day we have friends, to-morrow none; nay, we have wine and vinegar in the same cup. If revelations raise us to the third heaven, the messenger of Satan must presently buffet us, and the thorn in the flesh fetch us down. But there is none of this inconstancy in heaven. If perfect love casteth out fear, then perfect joy must needs cast out sorrow, and perfect happiness exclude all the reliques of misery. We shall there rest from all the evil of sin, and of suffering. + 1 John jv. 12. 2 Cor. xii. 2, 7. 11. Heaven excludes nothing more directly than sin, whether of nature, or of conversation. There shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.* What need Christ at all to have died, if heaven could have contained imperfect souls? For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. His blood and spirit have not done all this, to leave us after all defiled. What communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? Christian, if thou be once in heaven, thou shalt sin no more. Is not this glad news to thee, who hast prayed, and watched against it so long? I know, if it were offered to thy choice, thou wouldest rather choose to be freed from sin, than have all the world. Thou shalt have thy desire.-That hard heart, those vile thoughts, which accompanied thee to every duty, shall now be left behind forever.Thy understanding shall never more be troubled with darkness. All dark scriptures shall be made plain; all seeming contradictions reconciled. The poorest Christian is presently there a more perfect divine than any here. O that happy day, when error shall vanish forever! When our understanding shall be filled with God himself, whose light will leave no darkness in us! His face shall be the scripture, where we shall read the truth. Many a godly man hath here, in his mistaken zeal, been a means to deceive and pervert his brethren, and when he sees his own error, cannot again tell how to undeceive them. But there we shall conspire in one truth, as being one in him who is the truth. -We shall also rest from all the sin of our will, affection and conversation. We shall no more re * Rev. xxi. 27. 1 John iii. 8. 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15. |