Two Discourses, Section 7 – Section 8
§.
That nothing may be wanting in this laſt place cited, to make up all the Particulars in the foregoing Sections inſiſted on: So it is, that the Apoſtle Peter doth further plainly inſinuate, That this Salvation (here) conſiſteth in the Sight and Viſion of Chriſt, (which was one Particular afore-mentioned) accompanied with Joy unſpeakable, and glorious. The Coherence (if obſerved) makes this forth clearly: For whereas in the Verſe immediately foregoing, he had commended their preſent State of Faith by this, Whom [now] though you ſee not, yet believing, rejoice with Joy unſpeakable, and glorious. That [Now] you ſee not, (in this Life) is ſet in oppoſition, and carries a promiſe with it of a time to come, wherein they ſhould ſee, even as Chriſt ſaid to his Diſciples, Joh. 13. 33. & 36. compared, Whither I go, I [Now] ſay to you, ye cannot come; but thou ſhalt follow me [AFTERWARDS]. So here [NOW] believing, (which is the Principle at the preſent which you live upon) you ſee him not; but when the end of your faith ſhall come, you ſhall then ſee him; and in this it is conſiſteth the ſalvation of your ſoul. So that ſtill it carries on what I have afore ſpoken unto, That when Faith ceaſeth, Sight cometh; yea, perfects and ſwallows it up as was ſaid even now, out of 1 Cor. 12, 13.
And let me add this, That the Apoſtle on purpoſe doth bring the mention of this ſupereminent fruit of faith, (Even now when we ſee not) that believing, ye yet rejoyce with joy unſpeakable and glorious: On purpoſe, I ſay, to make way for the raiſing up their thoughts & apprehenſions, how infinitely tranſcending that ſalvation of their ſouls muſt be, when Faith ending, they attain to Sight, to ſee him face to face, whom their ſouls have loved: It is implicitly as if he had ſaid unto them, Oh! think with your ſelves, what Joy, what Glory that muſt needs be, which exceedeth and ſurpaſſeth this that now accompanies your faith, in an anſwerable proportion, as much as ſight of Chriſt's preſence, and face to face, muſt be ſuppoſed to excel the knowledge of him by faith, which ſees him but as abſent, darkly!
And further, give me leave to improve this Notion: You may take this aſſured evidence, That your ſouls ſhall then ſee, and enjoy God, when your faith ſhall CEASE, which will be, when once your ſouls ſhall come to be ſeparate from your bodies by death: In that, even now, in this life, it is your Souls and Spirits that are the immediate receptives, or partakers and ſubjects of ſuch glorious Joys,
The ſoul enjoys them (though in the body, yet) without the help or concurrence of the body, or the phantaſms of it: yea, ſuch Raptures do paſs underſtanding, that is, the common way of underſtanding, which by the uſe and help of the body, or images in the fancy, the Mind exerciſeth in other things, and which do concur with the underſtanding ordinarily in faith. But this joy falls into, and is illapſed within the ſoul it ſelf immediately; yea, the weakneſs of your bodies, and bodily ſpirits, will not permit you to have ſo much of this joy, as otherwiſe the ſoul is now capable of by faith. And therefore by this experimental taſte aforehand in your own ſouls, you may be aſcertained, That your ſouls, when ſeparate from your bodies by death, as well as when united again unto their bodies, ſhall enjoy this great Salvation.
And thus much for the firſt Point raiſed out of the words, which did undertake an Argumentation for a ſeparate ſoul's Glory and Happineſs. (1.) From the Condition of the Soul, as the immediate ſubject of Grace wrought in it. (2.) From God's Ordination of the Work wrought, To raiſe the ſoul up to life, whilſt Sin ſhould bring Diſſolution upon the Body. (3.) From the Scope of the Worker, God himſelf; who as an Efficient will accompliſh the End, when his Work for that end is finiſh'd. And all theſe, as comprehended in what the very firſt view and front of the words of my Text hold out: God hath wrought us for the ſelf-ſame thing.
§.
But lo! a greater matter is here. It is not ſimply ſaid, God hath wrought us for this; but, He that hath wrought us for this thing, is God: Thereby calling upon us to conſider, How great an Hand or Efficient is here, even God, who hath diſcovered in a tranſcendent manner his Glory, in the ordaining and contriving of this Work unto this great end. Take it not therefore as a bare Demonſtration given from God's working Ʋs to this end, ſuch as is common to other Agents, (as hath been ſaid). But further, a Celebration of the Greatneſs and Glory of God, in his having contrived this with ſo high an Hand, like unto the Great God: And is as if he had ſaid, There is a Deſign in this, worthy of God, He hath ſhewn himſelf in this to be the Great God indeed. He that hath wrought us for this is God.
When God's ordinary Works are ſpoken of, it ſufficeth himſelf to ſay, God did thus, or this: But when God's Works of Wonder, then often you find ſuch an illuſtrious Note of Reflection upon, and pointing at Him, to have done as God. And it is ordinary among Men, when you would commend the known Worth of the Artiſt, to ſay, He that wrought this is ſuch a Man, ſo to commend the Workmanſhip.
And thus both when the Holy-Ghoſt ſpeaks of this Glory it ſelf, (which is the End for which here) his ſtile is, Wboſe Maker and Builder is God, Heb. 11. 10. And in like equipage here of Preparation to that End, he ſaith, He that hath wrought us [for this thing] is God. In this very Chapter, (2 Cor. 5. to go no further,) when the great Work of Salvation, in the whole of it, is ſpoken of, he prefaceth thus to it: All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himſelf, &c. That is, in this Tranſaction he hath appeared like that God [of whom all things elſe are] and ſo more eminently in this than in all, or at leaſt, any other Work. What there is ſaid of Salvation in the whole, is here of that particular Salvation of a ſeparate Soul. You have the like Emphaſis put, Heb. 2. 10. of bringing many Sons to Glory, [It became him] ſays the Text. Now put all together, and the reſult is:
The Second Point.
That to have provided a Glory for ſeparate Souls of Juſt Men, wrought upon in this Life, is a Diſpenſation becoming the Great God: yea, and that there is an Artifice and Contrivement therein worthy of God, and like unto himſelf, ſuch as he hath ſhewed in other his Works of Wonder.
There are two Branches of this Doctrine, which I ſet otherwiſe out thus:
1. That it is a thing becoming the Great God, thus to deal with ſuch a ſeparate Soul, having been wrought upon.
2. That God hath deſigned, and brings forth therein, a glorious Artifice and Contrivement, ſuch as argue him a God Wiſe in Counſel, and Wonderful in Working.
I. Firſt Branch of this ſecond Doctrine, That it becomes God.
The Account of this Becomingneſs is beſt made forth, by comparing and bringing together into an Interview, both the inward and outward Condition of ſuch a Soul, and then the Relations which God bears to it, ſuch as ſhould thereupon move him (through his good pleaſure) thus to deal with it.
You know I at firſt undertook chiefly Reaſons of Congruity or Becomingneſs, and ſuch always conſiſt of two parts, and when the one anſwereth and ſuiteth to the other, then the Harmony of ſuch a Reaſon is made up.
Let Us therefore conſider,
1. What is on the Soul's part.
2. What is on God's part.