The General Assembly, Doctrine · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. For what End the Saints are gathered together.
4. THE next Head is to open the End or Deſign of the Saints gathering together, theſe are of Two Sorts, 1. Principal, 2. Secondary and Subordinate.
1. The primary and principal End is, the Glorifying of God; the great God doth all things for this great End, 2 Theſ. 1.10. When he ſhall come to be glorified in his Saints, and to be admired in all them that believe: The glory of the Saints ſhall reflect glory to God: God takes himſelf honoured in his Saints Honour, as the Prince is magnified in the ſplendour of his Court: If God be glorified in the bittereſt Sufferings of his Saints,1 Pet. 4.14. how much more in their Exaltations? Oh what a Luſter will they caſt, when they are all crowned as Kings,Dan. 12.3. Mat. 13.43. when they ſhall ſhine as the Firmament, yea as Stars, yea as the Sun in its Meridian glory, O what a ſtrange change is this to be raiſed out of the Durſt and Dung-hill, to ſit upon Thrones? How came this to paſs, ſurely the Author of this Glory will have the chief ſhare therein, all God's perfections will be conſpicuous: The Saints meeting together in the foreſaid Manner, will tend to the glory of
1. God's Soveraignty, wherein he choſe theſe that were Children of Wrath even as others to make them Veſſels of Mercy, and left others as good as they to periſh and be baniſhed from God to all Eternity; then thoſe eternal Councels will be diſplayed, and that Scripture fully explained, Rom. 9.15, 18, 22, 23.
2. God's Wiſdom ſhall be illuſtrious in contriving a way for Man's Redemption and Salvation: This Wiſdom of God in a Myſtery, even the hidden wiſdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, 1 Cor. 2.7. Then the Secrets of this Wiſdom will be clearly laid open, to Angels and Men, which now they deſire to look into, yea become Scholars in the Church to learn more of, Eph. 3.10.1 Pet. 1.12.
3. The Power of God will be illuſtrious in bringing poor weak Creatures through ſuch a world of Difficulties and Oppoſitions, as Sheep in the midſt of Wolves, Lions, Bears, in an howling Wilderneſs, yea themſelves ſhall wonder how they ever got thither, and ſhall reflect with comfort and triumph, that they were kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation, 1 Pet. 1.5.
4. But no Attribute of God will ſhine ſo bright in that day of Saints meeting together, as that of his Free-grace, Love and Mercy, this orient Pearl in the Gold-ring of Glory will ſhine brighteſt: That up-hill City is built all of Free-ſtone, they had none mounted ſo high, had not the arms of love been under them: When this Head-ſtone of Glory is laid, it will be with ſhoutings, grace, grace unto it, Zech. 4.7. The Coeleſtial Pallace will ring with Acclamations of Grace: Grace laid the Foundation, and Grace lays the Top-ſtone in Glory: The glorified Soul will ſtand amazed, and ſay, who am I O Lord God, and what is my houſe that thou hast brought me hitherto? 2 Sam. 7.18.And Saints and Angels will ſtand gazing at them, and at God in them, that of ſuch filthy Beaſts hath made ſuch holy Saints, of ſuch Lepers not fit to be toucht, hath advanced them above the ordinary rate of Men, equal unto the Angels: Fellow-ſaints ſhall adore Free-grace,Luke 20.36. Devils ſhall fret, Reprobates gnaſh their Teeth with envy, and Angels will gladly admit them into their Society: And God will be glorified in all.
This is the firſt and chief End God hath in gathering the Saints together.
2. There is alſo a ſecondary ſubordinate End of God's bringing his Saints together, and that is for their mutual Communion, Converſe and Society with each other, and all with God together.
Negatively it ſhall not be.
1. To Trade, Buy and Sell, and have civil Commerce together, to make great Purchaſes, or to go to Fairs and Markets, or meet upon Exchange for Merchandice: There's no ſuch things there: Nor ſhall they Marry or be given in Marriage; nor converſe as Husband and Wives, Luke 20.35.
2. Nor ſhall they ſuffer together, or be thrown into Priſons, Dens, Caves of the Earth, to endure Hardſhips, ſeeking Relief, or begging their Bread; the Devil and his Inſtruments are there non-ſuited, the accuſer of the brethren is cast down, Rev. 12.10. And all his Angels, Agents.
3. Much leſs ſhall they Sin together, by Acts of Immorality, or idle Talk or Chat, there ſhall not be uttered one vain Word to all Eternity; nor ſhall they Quarrel, or Contend, and thereby grieve and fret or vex the Spirits one of another, or ſadden the Hearts of each other; No, no, there ſhall be perfection of Grace, and compleat harmony of Minds and Affections.
4. Nor ſhall there be one word of Complaint as now there is, Chriſtians when they meet here, ſpend much of their Time in bemoaning themſelves, or bemoaning one another, in mutual Compaſſion, confeſſing their Faults to each other,James 5.16, acquainting Chriſtian Friends with their Grievances, begging their Advice, and the help of their Prayers; O ſaith one, I am Ignorant, Hard-hearted, Unbelieving, have a treacherous Memory, am very Unprofitable; ſaith another, I am ſore aſſaulted with Satans Suggeſtions, helliſh Temptations; another ſaith, I am in the dark, God hides his Face, I know not what to make of my Condition; another complains of dark Providences, and is afraid of miſſing his Way, in ſuch a Caſe; every one hath his peculiar Ailings and Grievances; and one while raiſe their Hearts to God, another while to Chriſtian Friends; but there ſhall be no ſuch thing as a whimper of complaining, when they meet together in that Solemn day.
2. More poſitively and affirmatively, the Ends and Buſineſs for which the Saints ſhall come together are theſe Two.
1. The former concerns their perſonal Felicity: The Second concerns their mutual Society and Entercourſe.
1. For their own perſonal Felicity, they ſhall meet together for theſe Ends:
1. To reſt together, as their Bodies ſhall reſt in the Grave, ſo ſhall their Soul reſt with God: This is the time of refreſhing that comes from the preſence of the Lord, Acts 3.19. Now they reſt from their labours, ſinful, evil,Rev. 14.13. and natural, never more to be peſtered any more with the Hurries of a mad World, Temptations of a malicious Devil, or Corruptions of a treacherous Heart: Reſt is ſweet, this Reſt is moſt ſweet, when they enter into Peace they reſt in their Beds, Iſa. 57.2.
2. To be rewarded; great is their reward in Heaven, Mat. 5.12. This Reward doth greatly animate God's Saints in their Labours and Loſſes, they ſtill have reſpect to the recompence of Reward, Heb. 11.26. Pro. 11.18.and they ſhall not be diſappointed for it is a ſure Reward; and their Confidence hath great recompence of Reward, Heb. 10.35. Not by any thing we have done in point of commutative Juſtice, yet by diſtributive Juſtice, by vertue of God's promiſe in the New Covenant, God will be as good as his Word.
3. They meet to rejoyce together, at preſent, they rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God, Rom. 5.2. But Heaven is the true proper Element of Joy: If at a diſtance and unſeen,Iſa. 35.10. the Chriſtian can rejoyce with Joy unſpeakable and full of Glory, upon actings of a Faith of Adherence:1 Pet. 1.8. Oh what Joy will the Chriſtian have above, this is an entring into our Maſters Joy,Mat. 25.21. becauſe our Veſſels are too narrow for this joy to enter into us; O what tranſport of joy at the Saints arrival!
4. They meet to Reign: The Saints of the moſt high ſhall take the Kingdom and poſſeſs the Kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever, Dan. 7. 18. Rev. 22.5. Not only ſhall godly Miniſters receive a crown of glory that fadeth not a way; 1 Pet. 5.4.but ſuffering Saints ſhall have the Crown of Life, which God hath promiſed to all that love him, James 1.12. Earthly Crowns are but rotten Trifles to this Crown that all Saints ſhall receive: This is an high tranſcendent Preferment.
5. They meet together to receive their Inheritance: At preſent they are but as Children in their Minority, but at Death they take poſſeſſion of their rightful Inheritance, and it is an Inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reſerved in Heaven for them, 1 Pet. 1.4. All God's Children are Heirs,Gal. 3.29. and heirs according to promiſe, and this Glory they have hereafter is a reward of inheritance, Col. 3.24. The Kingdoms of the Earth countervail not this bleſſed Inheritance above.
6. They meet together to triumph upon their bleſſed Conqueſt: What ſtrange Triumphers ſhall Saints be hereafter,Rom. 8.37. that are more then Conquerours here? All the Saints ſhall be cloathed with white robes and palmes in their hands, Rev. 7.9. O the triumphant Song they ſing, Rev. 15.3. It is unintelligible by others, and cannot be learned by any but overcomers: O happy Souls!
7. They meet to ſee the Execution of God's Vengance upon the Wicked, Jude 14.15. Behold the Lord cometh to execute Judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly, of their ungodly deeds and hard ſpeeches,—the righteous ſhall rejoyce when he ſeeth the vengance, Pſal. 58.10. The more the Saints Will is melted into God's Will, the more content will they have in the executing of Juſtice, not ſo much on God's Creatures, but his Enemies, ſee 2 Theſ. 1. 6, 7, 8, 9.
8. They meet for a clear Manifeſtation of their inward Principles and outward Practices to each other: Saints are called hidden ones,Pſal. 83.3. their beſt part is moſt out of ſight; their life is hid with Chriſt in God, but when Chriſt who is our life ſhall appear, then ſhall we appear with him in glory, Col. 3.3, 4. Yea, and the Creature waiteth for the manifeſtation of the Sons of God, Rom. 8.19. O what a diſplay will there be at that day of Men's inward States one to another, never before known, 1 John 3.1, 2.
9. They meet to have their Graces perfected: This (and never till then) is the day when that is accompliſhed, Eph. 4.12, 13. The perfecting of the Saints till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect Man unto the meaſure of the ſtature of the fulneſs of Chriſt: Then will every corner of the Soul be filled with Grace, to the full brim: He that begun a good work here, will perform till the day of Jeſus Chriſt, Phil. 1.6. Now they have attained to that they were preſſing after; O bleſſed day! Oh ſweet attainment!
10. Yet, once more they meet together to injoy God immediately together: This Crowns all the reſt, this is the top of all, the Achme and higheſt Felicity of a rational Soul: This is that they have been long breathing after: Some glimpes of his bleſſed Face they ſaw through the glaſs of Ordinances, and were thereby changed into the ſame image from glory to glory, 2 Cor. 3.18. But that ſight of God was but through a glaſs darkly, but then face to face, 1 Cor. 13.12. When he ſhall appear we ſhall be like him, for we ſhall ſee him as he is, 1 John 3.2. What Man dwelling on this ſide Death knows the meaning of that Word? God ſaid to Moſes, thou canſt not ſee my face, its well if we can ſee his back parts;Exod. 33.20. but then the Lord will unveil his bleſſed Face to glorified Souls: We cannot till now how a finite Soul is capable of ſeeing an infinite Object, but then as the faculties will be ſtrangely inlarged and extended, ſo this Viſion will exceed our preſent low Apprehenſions: This is called the beautiful Viſion, promiſed to the pure in heart that they ſhall ſee God; Mat. 5.8.and its this that makes them compleatly Happy: That's one of the ſweeteſt words in the Bible, 1 Theſ. 4.17, 18. Then we which are alive and remain, ſhall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and ſo ſhall we ever be with the Lord, wherefore comfort one another with theſe words.