Dying Thoughts Upon Philippians 1:23, Part 2
II. The Final Reaſons.
§ 1. II 1. Is it not far better to dwell with GOD in Glory, than with ſinful men in ſuch a World as this? Though he be every where his Glory, which we muſt behold to our Felicity, and the perfecting Operations and Communications of his Love, are in the glorious World, and not on Earth. As the Eye is made to ſee the Light, and then to ſee other things by the Light, ſo is mans mind made to ſee God, and to Love him; and other things as in, by, and for him. He that is our beginning is our end: And our End is the firſt Motive of all Moralaction, and for It, it is that all means are uſed. And the End attained is the Reſt of Souls! How oft hath my Soul groaned under the ſenſe of Diſtance, and Darkneſs, and Eſtrangeneſs from God! How oft hath it looked up, and gaſped after him, and ſaid, O when ſhall I be nearer and better acquianted with my God? As the Heart panteth after the water Brooks, ſo panteth my Soul after thee O God: My Soul thirſteth for God, for the living God: When ſhall I come and appear before God? Pſa. 40. 12. And would I not have my Prayers heard, and my deſires granted? What elſe is the ſumm of lawful Prayers, but God himſelf? If I deſire any thing more than God, what ſinfulneſs is in thoſe deſires, and how ſad is their ſignification? How oft have I ſaid, Whom have I in Heaven but Thee, and there is none on Earth I deſire beſides Thee? It is good for me to draw near to God, Pſal. 73. 25: 28. Woe to me, if I did diſſemble: If not, Why ſhould my Soul draw back? Is it becauſe that Death ſtands in the way? Do not my fellow Creatures die for my daily Food? And is not my paſſage ſecured by the Love of my Father, and the Reſurrection and Interceſſion of my Lord? Can I ſee the Light of heavenly Glory, in this darkſome ſhell and womb of Fleſh?
§ 2. All Creatures are more or leſs excellent and glorious, as God is more or leſs Operative and refulgent in them, and by that Operation communicateth moſt of himſelf unto them: Though he be immenſe and indiviſible, his Operations and Communications are not equal: And that is ſaid to be Neareſt to Him, which hath moſt of thoſe Operations on it, and that without the intervenient cauſality of any ſecond created Cauſe; and ſo all thoſe are in their Order Near unto him, as they have Nobleſt Natures, and feweſt intervenient Cauſes; far am I from preſuming to think that I am or ſhall be the Beſt and Nobleſt of God's Creatures, and ſo that I ſhall be ſo near him, as to be under the influx of no ſecond or created Cauſes; (of which more anon.) But to be as Near as my Nature was ordained to approach, is but to attain the End and Perfection of my Nature.
§ 3. And as I muſt not look to be the Neareſt to Him, as he is the firſt Efficient, no more muſt I as he is the firſt Dirigent or governing Cauſe: As now I am under the government of his Officers on Earth, I look for ever to be under ſubgovernours in Heaven: My glorified Saviour muſt be my Lord and Ruler; and Who elſe under him I know not: If Angels are not equal in Perfection, nor as is commonly ſuppoſed equal in Power, nor without ſome regimental order among themſelves, I muſt not conclude that no created Angel or Spirit, ſhall have any government over me: But it will be ſo Pure and Divine, as that the bleſſed Effects of God's own Government will beſweetly powerful therein. If the Law was given by Angles, and the Angel of God was in the burning Buſh, and the Angel conducted the People through the Wilderneſs, and yet all theſe things are aſcribed to God, much more near and glorious will the Divine Regiment there be, whoever are the Adminiſtrators.
§ 4. And as I muſt expect to be under ſome created Efficient and Dirigent Cauſes there, ſo muſt I expect to have ſome ſubordinate Ends: Elſe there would not be a proportion and harmony in cauſalities; whatever nobler Creatures are above me, and have their Cauſalities upon me, I muſt look to be finally for thoſe nobler Creatures. When I look up and think what a world of glorious Beings are now over me, I dare not preſume to think that I ſhall finally any more than Receptively; be the Neareſt unto God, and that I am made for None but Him. I find here that I am made, and ruled, and ſanctified, for the Publick or Common Good of many as above my own (of which I am paſt doubt:) And I am ſure that I muſt be finally for my glorified Redeemer; and for what other Spiritual Beings or Intelligences that are above me, little do I know: And God hath ſo ordered all his creatures, as that they are mutually Ends and Means for and to one another, though not in an Equality, nor in the ſame reſpects. But whatever nearer Ends there will be, I am ſure that he who is the firſt Efficient and Dirigent, will be the ultimate final Cauſe And I ſhall be in this reſpect as near him, as is due to he rank and order of my Nature. I ſhall be uſeful to he Ends which are anſwerable to my Perfection.
§ 5. And if it be the honour of a Servant to have an honourable Maſter, and to be appointed to the moſt honourable work: If it be ſome honour to a Horſe above a Swine, or a Worm, or Fly, that he ſerveth more nearly for the uſe of Man, yea for a Prince, will it not be alſo my advancement to be ultimately for God, and ſubordinately for the higheſt created Natures, and this in ſuch Services as are ſuitable to my Spiritual and Heavenly State?
§ 6. For I am far from thinking that I ſhall be above Service, and have none to do! For Activity will be my Perfection and my Reſt: And all ſuch Activity muſt be Regular in harmony and order of Cauſes, and for its proper uſe. And what though I know not now fully what ſervice it is that I muſt do? I know it will be good, and ſuitable to the bleſſed ſtate which I ſhall be in: And it is enough that God and my Redeemer know it; and that I ſhall know it in due time, when I come to practice it: (of which more afterward.)
§ 7. The inordinate Love of this Body and preſent compoſition ſeduceth Souls to think that all their uſe and work is for its maintenance and proſperity, and when the Soul hath done that, and is ſeparated from Fleſh, it hath nothing to do▪ but muſt lie idle, or be as nothing, or have no conſiderable work or pleaſure: As if there were nothing in the whole World, but this little fluid maſs of matter, for a Soul to work upon? As if itſelf, and all the Creatures, and God were nothing, or no fit Objects for a Soul? And why not hereafter as well as now? Or as if that which in our compounded ſtate, doth Operate on and by its Organs, had no other way of Operation without them? As if the Muſician loſt all his power, or were dead, when his Inſtrument is out of tune or broken, and could do nothing elſe but play on that! As if the fiery part of the Candle were annihilated or tranſmutate (as ſome following-Philoſphers imagine) when the Candle goeth out; and were not fire, and in action ſtill: Or as if that Sun beam which I ſhut out, or which paſſeth from our Horizon, were annihilated, or did nothing, when it ſhineth not with us? Had it no other individual to illuminate or to terminate its beams or action, were it nothing to illuminate the common Air? Though I ſhall not always have a Body to Operate in and upon, I ſhall always have God, and a Saviour, and a world of fellow-Creatures; and when I ſhine not in this Lanthorn, and ſee not by theſe Spectacles, nor imaginarily in a Glaſs, I ſhall yet ſee things ſuitable intuitively and as Face to Face. That which is eſſentially Life (as a Living Principle) will Live: And that which is eſſentially an Active, Intellective, Volitive principle, force and Virtue, will ſtill be ſuch while it is itſelf, and is not annihilated or changed into another thing? (which is not to be feared:) And that which is ſuch can never want an Object, till all things be annihilated.
§ 8. Reaſon aſſureth me, that were my will now what it ſhould be, and fully obſequious herein to my underſtanding, to fulfil Gods will would be the fulfilling my own will (for my will ſhould perfectly comply with His) and to pleaſe him perfectly would be my perfect pleaſure: And it is the unreaſonable adheſion to this Body, and ſinful ſelfiſhneſs, which maketh any one think otherwiſe now. I am ſure that my Soul ſhall Live (for it is Life itſelf) and I am ſure that I ſhall live to God, and that I ſhall fulfil and pleaſe his bleſſed will; and this is (as ſuch) incomparably better than my Felicity (as ſuch:) And yet ſo far as I am pleaſed in ſo doing, it will be my Felicity.
§ 9. I begin now to think, that the ſtrange Love which the Soul hath to this Body (ſo far as it is not inordinate) is put into us of God, partly to ſignifie to us the great Love which Chriſt hath to his Myſtical Political Body, and to every member of it, even the leaſt: He will gather all his Elect out of the World, and none that come to him ſhall be ſhut out, and none that are given him ſhall be loſt: As his Fleſh is to them Meat indeed, and his Blood is to them Drink indeed, and he nouriſheth them for Life eternal: (His Spirit in them, turning the Sacrament, the Word, and Chriſt himſelf in eſſe objectivo as Believed in, into Spirit and Life to us, as the Soul and our Natural. Spirits turn our food into Fleſh, and Blood, and Spirits, which in a dead Body, or any lifeleſs repoſitory, it would never be;) ſo as we delight in the eaſe and proſperity of our Body and each Member, and have pleaſure in the pleaſant food that nouriſheth it, and other pleaſant Objects which accommodate it; Chriſt alſo delighteth in the welfare of his Church and of all the Faithful, and is pleaſed when they are fed with good and pleaſant Food, and when hereby they proſper: Chriſt Loveth the Church, not only as a Man muſt love his Wife, but as we Love our Bodies; And no Man ever hated his own Fleſh, Eph. 5. 27, &c. And herein I muſt allow my Saviour the preeminence, to overgo me in powerful faithful Love! He will ſave me better from pain and death, than I can ſave my Body; and will more inſeparably hold me to himſelf: If it pleaſe my Soul to dwell in ſuch a Houſe of Clay, and to operate on ſo mean a thing as Fleſh, how greatly will it pleaſe my glorified Lord, to dwell with his glorified Body, the triumphant Church, and to cheriſh and bleſs each Member of it? It would be a kind of death to Chriſt to be ſeparated from his Body, and to have it die: Whether Auguſtine and the reſt of the Fathers were in the right or no, who thought that as our Bodies do not only ſhed their Hairs, but by ſickneſſes and waſt loſe much of their very Fleſh, ſo Chriſt's Militant Body doth not only loſe Hypocrites, but alſo, ſome living juſtified Members, yet certain it is that confirmed Members, and more certain that glorified Members ſhall not be loſt! Heaven is not a place for Chriſt or us to ſuffer ſuch loſs in. And will Chriſt love me better than I love my Body? Will he be lother to loſe me than I am to loſe a Member or to die? Will he not take incomparably greater pleaſure in animating and actuating me for ever, than my Soul doth in animating and actuating this Body? O then let me long to be with him? And though I am naturally loth to be abſent from the Body, let me be by his Spirit more unwilling to be abſent from the Lord? And though I would not be unclothed had not ſin made it neceſſary, let me groan to be clothed upon with my heavenly Habitation, and to become the delight of my Redeemer, and to be perfectly loved, by Love itſelf.
§ 10. And even this bleſſed Receptivity of my Soul, in terminating the Love and Delight of my glorified Head, muſt needs be a felicity to me! The inſenſible Creatures are but Beautified by the Suns communication of its Light and Heat; but the ſenſitives, have alſo the Pleaſure of it? Shall my Soul be ſenſleſs? will it be a Clod or Stone? Shall that which is now the form of be then more Lifeleſs, Senſleſs, or uncapable than the form of Bruits is now? Doubtleſs it will be a living, perceiving, ſenſible Recipient, of the felicitating Love of God and my Redeemer? I ſhall be loved as a living Spirit, and not as a dead and ſenſeleſs thing, that doth not comfortably perceive it.
§ 11. And if I muſt rejoice with my fellow Servants that rejoice, ſhall I not be glad to think that my bleſſed Lord will rejoice in me, and in all his glorified Ones? Union will make his pleaſure to be much mine? And it will be aptly ſaid by him to the faithful Soul, Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord, Mat. 25. 21. His own active Joy, will objectively be Ours, as Ours will be Efficiently His (or from Him.) Can that be an ill condition to me, in which my Lord will moſt rejoice: It is Best to Him, and therefore Beſt to me.
§ 12. And the heavenly Society will joyfully welcome a Holy Soul.Luke 15. 10. If there be now Joy in Heaven among the Angels for one Sinner that Repenteth (who hath yet ſo little Holineſs and ſo much Sin:) What joy will there be over a perfected glorified Soul! Surely if Our Angels there behold our Fathers Face, they will be glad in Seaſon of our Company: The Angels that carried Lazarus to Abraham's Boſom, no doubt rejoiced in their work and their ſucceſs. And is the Joy of Angels and the heavenly Hoſt as nothing to me? Will not Love and Union make their Joy to be my own: if Love here muſt make all my Friends and Neighbours comforts to become my own? And as their Joy according to their Perfection, is greater than any that I am now capable of, ſo the participation of ſo great a Joy of theirs, will be far better than to have my little ſeparated apartment. Surely that will be my beſt condition which Angels and bleſſed Spirits will be beſt pleaſed in, and I ſhall rejoice moſt in that which they moſt rejoice in.