England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 82
COLOS. 1.27.
Hope of [Glory.
TIs hard to open this terme, yet it will be meete to make at it a little: if one can but get a glimpſe of glory by humble induſtry, it will be worth the while; a little of Heaven and for but a little while, as Paul had, when on earth, tis very ſweet in our ſad and forelorne ſtate. Glory is abſolute perfection, as things come ſhort of this they are defective, all defect deſtroyes glory, as glory is ſtrictly and properly taken, ſo it is here: there be ſeverall glories: the utmoſt of every ſuch a being, is its glory. That may bee called glory in order to a Plant, or a Brute, which may not be ſo called in order to man, his being is ſo vaſt, and ſo receiving, unleſſe this vaſt being, be fild up, and every veine and rivelet run as many fadome deep as they ſhould, and as they did, when firſt made out from the fountaine, man cannot be ſaid to be in glory. And therefore to ſpeake properly, glory is a garment which God only weares and ſuch as ſit in his boſome, who have there that which is elſe no where, the utmoſt of ſuch vaſt beings; this is generall.
We muſt by the command of our Text, ſpeake of glory preciſely in order to man, and what that is you ſhall ſee in Chriſt, who brought mans glory from Heaven for him, and in the perſon and nature of man, wore it here, though the World could not ſee it, a curtaine of fleſh being drawne before it, but the Saints then living, ſaw a glimpſe of it in him. And the word was made fleſh and dwelt amongſt us, and we beheld his glory as the glory, of the onelyonly begotten of the Father full of grace and truth, John. 1.14. The firſt Adam loſt his glory; Chriſt held it, though the World far otherwiſe, and far worſe then when Adam lived in it. What was Adams glory? The Image of God. What was Chriſts glory? The ſame: full of grace and truth. Were we but full of grace and truth, wee ſhould be in glory, in Heaven here as Chriſt was. What was Chriſts glory, is our glory: his fulneſſe was in way of unction and Office, and ſo ſhewes and aſſures, what is, and what ſhall be our glory.
Glory is holineſſe and joy, in fulneſſe: therefore is Heaven called a holy Heaven, Pſal. 20.6; Chriſts fulneſſe fully imparted, grace for grace; The ſoule come to the meaſure of the ſtature of the fulneſſe of Chriſt. The glory of the eyes, is to ſee, and to ſee perfectly; and ſo of the eare, and ſo of every other Organ Sinne hath rackt the ſoule and pul'd every lim out of joynt, bu… they are ſet againe by Chriſt here for a little uſe, but not ſo as they ſhall be; we go lame, and go in paine, our very holineſſe is halting and afflicting, there is no glory in that. So farre as we come ſhort of the Will of God habitually or actually, wee come ſhort of glory. Wee all ſinne and come ſhort of the glory of God. The expreſſion notes what is glory, to wit, full congruitie to the Will of God, ſuch a congruity as excludes all ſinne. Our inheritance is undefiled foreign, 1 Pet. 1.4. it is unſpotted and cannot be defiled; the word uſed in the originall, is the name of a pretious ſtone too, which do what you will to it, you cannot blemiſh it; throw it into fire, tis taken out ſtill more bright and cleare; ſuch is our inheritance and ſtate above, a glory that hath no in-glory or diſ-glory, nor nothing can make diſglorious; can any ſpot the Sun, though they ſhould throw dirt at it? not the ſhaddow of ſinne above, or imperfection, nor can by any diabollical art be made; there be that ſet their mouthes againſt Heaven, Pſal. 73.9. that blaſpheme the Tabernacle of Heaven, and yet cannot ſpot grace and truth here, much leſſe can it be ſpotted above. Every one goes all cleane above, inſide, outſide, and nothing can defile either, they are of ſuch an amiantous nature: there is no having and then loſing above.
Fulneſſe of joy: this neceſſarily ſprings out of the other; for as holineſſe is, ſo is joy; tis the flower that holineſſe beares, the greene leafes and fruit of the Tree of life. If wee could attaine a fulneſſe of holineſſe here, wee ſhould have a fulneſſe of joy, they are ſo connaturall; if we were in the condition of Chriſt for the one, we ſhould neceſſarily be for the other. Our Saviour is expreſly cleare in this. Jf yee keepe my Commandements yee ſhall abide in my love even as I have kept my Fathers Commandement and abide in his love; theſe things have I ſpoken unto you that my joy might remaine in you, and that your joy might be full. Could wee walke in Chriſts Commandements as he did in his Fathers, we ſhould live in his boſome here, and be embraced with ſuch embracements and raptures as he was. If we had Chriſts holineſſe, wee ſhould have Chriſts joy remaine in us, and then our joy would be full: theſe things have I ſpoken to you that [my joy might remaine in you] that is ſuch a joy as I have, that hath no want nor no expreſſion, tis ſo full of glory and ſo full of ſweetneſſe (for that is the reaſon Chriſt gives it ſuch a name my joy, becauſe the nature of it is unexpreſſable in our termes, or in any Language amongſt the Sonnes of men) in a ſuffering condition, when the ſoule holds tite in obedience, through the power of Chriſt it comes then mighty neere Heaven, and then obſerve what it hath, it hath Chriſts joy, joy full and beyond expreſſion, joy unſpeakable and full of glory. Full, joy is full of glory 'tis the ſpring of the Yeare, all things greene and floriſhing, ſmiling and ſinging. Theſe things hint their ſtate above and what glory is, tis fulneſſe of holineſse and joy; as the one is proportioned to Chriſt, ſo is the other, we have his ſtature and his meaſure in both, brimfull. Our ſtate here is a ſtate of reception; and therefore asking and praying continuall worke; their ſtate above is a ſtate of plenitude, and therefore praying and asking work quite over; aske and you ſhall receive ſaith Chriſt; aske that your joy may be full, John. 16.24. Aske that asking worke and begging worke may be over; there be no beggars in Heaven, no not for joy, though that be a top mercy. Defect in joy is from the diſtance of ſomething that the ſoule reaches at; there is no longing in Heaven; that which wee account a mercy here is an affliction there: to thirſt and pant after ſuch and ſuch Divine things, ſuch and ſuch heigths and depths of grace, we account it a great mercy to finde our ſoules in ſuch a frame here; and yet this would be miſery above; there is no panting nor thirſting after any thing, becauſe no diſtance of any thing that is bleſſed; there is no darkeneſſe, no twilight, no cloud of a hand breadth all that Heaven over, to hide any thing from any ſoule to ſad him; all there, have all plaine and open to them, abundance of Revelations, a Hyperbole of Revelations, it is the expreſſion of him that was there a little while.foreign. Leaſt J ſhould he exalted above meaſure, through the abundance of the Revelations, 2 Cor. 12.7. tis abundance of Revelations indeed, for tis a perſonall beholding of God, and that is a Hyperbole of Revelations you will all grant, and yet tis very true, and me thinkes very plainly ſet out Exod. 33.17, 18, 19, 20. at the eighteene verſe this is Moſes requeſt, J beſeech thee ſhew me thy glory; obſerve how God anſwers to this at the 20 verſ. thou canſt not ſee my face; by which is interpreted what is meant by Gods glory, to wit, his face; what Moſes before called Gods glory, that God himſelfe, when he comes to Engliſh it to us, calls his face: but what then is meant by Gods face? why this alſo in the next words God himſelfe interprets, There ſhall no man ſee [mee] and live, expreſſing his perſon, ſo that the glory of God according to Gods owne interpretation is a perſonall beholding of God, and this is a hyperbole of revelations indeed, and that which makes a hyperbole of joyes indeed [thou] ſhalt make mee full of joy with [thy countenance] Acts 2.28. which is a place paralell with the former, and poynts at the perſonall viſion of God, which and which only makes full joy to the ſoule of man.