Looking Unto Jesus, Book 10 · Chapter 1 · Section 4
SECT. IV. Of Chriſt and the Saints meeting at the judgment day.
4. FOR Chriſt and the Saints meeting at the judgment day; no ſooner are the Saints lifted up, and ſet before the Judge, but theſe things follow—
1. They look, and gaze, and dart their beams: and reflect their glories on each other. Oh the communications! Oh the darting of beams betwixt Chriſt and his Saints! look as when two admirable perſons, two lovers meet together, their eyes ſparkle, they look on, as if they would look through one another. So Chriſt and his Saints at firſt meeting, they look on, as if they would look through one another. And ſuch is the effect of theſe looks, that they give a luſtre to each other by their Looks. Did not Moſes face ſhine when he had been with God? and ſhall not the faces of the elect glitter and ſhine when Chriſt alſo looks on them? nor ſtays it there; but as they ſhine by Chriſt, ſo ſhall their ſhine reflect on Chriſt, and give a glory to Chriſt, and this I take it to be the meaning of the Apoſtle, That when Chriſt ſhall come, 2 Theſ. 1.10.he ſhall be glorified in his Saints; not onelyonly in himſelf, but in his Saints alſo; whoſe glory as it comes from him, ſo it redounds alſo to him, For of him, and through him, Rom. 11.36.and to him are all things.
2. They admire at the infinite glory, and beauty, and dignity, and excellency that is in Chriſt. The glory they reflect on him is nothing to the glory that is in him. Oh when theſe Stars the Saints ſhall but look upon Chriſt the Son of righteouſneſs, they exceedingly admire. So the Apoſtle, When he ſhall come, 2 Theſ. 1.10.he ſhall be glorified in his Saints, and he ſhall be admired in all them that believe. All that believe ſhall break out into admiration of Jeſus Chriſt: they ſhall at the firſt ſight obſerve ſuch an excellency in Jeſus Chriſt, as that they ſhall be infinitely taken with it: here we ſpeak of Chriſt, and in ſpeaking we admire; but how will they admire, when they ſhall not onelyonly ſpeak or hear, but ſee and behold him who is the Expreſs image of God, Heb. 1.3.and the brightneſs of his Fathers glory? O the luſtres that he caſts forth each way! is not his very body more ſparkling than the Diamond before the Sun? yea, more than the Sun it ſelf now ſhining at noon-day? how ſhould the Saints but wonder at this ſight? Oh there is more beauty, and glory in Jeſus Chriſt than ever their thoughts or imaginations could poſſibly reach; there is more weight of ſweetneſs, joy, and delight in Jeſus Chriſt, than either the ſeeing Eye, or hearing Ear, 1 Cor. 2.9.or the vaſt underſtanding Heart (which can multiply and add ſtill to any former thoughts) can poſſibly conceive: every ſoul will cry out then, I believed to ſee much glory in Jeſus Chriſt, when ever I ſaw him; I had ſome twilight, or Moon-light glances of Chriſt, on Earth; but O blind I! O narrow I! that could never have faith, opinion, thought, or imagination to fathom the thouſand-thouſand part of the worth, and incomparable excellency that I now ſee in him. Why, this cauſeth admiration, when we ſee more, than ever we could expect; the Saints ſhall then cry out, and ſay, I ſee more ten thouſand times more than ever I expected; I ſee all the beauty of God put forth in Chriſt, I ſee the ſubſtantial reflection of the Fathers light and glory in Jeſus Chriſt, I ſee thouſands of excellencies in Jeſus Chriſt that never were revealed to me before. This is the very nature of admiration; it is eve… wondering or admiring at ſome new and ſtrange thing: the glory of Chriſt will then exceed all former apprehenſion. O they admire to ſee the King in ſuch a beauty, they admire to ſee the Judge in ſuch a glittering and glorious Robe of Majeſty, they admire, and they cannot but admire.
3. They adore, and magnifie the grace and glory of Jeſus Chriſt; as it is ſaid of the twenty four Elders, that they fell down before him that ſate on the Throne, and worſhipped him that liveth for ever and ever, and caſt their Crowns before the Throne, ſaying, thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory, Rev. 5.10.and honour and power, for thou haſt created all things, and for thy pleaſure they are and were created. So all the Saints, now advanced to come up to Chriſt, and to ſtand before the Throne, they fall down before Chriſt, and they worſhip him that lives for ever, ſhouting and ſinging about Jeſus Chriſt, and ſetting out his glory,Rev. 7.9, 10, 11, 12. grace, and goodneſs. After this I beheld (ſaith John) and lo a great multitude, which no man could number, of all Nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues ſtood before the Throne, and before the Lamb—and cryed with a loud voice, ſaying, ſalvation to our God, which ſitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb; and all the Angels ſtood round about the Throne, and about the Elders, and the four Beaſts, and fell before the Throne on their faces, and worſhipped God, ſaying, Amen; bleſſing and glory, and wiſdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might be unto our God for ever, and ever, Amen. Saints and Angels will both give glory to Jeſus Chriſt that day; every elect man will then acknowledge, here is Chriſt that ſhed his blood for me, here is the Saviour that laid down his life for me, here is the Sacrifice that gave himſelf a propitiation for me, here is the Perſon that mediated, and interceded, and made peace for me, here is the Redeemer that delivered, and redeemed me from the wrath to come;Rev. 19 7. and then they begin thoſe Hallelujahs, that never ſhall have end: Hallelujah, and again Hallelujah; and Amen Hallelujah; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herſelf ready.
4. Chriſt welcomes them into his glorious preſence; if the Father could receive his Prodigal but repenting with hugs and kiſſes, how will Chriſt now receive his Saints, wh…n they come as a Bride to the ſolemnization of the marriage; his very heart ſprings (as I may ſay) at the ſight of his Bride; no ſooner he ſees her, and ſalutes her, but he welcomes her with ſuch words as theſe: O my love, my dove, my fair one, come now and enjoy thy Husband, Hoſ. 2.19, 20.many a thought I have had of thee, before I made the world, I ſpent my infinite eternal thoughts on thy ſalvation, when the world began I gave thee a promiſe, that I would betroth thee unto me in righteouſneſs, and in judgment; in loving-kindneſs, in mercy, and in faithfulneſs; It was I that for thy ſake was incarnate, and lived, and died, and roſe again, and aſcended, and ſince my aſcenſion that have been interceding for thee, and making ready the Bride-chamber where thou and I muſt live, for ever and ever: and now I come higher into the clouds, to meet thee more than half the way; and my meaning is to take thee by the hand, and to bring thee to my Father; now do I take thee for my own; O my Siſter, my Spouſe, thou art as dear to me as my own dear heart; come, ſee into my boſom, ſee here Love written in the golden letters of free-grace; come near, for I muſt have thee with me; and I will never more be ſo ſtrange to thee as to this day; ſometimes thy ſins have made a wall of partition between me and thee; ſometimes I withdrew and was gone, and I hid my ſelf beyond the curtains; and for a time thou haſt layen hid in the cloſſet of the grave; but now wee'l never part more; anon I will bring thee to my Father, and I will ſay to him, Father, behold here my Spouſe that I have married unto my ſelf; in the mean time welcome to thy Jeſus, I have purchaſed thee with my blood, I have paid dear for thee: and now I'll wear thee as a Crown, and ornament for ever.
5. Chriſt ſets them on his right hand;Pſal 45.9. Ʋpon thy right hand doth ſtand the Queen in Gold of Ophir. This is the ſign of Chriſt's love, and reſpect to his Saints; when he himſelf aſcended up into Heaven, then ſaid the Father to him; Son, ſit thou down at my right hand; and no ſooner the Saints are aſcended up to Chriſt, but he ſpeaks the ſame to them, Sit thou down at my right hand; Chriſt entertains them, as God the Father entertained him, he at the right hand of God, and they at the right hand of Chriſt. And herein is ſet forth the great exaltation of the Saints; as Chriſt being ſet at God's right hand, God highly exalted him and gave him a Name above every Name, ſo now are the Saints highly exalted by Jeſus Chriſt, now are they filled with unmatchable perfections, now is the foreign, the fulneſs of perfection, and fulneſs of honour and glory conferred upon them; Ʋpon his right hand is ſet the Queen in gold of Opnir, (i e.) in the beſt, richeſt, fineſt Gold; the Lord now puts upon his Saints heavens glory; he adorns them with all his ornaments fit for the marriage day; and indeed here is the beginning of the ſolemnity of the marriage of the Lamb; not but that the contract was before, but the ſolemnity was reſerved for this day, and all the glory of this day is for nothing elſe but to ſet out the ſolemnity of the marriage. As the Bridegroom on the day of nuptials comes forth in his glory, and as the Bride on the marriage-day comes forth in her beſt array; and as the ſervants, and parents, and friends, and all appear on the marriage-day in as much glory as they can; ſo Chriſt on this day comes forth in his glory, with all his Angels in their glory; and the Saints, the Lambs wife, The Kings Daughter, is all glorious, without and within. Pſal. 45.13.Though Stars may loſe their ſhining when the Sun ariſeth, yet the glory of the Saints ſhall be no leſs, becauſe of the Sun of righteouſneſs, but rather more. This is the day that Chriſt ſhall honour his Saints before all the world; come (will he ſay) and ſit you down at my right hand; as a Shepheard divideth his Sheep from the Goats, ſo will I ſeparate you from wicked reprobates; why you are they for whom the eternal councels of my Father did work, you are they in whom I am now to be gloryfied for ever; and therefore now will I exalt, and advance, and honour you; ſit here, or ſtand here on my right hand: O come, come hither to the right hand of your Saviour.
6. Hereupon Chriſt fully, and actually joys in them; and they in him; he joys in them, becauſe now he ſees of the travail of his ſoul; he ſees the iſſue of all his doings and ſufferings hereon earth, he ſees now the great work he hath brought about, to wit, the glory of his Saints; and he cannot but rejoyce therein. As a man that makes a work that is very curious, and glorious, he takes abundance of delight to look upon it; when God made the world; he lok't upon what he made, and he ſaw it was good, and he delighted in it: So Chriſt looks on his Saints, and when he ſees what he hath done, in raiſing ſo poor a worm to ſo high an excellency, he takes infinite delight therein; now he ſees that he hath attained his end in that great deſign, and deepeſt councels that he had before the world: he was then reſolved to ſave a number of ſinners, and to bring them at laſt to himſelf that they might behold him in his glory, and manifeſt the riches of his grace; and to that purpoſe hath he ſtill been carrying on the great work of ſouls ſalvation, as we have heard; and now that he ſees it accompliſhed, and fulfilled in them, he muſt needs delight:Epheſ. 3.17. In that day it ſhall be ſaid to Jeruſalem, fear thou not, and to Zion, let not thy hands be faint, for the Lord thy God in the midſt of thee is mighty, he will ſave thee, he will rejoyce over thee with joy, he will reſt in his love, he will joy over thee with ſinging.
And as he joys in them, ſo they cannot but rejoyce in him; as he delights in their glory, ſo they cannot but delight in his glory: are they not at Chriſt's right hand? and is not that the place of pleaſure, the Paradiſe of God?Pſal. 16.11. In thy preſence is fulneſs of joy, and at thy right hand are pleaſures for evermore: The very ſetting them on Chriſt's right hand, is the beginning of Heavens joy.Jude 24. The preſence of Chriſt makes joy, exceeding joy, ſaith Jude; oh but what joy? what fulneſs of joy, what exceeding joy will it be to be ſet at Chriſt's right hand? now begins that joy, that never, never ſhall have end. O the complacency which the bleſſed feel in their ſeeing, knowing, loving, and being beloved of Jeſus Chriſt. O my Chriſt, let me have tribulation here, let me here ſpend my days in ſorrow, and my breath in ſighings; puniſh me here, cut me in pieces here, burn me here, ſo that I may there be placed at thy right hand; for then joy will come, and ſorrow will vaniſh; ſorrow is but for a night, this night of life; but joy will come in the morning of the reſurrection, and it never ſhall be night again.