Moses Choice, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 51
CHAP. LI. The happineſs of enjoying communion with the Saints in glory.
BUt it is more familiar to us, to know our excellency in the converſe with the Saints, Heb. 12. 23. To the general Aſſembly, and Church of the firſt-born, which are written in heaven, &c. To enjoy communion with the Saints here is ſweet, to enjoy communion with all the Saints, with all the Patriarchs, Abraham, Iſaac and Iacob, and Moſes, and Aaron, and Ioſhua, and all the good Prophets, and the good Kings, and all Martyrs, and Worthies of the Lord: If to have communion with one or two be ſweet, then to have communion with all at once muſt needs be ſweet; it is worth the enduring much to get to heaven, if it were onelyonly to have communion with the Saints.
Secondly, to have communion with none but them: to have communion with the Saints is ſweet, 2.though we are forced to have communion with the world, but to have communion with the choiceſt of Gods ſervants, & with none elſe, that is ſweet indeed.
Thirdly, to have communion with them made perfect: The beſt now have many weakneſſes, and many 3.frampold moods, and offenſive carriages, that there muſt be a great deal born in communion with the beſt; but then we ſhall be delivered from imperfections, there ſhall be no ignorance, but we ſhall have communion with thoſe that are knowing, and perfectly glorified. The life of my Lord ſhall be bound up in the bundle of life; it is the bleſſing of Abigail to David: Now Interpreters expound it thus, It is a Metaphor, taken from binding up of yong plants that are removed from one place to be ſet in another: Now there is a great deal of difference between a bundle of plants laid in the water, to preſerve them till they be ſet in the garden, and thoſe plants growing and flouriſhing in the garden: It is a great bleſſing to be bound up amongſt Gods people here, that are plants that have life; but we are here but as plants, bound up and laid in water, reſerved till we ſhall come to be planted in Heaven, and there to flouriſh: There is much difference between Gods people, what they are here, and what they ſhall be in Heaven, as there is between a plant that is bound up, and laid in water to be kept alive, and when it is in the Orchard, green and flouriſhing, and bringing forth fruit.
Fourthly, to have communion with them, when we ſhall know one another perfectly: It is an opinion 4.of Thomas, as you heard, That the bodies of the Saints ſhall be ſo tranſparent, that they ſhall be able to ſee through one anothers bodies, as through a glaſs: Howſoever that be, yet the ſouls of one another, and the graces, and goodneſs of one another, ſhall be fully made known to one another: If now we did converſe with a company of people, that we knew certainly had all true grace, and were all elected from all eternity, what an admirable comfort would this be? our communion is comfortable, becauſe we have ſome hopes of their election, and we ſee ſome ſigns of grace; but if we were certain of this, if God ſhould ſpeak from Heaven concerning the pooreſt member of a Church, and ſay, This man, or woman, is the man or woman that I have had thoughts upon from all eternity, and have elected to everlaſting glory; would we not prize ſuch a one, and rejoyce to have ſuch a one in our families and houſes? Now when we come to Heaven, we ſhall certainly know every one was elected from all eternity, and ſo ſhall live with us to eternity; we ſhall never have any fears or ſuſpitions of them, leſt they ſhould be hypocrites, as there are fears and ſuſpitions given of one another now.
And then to have communion with them, when 5.there ſhall be perfect love and union of heart to one another, that one ſhall love another as well as himſelf, and rejoyce in the glory and proſperity of one another, as well as his own: If one have more glory then another, he that hath leaſt glory, ſhall rejoyce in him that hath more glory, as if it were his own, and therefore there ſhall not be any want of glory to any; ſays Anſelm, Every Saint ſhall love Iuſti diligunt Deum pluſquam ſeipſos, & anvicem tanquam ſeipſos & Deus illos pluſquam illi ſeipſos, quia illi illum, & ſe, & invicem per illum, & ille ſe & illos per ſeipſum, Anſelm. in proſol. c. 25.God above himſelf, and love one another as himſelf, and God ſhall love them all, more then they either love themſelves or one another; and he gives the reaſon of it, ſays he, They love both themſelves and one another for God, and by God, and God loves himſelf and them for himſelf, and by himſelf; and therefore as they ſhall love God above themſelves, ſo they ſhall love one another like themſelves, and rejoyce in the happineſs of another, as in their own happineſs: Now what an heaven upon earth is it to have brethren live together in unity? if it be in family communion, or in Church communion, to have entire love without any breaches, this is a bleſſing; but howſoever, while we are in this world, there will be breaches, yet there is an heavenly Jeruſalem coming, where we ſhall live without breaches.
And then likewiſe to have communion one with another always in holy exerciſes: To have communion one with another in our civil converſe, to eat, and drink at one anothers tables, and in recreating our ſelves, this is ſweet; but communion in holy ordinances, and holy duties, that is ſweeteſt. Men love communion and ſociety here, that they may play together, and eat and drink together; indeed, if it be in a moderate Chriſtian way, there may be ſome delight in it; but know, it is an evident ſign of a carnal heart, when as thy chief affections ſhall be let out in the exerciſing thy ſelf that way: If the chief joy of your hearts be not in exerciſing your ſelves in holy duties, your hearts are carnal: There is a great deal of difference between that day, in which a company of gracious men have communion with one another in recreating themſelves, and that day wherein they ſhall have communion with one another in exerciſing themſelves in holy ordinances, in praying together, and hearing the Word together; and therefore examine whether you finde a day of communion with Gods people in holy exerciſes, better then a day of communion in outward ſociety.
Again, it is ſuch a communion as we ſhall never 7.part with, ſuch a communion as we ſhall always enjoy: Here we have communion, but it is often darkned, becauſe we are often in our dumps, and many times there is an occaſion of ſorrow given; but to have communion where there ſhall be always joy, continual being at the feaſt, the ſupper of the Lamb, that muſt needs be ſweet. Therefore that Text you have of Lazarus in Abrahams boſom, ſets out the continual feaſt of the Lamb that the Saints ſhall have, becauſe that was the maner of the Jews feaſting, to lean in the boſom of one another; and therefore John when he ſate to eat with Chriſt, he leaned in his boſom, noting that the Saints ſhall be always as the children of the Bride-Chamber: There is a queſtion made by ſome, of the knowing of one anoanother in heaven. It is reported of Luther, the night before he dyed, he was reaſonable well, and ſate with his friends at the Table, and the matter of their diſcourſe was, Whether they ſhould know one another in heaven or no, whether the father ſhould know the childe, or the childe the father? Luther held it affirmatively; and this was one reaſon he gave, As it was with Adam, as ſoon as he ſaw Eve, he knew what Eve was, not by diſcourſe, but by the Spirit of God, telling him what ſhe was; and ſo we being filled with the Spirit of God, we ſhall come to know one another, we ſhall ſit down with Abraham, Iſaac and Iacob; we ſhall have communion with them, not onelyonly as godly men, but as with Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, and if with them, why not with others? This we have in Scripture, that ſpiritual relations ſhall adde much to the glory of the people of God in Heaven, though natural relations ſhall be taken away; as the Father, if he know the childe, there ſhall not be that natural affection to the childe as is now; yet the Scripture ſeems to ſpeak of ſpiritual relations, that they ſhall continue even in Heaven for the glory of the Saints; and therefore St. Paul ſays to the Philippians, You are our crown, and our rejoycing in the day of Chriſt: It ſhall be known, who were converted by ſuch a Miniſtery, and it ſhall be a crown to a Miniſter, that ſuch were converted, and edified, and built up by him.
But we need not trouble our ſelves about this queſtion, becauſe we have one thing that will ſatisfie us, about all queſtions that are not clear: Either we ſhall have all that happineſs we do think in our thoughts, or can think, or elſe we ſhall have that (we being our own judges and chooſers) that ſhall be as good or better: ſo that if a Parent thinks what an happineſs were it for me to ſee my childe in heaven; and the childe ſhall think, what an happineſs were it for me to ſee my Parents in Heaven, you think ſo here: We gueſs at things thus childiſhly, but yet either this ſhall be, or that which is as good or better then this. As ſuppoſe I ſhould think, how glad ſhould I be if ſuch a one would give me a ſhilling, if after I come to know he will give me this, or a Twenty ſhilling piece, I do not trouble my ſelf to know whether he will give me a ſhilling or no. And ſo much for Communion with the Angels and Saints.