Moses Choice, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 50
CHAP. L. The Saints happineſs in Communion with Chriſt.
NOw the fifth particular in the reward of the Saints, is the communion that they ſhall have 5.with Jeſus Chriſt, God and Man: there are divers things in which the happineſs of the Saints conſiſts in having communion with Chriſt, God and Man. It was one of Saint Auguſtines three wiſhes, To ſee Chriſt in the fleſh: It would be a great delight to you to ſee Chriſt in the fleſh. Many make much of the Picture of Chriſt, and if they had it right, they would make more of it; but if Chriſt ſhould come to any of your houſes, as he did when he lived upon the Earth, in his mean condition, would it not greatly delight you? but when we come to enjoy communion with Chriſt in Heaven, it will be another maner of communion, then that upon Earth: We accounted the Apoſtles bleſſed men, that lived with Chriſt upon the Earth; what a bleſſed condition will it be, to live with Chriſt in Heaven? If there were ſuch vertue in Chriſt upon Earth, that there came ſuch vertue from the hem of his garment, what glory will there be in Chriſt, in his full glory? If Chriſt were ſo glorious when he was in his transfiguration, how glorious is he, being glorified before men and Angels eternally in Heaven, With the glory that he had with his Father, Iohn 17.before the beginning of the World! If there was ſo much vertue in the Apoſtles of Chriſt, in regard of the reference they had to Chriſt, as from the ſhadow of Peter, and the Napkins that were taken from Pauls body, there was ſuch power as to heal diſeaſes, what vertue muſt needs come from Chriſt, when we ſhall come to enjoy him, when we come to ſee Chriſt that was the author of all our good? We read of the poor Cripple, when he was healed by the two Diſciples, he ran and catched hold on them, and was loth to go from them, who had been the inſtruments of ſo great good to him; but for the Saints to come and be with Chriſt, who hath been the inſtrument of ſo great good to them, as Chriſt hath been, what an infinite happineſs will this be? we read of many that would go long journeys, to ſee thoſe men that had any excellency in them; as ſome would go from the utmoſt parts of Greece to Rome, to ſee Livie, Themiſtocles: to ſee Chriſt then, in whom is ſo much excellency, will be glorious. And then to have communion with him: it is he in whom God the Father takes full ſatisfaction; ſurely he muſt be the full ſatisfaction of the Saints: this is that which Chriſt prays for; Firſt, he prays for his own glory, and then he prays for the Diſciples, and all Believers, That they might be with him to ſee his glory.
O to ſee the Lord Jeſus glorified as he ſhall be glorified, muſt be a glorious thing! As to ſee his glory in regard of the luſtre of his Divinity, through his humanity; when Chriſt pleaſed to let out any luſtre of his Divinity, through his humanity here, men were not able to bear it; as thoſe that came to apprehend him, when he ſaid, I am he, they fell down backward: now in Heaven the luſtre of Chriſts Divinity, ſhall ſhine mightily through his humanity; ſo in him our bodily eyes ſhall come to ſee God as much as it is poſſible for any creature to ſee him; becauſe God ſhall be let out through the humanity of Chriſt, as much as it is poſſible for the Divinity to appear in any corporeal ſubſtance, or in any creature: We ſhall ſee him with theſe our eyes, as Iob ſays. We ſhall ſee how the power of an infinite God can convey the luſtre of a Deity into a creature. Certainly, Angels and men will be continually viewing of Chriſt, he ſhall come to be admired of the Saints, he ſhall be admired at the day of Judgement in the Saints, but in Heaven they ſhall ſee ſuch excellency in Chriſt, God and Man, as they ſhall be admiring at him to all eternity, as much as they did at the firſt moment; here if we ſee any thing that is excellent, we admire at firſt, but after a while we do not ſo: but there will be ſo much excellency in Chriſt, as we ſhall ſo admire at it, to all eternity, as we did at the firſt moment; for there ſhall be no abatement of our being taken with the glory of the ſight of Chriſt. Bleſſed are your eyes, ſays Chriſt, that ſee thoſe things you ſee; and bleſſed are your ears that hear thoſe things you hear: It is a bleſſed thing to ſee the things we may ſee here; but to ſee the Divinity ſhine through the humanity, this will be a great bleſſing.
And we ſhall ſee him in the glory that the Father will put upon him; Certainly, God will put an infinite glory upon his Son, becauſe the Lord was ſo infinitely well pleaſed with the ſatisfaction of his Son: Becauſe he ſubjected himſelf to the death of the Croſs, therefore He hath given him a name above all names. And we ſhall ſee the glory of Chriſt, when all the Angels ſhall be worſhipping of him, and all the Saints ſhall be ſinging with Praiſes and Hallalujahs to him. And this ſhall be the buſineſs in Heaven, eternally to be admiring Chriſt, and praiſing God for Chriſt. And then we ſhall ſee him in his glory triumphing over all his enemies, in bringing them down; and in his glory when he ſhall have brought to perfection that great work that he did undertake: Now to ſee Chriſt thus glorified, and for us to enjoy communion with Chriſt thus in his glory, this will be a glorious reward for Gods people. This glory of Chriſt, will be made the glory of the Saints: as a Queen that ſees the Prince in his glory, ſhe delights in it, becauſe it is her glory: and ſo the Church, when ſhe ſhall ſee Chriſt her husband in his glory, ſhe ſhall rejoyce in it, becauſe ſhe looks upon it as her own, I ſpeak of the Triumphant Church: The Angels ſhall admire at it; O that theſe poor worms ſhould be raiſed from this low eſtate to ſuch a glorious condition! they pry into the myſtery of Salvation. Then the love of Chriſt ſhall be enflamed to his people, that love which cauſed him to plead with God for his people from all eternity, that cauſed him to undertake this great work for his people; from this love, there will be moſt glorious embracements. If at one ſalutation of the mother of our Lord, John Baptiſt ſprings in the Womb for joy, how ſhall the heart of a glorified Saint ſpring at the glorious embracements of Chriſt himſelf, when he is in his glory? And when we ſhall be in ſuch a condition as we ſhall be fitted for communion with him, we ſhall be able to underſtand Chriſt in another way; we ſhall know the hypoſtatical union of his two natures, and know Chriſt fully, and be fitter to entertain the manifeſtation of his love, whereas here we are not able to entertain much; Chriſt looks through the latteſs, and we have but ſome few drops of his love, but then when his love ſhall be enflamed and fully let out, we ſhall be fitted for it.
And it ſhall be ſuch a communion with Chriſt, as we ſhall never leave, but follow the Lamb whereſoever Rev. 14. 4.he goes: There ſhall be no moment to all eternity, wherein Chriſt ſhall be out of the ſight of ſo many thouſand thouſands of Saints: And though that Text in the Revelations be meant of the Church in this world, and the following of Chriſt whereſoever he goeth here, following of him in the ordinances; but if it be an happineſs here to follow the Lamb whereſoever he goes, much more in heaven: You that are willing to ſuffer any thing, to follow the Lamb in his ordinances here, know there is enough to pay for all, you ſhall be always following the Lamb in heaven, and you ſhall always be in the company of Chriſt; and this is the fifth particular, namely, The communion that the ſouls of Gods people ſhall have with Chriſt. There are yet two things to be opened in this branch, to ſhew what the recompence of reward of Gods people is; and they are the enjoyment of communion with the Angels and Saints, and the keeping a perpetual Sabbath in Heaven.
The enjoyment of communion with the Angels and Saints: The Angels and Saints are joyned together 6.under one head; the Angels rejoyce here in being miniſtring ſpirits unto the Saints; O what rejoycing will there be then in communion with them! the Saints of God ſhall enjoy communion with the Angels in a familiar way, they ſhall be fitted for communion with God and Chriſt himſelf, much more fitted for communion with Angels; yea, the Angels ſhall account it part of their happineſs to have communion with the Saints: The ſight of an Angel to us now in the fleſh, though he comes to bring good tidings, is a great amazement; but then the ſight of the Angels ſhall be no amazement, but we ſhall look upon them as our fellow creatures, to have communion with them, Heb. 12. 23. Ye are come vntounto Mount Sion, and to the City of the living God, the heavenly Jeruſalem, and to the company of innumerable Angels: This is ſpoken of the priviledge of the Goſpel; before by the Law there was nothing but terror, that made Moſes to fear and quake; now we are not to come to Mount Sinai, but to Mount Zion, and unto the City of the living God: Before, without Chriſt we were vagabonds, wandring up and down in the wilderneſs of the Word, but by Chriſt we are gathered unto the City of the living God, and the heavenly Ieruſalem; there were nothing but troubles before, but now they are gathered to Ieruſalem into peace, and to an innumerable company of Angels: Before the Angels were as Gods Hoſt, ready to revenge the quarrel of God upon us, but now we are come to the innumerable company of Angels, who are miniſtring ſpirits to us here, and we ſhall enjoy communion with them: The Angels are full of wiſdom, and therefore when the Scripture would ſet forth the excellency of wiſdom, it ſets it forth by the wiſdom of the Angels. Doctor Taylor the Martyr, rejoyced that he came into priſon with Maſter Bradford, that Angel Bradford, though he was but one that had the likeneſs of an Angel, and in priſon, yet he rejoyced in being with him: What rejoycing will there be to be with all the Angels that are Angels indeed, and that in our Fathers houſe? The way and maner of the converſe of Saints with Angels is very obſcure; how ſpirits do converſe one with another, we know but little; we converſe one with another by ſpeaking, there can be no ſuch way of converſe with Spirits. The Schoolmen ſay, By the act of their wills, they come to make known what is in their mindes, but we ſhall know more of the maner of converſe with them afterwards.