Moses Choice, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 45
CHAP. XLV. The Saints enjoyment of God to be their portion, their happineſs in having his preſence.
GOd himſelf will be the portion of the Saints. Auguſtine ſays of the happineſs of the Saints, If God gives ſuch good things to wicked men, does he keep nothing for the Saints? Yes, he keeps heaven it ſelf; but ſays he, Surely I ſpeak of too low a thing, when I ſpeak of heaven, he will give himſelf to them. Heaven is beautiful, but more beautiful is God himſelf, the God of heaven: Therefore God muſt give himſelf to them, or elſe their ſouls are not ſatisfied. It is a ſweet and excellent expreſſion that Bernard hath, Lord, as whatſoever we give unto thee, unleſs we give our ſelves, cannot ſatisfie thee; ſo Lord, Whatſoever thou giveſt to us, unleſs thou giveſt thy ſelf, we cannot be ſatisfied. The Lord ſaid to Abraham, Fear not, I am thy exceeding great reward; but ſays Abraham, What wilt thou give me, ſeeing I go childeleſs. Surely he had reſpect to Chriſt, or Guliel. Pariſ. exhorting to ſobriety, if we would underſtand the happineſs of the Saints in heaven; and inweighing againſt the pleaſures of the fleſh, ſaith, Iſta enim ſunt quae ſubvertunt, inebriant, captivant, maculant, obtenebrant, deprimunt & abſorbent mentem humanam & palatum ejus inficiunt, & tranſvertunt. Tractat. de retributionibus Sancto rum.elſe it could not but be a fault, that Abraham ſhould not be fully ſatisfied in what God ſaid; for as God does make the Saints to be his portion, ſo God is the portion, and the inheritance of the Saints. The enjoyment of God is Heaven it ſelf, and therefore in Scripture God is called heaven: I have ſinned againſt heaven. In this there are theſe ſeven things: Firſt, the preſence of God. Secondly, the bleſſed viſion of God. Thirdly, the happy union with God. Fourthly, the glorious communion with God. Fifthly, the fruition of God. Sixthly, the reſt that their ſouls ſhal have in God. Seventhly, the enjoyment of themſelves in God.
O beloved! for preparation to hear theſe things, that we had ſpiritual hearts, ſays one, It is not for your carnal, baſe, ſenſual, voluptuous ſpirits to hear of thoſe things: For thoſe that know no better things, then to eat, and drink, and to be unclean, what is it for them to hear of ſuch excellent things? As for the pleaſures of the fleſh, they do infect and defile the ſoul, and make it unfit for the hearing of ſuch things, we had need of ſpiritual ears to hear them. God ſays to Abraham in Geneſ. 13. 16. I will make thy ſeed to be as the duſt of the earth: afterward in Gen. 15. 5. he ſays, He will make his ſeed as the ſtars of heaven: The ſeed of Abraham are of two ſorts. Some are of the ſeed of Abraham that are viſible members of a Church, and yet have earthly hearts: but there are others of his ſeed, and they are as the ſtars of Heaven, of ſpiritual hearts: now as we are of the ſeed of Abraham outwardly in profeſſion, let us not be of that ſeed that are of the duſt of the earth, onelyonly fit to hear of earthly things; but let us ſhew that we are of the ſeed of Abraham, that are as the ſtars of Heaven, and ſhall hereafter come to enjoy the God of Heaven.
For the firſt, the preſence of God, that glorious preſence that the Saints ſhal have of God in Heaven, is a great part of their happineſs: Heaven, it were not Heaven without the preſence of God: The preſence of God in the moſt miſerable place that can be, were a greater happineſs then the abſence of God in the moſt glorious place that can be. David would not be afraid, though he walked in the valley of the ſhadow of death, ſo that God were with him, Pſal. 23. Luther would rather be in Hell with Gods preſence, Malim preſente Deo eſſe in Inferno quam abſente Deo in Coelo Luth. in Gen. cap. 30. Quid tibi videbitur prima lux, cum illam loco ſuo videris.then in Heaven God being abſent. If the preſence of God takes away the dread of the ſhadow of the valley of death, and makes Hell to be more deſired then Heaven, what will the preſence of God make Heaven to be? The three Children in the fiery furnace with Gods preſence were happy? how happy then are the Saints with Gods preſence in Heaven? The Saints deſire Gods preſence even when he is angry, they are loth to be out of his preſence then. It is very obſervable that we have recorded of David, Pſal. 51. ver. 9. he cryes to God to hide his face from his ſins, for Gods face was then an angry face againſt him: yet ver. 11. he cryes again, Caſt me not away from thy preſence; he was not willing to be out of Gods preſence howſoever, upon which St. Augu hath this expreſſion, Whoſe face he fears, even his face he invocates. God made rich promiſes to Cujus faciem timet cjus faciem invocat.Moſes, yet he could not be ſatisfied without the preſence of God: If thy preſence be not with us, bring us not hence. And the Apoſtle, when he would ſet out the miſery of thoſe that are damned, in 2 Theſſ. 1. 9. ſays the Text, They ſhall be puniſhed with everlaſting deſtruction from the preſence of the Lord; now the preſence of God muſt needs be the happineſs of the Saints.
Firſt, becauſe this muſt needs draw out all their 1.graces, in all the ſweet ſavor of them, Cant 1. 12. While the King ſitteth at his table, my ſpikenard ſendeth forth the ſmell thereof: As it is with the Sun, it draws forth all the vertue that there is in the plant, and makes a ſweet ſavor in things; ſo the preſence of God muſt much more draw forth the fragrancy of all the graces of his Spirit, in the ſouls of his Saints.
Secondly, the preſence of God muſt needs quicken 2.all the comforts of the ſouls of his people, and keep them always in vigor and activity; for as we know, the Sun it does quicken things that lay dead; ſo the preſence of God hath a wonderful quickning power, it keeps the comforts of Gods people freſh, ſo long as we have the preſence of God, all our comforts are green and lively. The Saints in heaven have always the preſence of God, and therefore their comforts are always vigorous and lively. When they ſhall be preſented faultleſs before the preſence of his glory, it ſhall cauſe exceeding joy, Jude 24. the word there ſignifies, leaping, ſpringing, exalting joy.foreign.
Thirdly, the preſence of God in heaven ſhall be 3.the accompliſhing of all that ſweet and good that ever they have had in Gods preſence in this world; they have had by pieces, many ſweet manifeſtations of God unto them; but often God hath been abſent, and they have been fain to ſeek for their Beloved; but now all thoſe pieces (as we may ſo ſpeak) which they have had, ſome at one time, and ſome at another, ſhall be all joyned together; and they ſhall have the accompliſhment of all in one, and the perfection of all in one, and ſo for ever enjoy it.
Fourthly, the preſence of God muſt needs fill their ſouls and bodies with glory, for it fills the heaven 4.with glory; much more it muſt needs fill an immortal ſoul with glory, becauſe that is more capable of glory then the heaven: If the Sun can put a glory upon theſe poor dark creatures here below, much more can the preſence of God put glory upon the glorified bodies and ſouls of the Saints.
Further, the preſence of God muſt needs be very glorious unto the ſouls of the Saints, in regard of 5.the maner of the bringing into Gods preſence, for they ſhall be brought into it by the hand of Chriſt the Bridegroom; he ſhall, as it were, take the Saints by the hand, and lead them to the Father; he ſhall ſay, Come now, I will ſhew you my Father that I have ſpoken ſo much of to you before, to that end that the Father may delight in you. As ſuppoſe the Prince were married to one, and upon their marriage he takes his Spouſe by the hand to lead her unto his father, to that end his father may take notice of her, and manifeſt reſpect unto her; ſo this coming into the preſence of God ſhall be by the hand of Chriſt. There is a glorious leading of our ſouls into the preſence of God in this world, Eph. 3. 12. In whom we have boldneſs and acceſs; the word ſignifies, A leading by the hand: and in Canticles 1. 4. it is ſaid of Chriſt, That he brings the Spouſe into the Chambers: He brings the Church, the ſouls of his people into the Preſence-Chamber, and that makes the preſence of God ſweet unto the Church: but hereafter there ſhall be a more glorious leading of the Saints unto God by Chriſt, how much more ſhall the preſence of God be ſweet unto them then?
Sixthly, what a bleſſed ſecurity muſt there needs 6.be to the ſouls of the Saints in the preſence of God: To be under the ſhadow of the Almighty is a ſecure condition, to be hid in the ſecrets of Gods preſence is a ſecure condition, but to be in the glorious preſence of the Almighty, as it ſhall be in heaven, O the happy ſecurity then! A childe when it is gotten into the preſence of his father or mother, thinks it ſelf ſafe; the Saints then that ſhall always be in the preſence of God, muſt needs be in an happy ſecurity.
Laſtly, hence will follow an holy boldneſs: the Saints of God ſhall ſtand in the preſence of God 7.with an holy boldneſs, they ſhall have nothing whereof they ſhall be aſhamed: though the light of God ſhall ſhine moſt gloriouſly upon them, yet it ſhall not diſcover any thing in them that ſhall cauſe any ſhame or fear in them. It is the promiſe of God to the diligent, They ſhall ſtand before Kings: Thoſe that are now diligent in making their calling and election ſure, in providing for their eternal eſtate, this is the bleſſing of them, they ſhal ſtand before the King of glory, before the King of heaven with an holy boldneſs: And this is the firſt thing which the Saints ſhall have in having God to be their portion, The preſence of God.