The General Assembly, Doctrine · Chapter 3
CHAP III. What is implied in this gathering together, what is included in it, and conſequences of it.
3. THE next Head to be opened is, to give a more particular account of this work of the Saints gathering together, and this I ſhall do in theſe Seven particulars.
1. That all the Saints in the ſeveral ages, places, conditions wherein they have lived, ſhall be gathered into one general Aſſembly, this may ſeem ſtrange, but its true; all the Children of God that ever have lived this five thouſand Years and upwards, ſince Man was placed on this earthly Globe, all that ever have lived, do live, or ſhall live till the end of time, ſhall be aſſembled, ſuch as have lived in far diſtant places many thouſand Miles aſunder, by vaſt tracts of ground, mountains, ſeas, in Europe, Aſia, Africa and America, ſuch as have died many thouſand Years ago, and have been long ſinging praiſes and enjoying God in the Church triumphant, Old Teſtament Saints, and New Teſtament Saints: The Children of God in the Church militant, yet fighting under the banner of Chriſt, ſhall meet with Victors that have been long crowned: Perſons of all Conditions, Ages, Sexes, Qualities, Rich and Poor, Old and Young; ſuch as never ſaw each others Faces in this World, no, nor ever heard of each other, yet then they ſhall meet together, Luke 13.29. And they ſhall come from the Eaſt and from the West, and from the North, and from the South, and ſhall ſit down in the Kingdom of God: Its ſaid, Acts 2.5. There were dwelling at Jeruſalem Jews, devout Men, out of every Nation under Heaven: But what are thoſe to theſe out of all Countries of the World: O what a vaſt number of Souls ſhall be congregated! Such as never appeared together in this lower Region: When there ſhall be a general Collection of Mortals beyond the Theaters, or Amphitheaters of the Ancient Romans, or Armies of Mahometans: Multitudes, Joel 3.14.multitudes in this Mount as Joel ſpeaks in the valley of deciſion.
2. That all this Congregation ſhall then be perfectly holy: So it may be truly ſaid of this Aſſembly, as the murmuring Princes ſaid of Iſrael, Num. 16.3.All the Congregation are Holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them; there is not one feeble Perſon among them, no infant of day's, but they are grown up to be ſtrong, turn Gyants in Grace: They ſtand in no need of Ordinances, miniſterial Gifts, and the exerciſe thereof are only for perfecting of the Saints, Eph. 4.12. But now they are above them, being perfected: That City hath no need of the Sun, Rev. 21.23.or of the Moon to ſhine in it: As ſoon as ever the breath departs out of the body of a Child of God, it ſhakes off all Sin, and puts on a new Garment of perfect Holineſs: They take their leave of the Body of Death and Earth together: Not one ſpeck of dirt to be ſeen upon all this great Multitude: Souls take their leave of Sin, as they are taking their leave of this World: O what a glorious ſight will that be of milk-white Saints! Surely a lovely ſight; there will be no Pride, Paſſion, Impatience, nor any thing to vex themſelves or others: The dregs are left behind, and pure quinteſcence floats upwards: Conſecrated Souls are now elevated to the higheſt pitch, and defecated from filthy and defiling dregs: Oh what a bleſſed day will that be!
3. That all Troubles and Temptations in this lower World ſhall then ceaſe: Neither the Devil nor wicked Men can follow them off this Dung-hill, although the Devil be called the Prince of the Power of the Air, Eph. 2.2.yet he cannot ſtop or hurt the Saints as they paſs through his Dominions; nor ſhall he ſhoot a Dart at them or after them: All Troubles are at a Period: Death it ſelf the King of Terrours is ſtrangled; it had no Sting to wound the Saints before,1 Cor. 15.56. Heb. 2.15. now it hath no being: The fear of it was gone in ſome degrees in their lives; now the very feeling of it is gone: They are delivered not only from the Second but from the Firſt Death: They ſhall never receive a mortal wound, no, nor any wound: The accuſer (and abuſer) of the Brethren is caſt out: Rev. 12.10.Not only caſt down, but quite caſt out, and all his Artillery and his Inſtruments.
4. When Saints are thus gathered together, they ſhall know one another: Its true, ſome kind of imperfect knowledge ſhall ceaſe, that knowledge which is only acquired in the uſe of Means ſhall vaniſh away, 1 Cor. 13.8. Or, that which ſees through a glaſs darkly, then ſhall we ſee face to face, verſe 12. I muſt needs confeſs thoſe two words are beyond my comprehenſion, of knowing even as we are known, 1 Cor. 13.12. 1 John 3.2.and of ſeeing God as he is: And I ſuſpect that no Mortal can underſtand what they mean: But I think the Faculties will be ſtrangely inlarged, ſo that the Saints will know all natural things, and pierce into the Eſſence of the moſt intricate Beings, the Nature and Efficacy of Creatures, the Properties of Angels, the Myſteries of Redemption, the Councels of God: Though they are not omniſcient, their Knowledge is limited, yet I think they will know all the Antient Patriarchs, Abraham, Iſaac, Jacob, Joſeph, David, Paul, Peter, though they had never ſeen them in this World: Thus the rich Man though damned, knew Father Abraham, Luke 16.23.and Lazarus in his boſom: Luther diſcourſed the Night before he died, that Saints ſhall know one another hereafter, from Adam's knowing who Eve was, though he was aſleep,Gen. 2.23. the Diſciples knowing Moſes and Elias in Chriſt's transfiguration, Mat. 17.3. and indeed his mutual knowledge will not be the leaſt part of Saints heavenly delight.
5. The Souls of Men live after they are ſeparated from the Body: For, what is it which is gathered with the Saints? Its not the Body, for that is laid in the duſt, but its the Soul, for the Body and Soul meet not till the great Day of the Reſurrection: Nor doth the Soul ſleep in the duſt till then, for our Lord ſaid to the penitent Thief,Luke 23.43. to day ſhalt thou be with me in Paradice: And Paul deſired to be looſed, that he might be with Christ; Pſalm. 1.23.nor doth the Soul ceaſe to be, it hath an exiſtence in a ſeparate State: Men may kill the Body not the Soul:Mat. 10.20. Atomiſts and Epicureans will not grant an annihilation of any one Atom in the Univerſe, ſurely then not this excellent Creature, the Soul of Man: Yea the Soul of Man continues its inviduation, i. e. its diſtinct being, and falls not into one common univerſal Soul of the World, as ſome have imagined: Spirits have a numerical Difference, a diſtinct Being: Nor are we to think that the Soul returns into the Eſſence of God, becauſe the Text ſaith, The Spirit returns to God who gave it, Eccl. 12.7. It doth return to God to receive its Sentence from him, not into his Being, for then we ſhould make God Diviſible, and conſiſting of Parts, which is contrary to his infinite Divine Nature; thus Souls have a diſtinct Being, yet depending on God the firſt Being, and are individuals, and muſt be accordingly judged.
6. That the Soul being gathered with the Elect enters immediately into glory; to know where Lazarus's Soul was, while he was in the Grave, requires more skill then I can pretend to: Some think it hovered about the Grave by Chriſt's order, as deſigning its re-entring the Body; but Scripture aſſures us of the immediate Salvation of gracious Souls: They enter into peace, when the Body reſts in its Bed, Iſa. 57.2. They are pronounced bleſſed that die in the Lord: Rev. 14.13.When Christ who is our life ſhall appear, then ſhall we appear with him in Glory, Col. 3.4. Now they ſhall be glorious in their Souls: At the Reſurrection, their Bodies will be Glorious,Phi. 3.21. even like Chriſt's glorious Body: This anſwers that Query, whether the Saints ſhall have greater Glory at the Reſurrection then they had immediately after their Death? It is eaſy to determine, that ſo far as there is an Addition of a glorified Body to the glorified Spirit, ſo far is the Glory greater, what further, I know not: Though Dr. Hammond thinks the Word [foreign] when Fleſh is not joined to it, ſignifies, that Life which the Soul enters upon immediately after Death, called Reſurrection, i. e. Glorification: Certainly the Soul hath ſome intuitive Knowledge in its ſeparate State and Felicity alſo, ſo far as it is capable.
7. When theſe bleſſed Souls are thus gathered together they ſhall never part, they ſhall live with God and each other for ever: Here we part and meet again, and meet and part again, and part ſo as we ſhall never meet again in this World: But in the other World we ſhall part no more through the Ages of Eternity: After Millions of Years the Comforts are as freſh as at the firſt Moment, never weary, nor interrupted, they are before the throne of God, Rev. 7.15. chap. 20.6. chap. 22.5.and ſerve him day and night in his temple: Theſe Waters have a perpetual Spring; this Day hath no Night: They ſhall reign with Chriſt not a thouſand Years definitively, but for ever and ever: O what a laſting and everlaſting injoyment of God and Saints will that be! What can part them, God will not, the Devil and wicked Men cannot, themſelves ſhall not, for they have within them an incorruptible Seed, even of that Word that liveth and abideth for ever, 1 Pet. 1.23. It is not with Saints in Heaven as with Boon-companions in playing, drinking, carouſing Matches of ſport and vanity, that muſt part; nor is it with Saints there as with God's Children here in the Worſhip of God, that have their Intermiſſion, Ceſſations, Interruptions, are forced to break off: But there the work continues praiſing God, the place continues, it hath Foundations, the perſons continue, he that doth the will of God abideth for ever, 1 John 2.17.