The Glorious Feast of the Gospel, Sermon 8
THE Eighth Sermon.
ISAIAH 25. 8.
He ſhall ſwallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away teares from off all faces, and the rebukes of his people ſhall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath ſpoken it.
And it ſhall be ſaid in that day, loe, this is our God, wee have waited for him, and be will ſave us: this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoyce in his ſalvation.
TO come cloſer to the particulars. It ſhall be ſaid in that day, loe this is our God. The mouth of the Lord hath ſpoken gracious things before, hath promiſed a Feaſt, and an excellent Feaſt. Gods manner is firſt of all to give promiſes to his Church;Promiſes of God, flow from Gods goodneſſe. why? his goodneſſe commeth from his goodneſſe, his goodneſſe of grace commeth from his goodneſſe of nature: He is good, and doth good. Now the ſame goodneſſe of diſpoſition which we call bounty, that reſerveth heaven and happineſſe for us in another world; the ſame goodneſſe will not ſuffer us to be without all comfort in this world: Becauſe the knowledge and revelation of the glory to come hath much comfort in it. Therefore in mercy he not only intendeth performance of glory, but out of the ſame fountaine of goodneſſe, he intendeth to reveale whatſoever is good for his Church in the way to glory. So that promiſes of good, come from the ſame goodneſſe of God by which he intendeth heaven: For what moved God to come out of that hidden light, that no man can come into, and diſcover himſelfe in his ſonne? The word in his promiſes to reveale his minde to mankinde, and make knowne what he will have us to doe, and what he will doe to us? but onelyonly his goodneſſe is the cauſe of all. And therefore the end of promiſes in Gods intention is to comfort us in the way to heaven, that we may have ſomething to ſupport us; they are promiſſa, quaſi praemiſſa: They are promiſes and premiſes, and ſent before the thing it ſelfe.
Now here it commeth that the glory to come is tearmed the joy of heaven, and the glorious eſtate to come. You have need of patience, that you may get the promiſes; heaven and happineſſe is called the promiſes, becauſe we have them aſſured in promiſes. The bleſſings of the New Teſtament are called promiſes; as the children of the promiſe, yea the heires of glory; becauſe all is conveyed by a promiſe, therefore all happineſſe is conveyed by a promiſe.
Now the promiſes are of good things.Promiſes free and full. They are for the ſpring of them, free, from Gods free goodneſſe; for the meaſure of them, full; for the truth of them, conſtant, even as God himſelfe that promiſeth. And therefore wee may well build upon them.
Before I goe any farther, I beſeech you let us account the promiſes of the good we have to be our beſt treaſure,Uſe. our beſt portion,Let us count promiſes our beſt treaſure. our beſt riches, for they be called precious promiſes; not onelyonly becauſe they be precious in themſelves, but becauſe they are from the precious love of God in Chriſt to us. They are likewiſe for precious things, they are laid hold of by precious faith, as the Scripture calleth them, and therefore they are precious promiſes. Let us not onelyonly account of our riches that wee have; for what is that we have, to what wee ſpeak of, to that wee have in promiſe. A Chriſtian is rich in reverſion, rich in bills, and obligations: Chriſt hath bound himſelfe to him, and he can ſue him out when he pleaſeth. In all kinds of neceſſitie, he can ſue God for good; hee can goe to God and ſay, Remember thy promiſe Lord, wherein thou haſt cauſed me thy ſervant to truſt; and can binde God with his own word.
But I take this onelyonly in paſſage as the foundation of what I am to ſpeak.
From the mouth of God you ſee the great promiſes delivered: and now we have waited for them. That which anſwereth promiſes, is expectation and waiting.
The ſecond thing therefore between the promiſes wherein God is a debter,God taketh a long day for performance of promiſes. and the performance, is, that there is a long time, a long day: oftentimes God takes a long day for performing of his promiſe, as 400 yeares Abrahams poſterity went to be in Egypt. And it was 4000 yeares from the beginning of the world, till the comming of Chriſt, which was the promiſe of promiſes; the promiſe of the ſeed, a great long day: And therefore Chriſt is ſaid to come in the latter end of the world. Abraham had promiſe of a ſonne, but it was not performed till he was an old man: Symeon had a promiſe to ſee Chriſt in the fleſh, but hee was an old man, ready to yeeld up the ghoſt before it was performed. God taketh a long day for his promiſes; long to us,Reaſ. 1. not to him; for to him a 1000 yeares are but as one day.To exerciſe our faith.
The promiſes of God are long in performing; for to exerciſe our faith,Reaſ. 2. and our dependance to the full, to take us off from the creature,To waine from the creature. and to indeare the things promiſed to us,Reaſ. 3. to ſet the greater price upon them when we have them.To indear the things promiſed. Many other reaſons my be given, if I intended to inlarge my ſelfe in that point. A Chriſtian hath a title to heaven, as ſoon as he is a Chriſtian, he is an heire to heaven; perhaps he may live here twenty, or fourty yeares more, before God takes him up to glory; why doth he defer it ſo long?
The reaſon is,Reaſ. 4. God will fit us for heaven by little and little;To fit us for injoyment. and will perfume us as Eſther was perfumed, before ſhe muſt come to Ahaſuerus: there were many weekes, and moneths of perfuming: So God will ſweeten and fit us for heaven and happineſſe. It is a holy place, God a holy God: Chriſt is that holy one; and for us to have everlaſting communion with God and Chriſt in ſo holy a place, requireth a great preparation. And God by deferring it ſo long, will mortifie our affections by little and little, and will have us die to all baſe things here in affection, before we die indeed. David had title to the Kingdom as ſoone as ever he was anointed;Simile. but David was fitted to be an excellent King indeed, by deferring the performance of the promiſe till afterward: So in our right and title, and poſſeſſion of heaven, there is a long time betweenl
Our Saviour Chriſt was 34 yeers before he was taken up to heaven▪ Simile.becauſe hee was to worke our ſalvation: And he was willing to ſuſpend his glory for ſuch a time, that he might doe it; to ſuſpend his glory due to him, from the firſt moment of his conception: For by vertue of the union, glory was due to him at the firſt; but becauſe he had taken upon him to be a Mediator, out of love hee would ſuſpend his glory due to him, that he might ſuffer. And ſo God by way of conformity, will ſuſpend the glory due to us, that we may be conformed to Chriſt. Though wee have right to heaven, as ſoon as wee are borne, yet God will ſuſpend the full performance of it; becauſe he will by correction, and by length of time ſubdue by little and little that which maketh us unconformable to our head.
And can we complaine for any deferring of heaven when wee are but conformed to our glorious head, who was content to be without heaven ſo long.
But to goe on. As there be gracious and rich promiſes, and they have long time of performance to us, and hope deferred makes the ſoule languiſh. A condition of waiting, is a mixt condition of imperfection, and perfection.So God vouchſafeth a ſpirit to fit that expectation of his, a ſpirit of hope and waiting: And this waiting hath ſomething perfect in it, and ſomething imperfect; it is a mixt condition. There is good, becauſe there is a promiſe; for a promiſe is the declaration of Gods wil concerning good: But becauſe it is a promiſe of a thing not performed, there is an imperfection. So there is a mixture in the promiſe, and a mixture in the grace, hope, and expectation, and waiting, is an imperfect grace. That there be glorious things, it is perfection of good; that we have them not in poſſeſſion, that is the imperfection. So that hope is ſomthing, but it is not poſſeſſed; a promiſe is ſomething, but it is not the performance. A ſeed is ſomthing; but it is not the plant.
Thus God mixeth our condition here of perfection and imperfection; hee will have us in ſtate of imperfection, that wee may not thinke our ſelves at home in our Countrey, when wee are but in our way: Therefore he will have us in a ſtate of imperfection, that wee may long homeward; yet hee will have it a ſtate of good, that we may not ſinke in the way.
And not onelyonly promiſes;Wee have a taſte here of what we ſhall have hereafter to ſupport us. for in the way to heaven, God keeps not all for heaven, he lets in drops of comfort oftentimes in the midſt of miſery, hee doth reveale himſelfe more glorious and ſweet then at other times: there is nothing reſerved for us in another world, but wee have a beginning, a taſte, an earneſt of it here, to ſupport us, till wee come to the full poſſeſſion of what remaineth. Wee ſhall have full communion of Saints there; wee have it here, in the taſte of it: Wee know what it is to be acquainted with them that be gracious ſpirits: Wee have praiſing of God for ever there; we know the ſweetneſſe of it here, in the houſe of God, which made David deſire this one thing, that hee might dwell in the houſe of God, to viſit the beauty of God, &c. There wee ſhall have perfect peace; here we have inward peace, unſpeakable and glorious; a peace that paſſeth underſtanding in the beginning of it: There we ſhall have joy without all mixture of contrariety; here we have joy, and joy unſpeakable and full of glory. There is nothing in heaven that is perfect, that is ſweet and good, and comfortable, but we have a taſte, and earneſt of it here. The ſpirit will be all in all there, there is ſomthing of it in us now: more light in our underſtandings, more obedience in our wills, more and more love in our affections, and it is growing more and more.
And therefore all is not kept for time to come: we have ſomthing beginning here, beſides promiſes; there is ſome little degrees of performance; ſo that the ſtate between us and heaven, is a ſtate mixt of good, and imperfection.
Now God hath fitted graces ſuitable to that condition,Waiting is a grace whereby God ſits us for an imperfect condition. and that is expectation, or waiting, a fit grace, and a fit diſpoſition of ſoule from imperfect condition, that is afterwards to be perfected; for fruition is the condition of perfect happineſſe, not of waiting: for waiting implieth imperfection.
This waiting carrieth with it almoſt all graces,Waiting carrieth with it all graces. waiting for better times in glory to come, it hath to ſupport it. It is a carriage of ſoule that is ſupported with many graces. For firſt we wait for that we believe, we have a ſpirit of faith to leade to it: And then we hope, before we waite, and hope is the anchor of the ſoule that ſtayeth the ſoule in all the waves and miſeries of the world; it is the helmet that keeps off all the blowes: This hope iſſues from faith for what we believe, we hope for the accompliſhment of it.
So that all graces make way for waiting,1. Patience. or accompany it. The graces that accompany the waiting for good things in time to come, are patience, to endure all griefes between us and the full poſſeſſion of heaven.2. Long ſuffering. Then long ſuffering, which is nothing elſe but patience lengthned, becauſe troubles are lengthned, and the time is lengthned: So there is patience, and patience lengthned, which we call long ſuffering; and then together with patience and long ſuffering, there is contentment without murmuring at the diſpenſation of God;3. Contentment. ſomething in the ſoule that he would have it to be ſo. Hee that hath a heart to riſe, becauſe hee hath not what hee would have, hee doth not wait with that grace of waiting, that iſſueth from a right ſpring.
God reſerveth joy for the time to come, for our home, wee ſhould be content to have communion with God and the ſoules of perfect men; and not murmure though God exerciſeth us with many croſſes here. And therefore the Scripture calleth it a ſilence, 4. Silence from murmuring.In ſilence and in hope ſhall be your ſtrength. The ſoule keepeth ſilence to God in this waiting condition, and this ſilence quells all riſings in the ſoule preſently: As David, my ſoule kept ſilence unto the Lord. It will ſtill all riſings of the heart, iſſuing from a reſignation of the ſoule to God, to doe as he will have us to doe: So it implieth patience and long ſuffering, contentment, holy ſilence, without murmuring and repining.
And then it implies watchfulneſſe over our ſelves,5. Watchfulneſſe. (till wee come to the full accompliſhment of the promiſes) that we carry not our ſelves unworthily in the meane time: That wee ſhould not ſpend the time of our waiting in wickedneſſe, to fetch ſorrow from the devill, and the world to comfortus, or to be beholding to Satan. This is no waiting, but murmuring, and rebellion, when in croſſes and diſcomforts we cannot be content, but muſt be beholding to the Devill: ſo there muſt bee watchfulneſſe;6. Fruitfulnes. and not onelyonly ſo, but fruitfulneſſe in waiting. For he waits, that waiteth in doing good, that waiteth in obſervance; hee waiteth for his Maſters comming, that is, doing his duty all the time in a fruitfull courſe of obſervance and obedience; elſe it is no waiting: waiting is not meerly a diſtance of time, but a filling up of that time with all gracious carriage, with obedience, and with ſilence, with long ſuffering and contentment, and watchfulneſſe wee take not any ill courſe, and obſervance, and with fruitfulneſſe, that wee may fill up times of waiting, till performance, with all the graces, that we may have communion with God.
It is another manner of grace then the world thinks.Want of waiting the cauſe of wickednes. What is the reaſon of all the wickedneſſe of the world, and barrenneſſe, and voluptuouſneſſe, but becauſe they have not learned to wait? They heare of good things, and precious things promiſed; but they would have preſent payment, they will have ſomthing in hand. As Dives, ſonne, ſonne, thou haſt had thy good things here; they will have their good things here. And what is the reaſon of wickedneſſe, but becauſe they will have preſent pleaſures of ſinnes. Wee muſt preferre the afflictions of Chriſt before the pleaſures of ſin. Now that ſhortneſſe of ſpirit to have reward here, is the cauſe of all ſinne: They have no hope, nor obedience, nor expectation to endure the continuance of diuturnity; where then is patience, and hope, and contentment?
The character of a Chriſtian is, that he is in a waiting condition, and hath the grace of waiting; others will have the pleaſures of ſin, their profits and contentments, elſe they will cracke their conſciences, and ſell Chriſt, God, heaven, and all.
A Chriſtian as he hath excellent things above the world, ſo he hath the grace of expectation, and all the graces that ſtore up, and maintain that expectation till the performance come.Many rubs between us and heaven.
And therefore it is an hard thing to be a good Chriſtian, another thing then the world taketh it to be: For marke I beſeech you, what is between us and heaven, that wee muſt goe through, if ever wee will come there: Between us and heaven, the thing promiſed, there be many Croſſes to be met withall, and they muſt be borne, and borne as a Chriſtian ſhould doe; Through many afflictions we muſt enter into the kingdome of Heaven. Beſides croſſes, there be ſcandalous offences, that be enough to drive us from profeſſion of Religion without grace. Sometimes good men by their failings, and fallings out, they fall into ſinne, and fall out; and that is a ſcandall to wicked men. Oh ſay they, who would be of this Religion, when they cannot agree among themſelves: This is a great hinderance and ſtop. It is a ſcandall and rubbe in the way, not ſo much in themſelves; wee are full of ſcandall our ſelves, catch at any thing, that we may except againſt the beſt waies; there is a root of ſcandall in the hearts of all, becauſe men will not goe to hell without reaſon.
Now becauſe wee are eaſie to take offence, rather then wee will be damned without reaſon, it is not eaſie to hold out. Beſides this, Satan plies it with his temptations from affliction, and from ſcandall; he amplifies theſe things in the fancy: who would be a Chriſtian? Yee ſee what their profeſſion is; And ſo hee maketh the way the more difficult.
And then againe,We are of unſetled diſpoſitions. looke at our owne diſpoſition to ſuffer, to hold out, to fix; there is an unſetledneſſe, which is a proper infirmity in our natures ſince the fall: we love variety, wee are inconſtant, and cannot fix our ſelves upon the beſt things, and wee are impatient of ſuffering any thing. Wee are not onelyonly indiſpoſed to doe good, but more indiſpoſed to ſuffer any ill; the ſpirit muſt helpe us over all this, which muſt continue all our life long, till wee be in heaven, ſomething or other will be in our way: now the Spirit of God muſt helpe us over all theſe afflictions. We ſhall never come to heaven to overcome afflictions, and ſcandals, and temptation, which Satan plies us here withall.Its hard to overcome tediouſneſſe of time. And then to overcome the tediouſneſſe of time; this needeth a great deale of ſtrength: now this grace of expectance doth all. And therefore it is ſo oftentimes ſtood upon in Scripture;All to be overcome by waiting. in Iſaiah, and in the Pſalmes, how often is it repeated, Pſal. 77. laſt, Wait on the Lord, if he tarry wait thou. The Lord will wait for them that wait for him; and it is the character in Scripture of a Chriſtian. Moſes, he ſaith, ſuch as waited for the conſolation of Iſraell before Chriſt came in the fleſh, ſuch a one, is one that waiteth for the conſolation of Iſraell. To have a gracious diſpoſition, and a grace of waiting was the character of good people. Now ſince the comming of Chriſt, the character of the New Teſtament, is, to wait for Chriſts appearance. There is a Crowne of glory for me, and not onelyonly for me, but for all them that love his appearance. That is an ingredient in waiting, when we love the thing we wait for. And ſo Titus 2. laſt, The grace of God that teacheth to deny ungodlineſſe and worldly luſts, and to live holily, and juſtly, and ſoberly in this preſent evill world, looking for, and waiting for this glorious appearing of Jeſus Chriſt.
So that looking with the eye of the ſoule, partly on the firſt comming of Chriſt, which was to redeeme our ſoules, and partly upon the ſecond, which is to redeeme our bodies from corruption, and to make both ſoule and body happy, it makes a man a good Chriſtian: For the grace of God on the firſt, teacheth us to deny ungodlineſſe; and looking for Chriſts appearing, maketh us zealous of good workes. You have ſcarce any Epiſtle, but you have time deſcribed for looking for the comming of Chriſt; As Jude, Preſerve your ſelves in the love of God and wait for the comming of Chriſt. So that as there be gracious promiſes, and a long day for them, God vouchſafeth grace to wait for the accompliſhment of them.
Now as God giveth grace to wait, ſo he will performe what wee waite for; As they ſay here, wee have waited, that is the ſpeech of enjoying. God will at length make good what hee hath promiſed; and what his truth hath promiſed, his power will performe. Goodneſſe inclineth to make a promiſe, truth ſpeakes it, and power performeth it. As you ſhall ſee here.
Wee have waited, &c.
In God there is a mouth of truth, a heart of pitty, and an hand of power; theſe three meeting together, make good whatſoever is promiſed: Hee will fulfill the deſires of them that feare him. The deſires that God hath put into his Children, they be kindled from heaven; and he will ſatisfie them all out of his bowells of pitty and compaſſion: hee will not ſuffer the creature to be allwaies under the racke of deſire, under the racke of expectation, but hee will fulfill the deſire of them that feare him. And therefore learne this for the time to come.
Though wee waite,God will performe promiſes to them that wait. God will performe whatſoever wee waite for; And therefore, loe, wee have waited for him. As there is a time of promiſing, ſo there is a time of performing; as there is a ſeed time, ſo there is a time of harveſt. There is a ſuccesſion in nature, and a ſuccesſion in grace; as the day followeth the night, and the Sabbath the weeke, and the Jubile ſuch a terme of yeares; and as the triumph followeth the warre; and as the Conſummation of Marriage followeth Contract; ſo it is a happy and glorious condition, above all conditions here on earth. Therefore in this text you have not onelyonly the ſeed time of the Chriſtian; wee may ſow in teares, and an expectation, as in ſowing: But here is likewiſe the harveſt of a Chriſtian; as there is time of ſowing, ſo there is time of reaping; as time of waiting, ſo of injoying. Wee have waited, and now loe, we have what we waited for.
But why doth not the Holy Ghoſt ſet downe a certain time,God keeps times and ſeaſons in his own power. but leaveth it indefinite, In that day. God keepes times and ſeaſons in his owne power; the point of time in generall he leaveth it, There is a day; but the point and moment of time he keepeth in his owne power. It is enough to know there is a day, and a day that will come in the beſt ſeaſon; Gods times is the beſt time. When judgments were threatned upon the wicked, they ſay, Let us eate, and drinke, for to morrow wee ſhall die. So Saul, to morrow thou ſhalt die, and was he the better? So where there is a certain time of Gods comming in judgement, godly men would not be the worſe, and wicked men never the better. Thetefore God reſerveth it indefinite, In that day.
There is a day,There is a glorious day yet for Chriſtians. and it is a glorious day, a day of all dayes, a day that never will have night, a day that we ſhould thinke of every day; That day, by way of excellency.There be particular dayes of performance in this life. And before that day there be particular dayes in this world, wherein God ſheweth himſelfe, and fulfills the expectation of his children, to cheriſh the grand expectation of life everlaſting. As in times of trouble they expect of God, and wait for deliverance in Gods time, and they muſt be able to ſay, Loe, wee have waited Becauſe it is a beginning and pledge of the great performance that ſhall be conſummate at that great day, and of all the miſeries that ſhall then be removed: So there is a day when the Jewes ſhall be converted, and the fulneſſe of the Gentiles brought in, and the man of ſinne diſcovered, and conſumed by the breath of Chriſt. And when the Church of God ſeeth them, they may ſay, Loe, we have waited for the Lord, and loe, hee is come, that we looked for is now fulfilled: So that God reſerveth not the fulfilling of all the promiſes to the great day of all dayes, but even in this life hee will have a that day.
And it were very good for Chriſtians in the paſſages of their lives,Good to obſerve what dayes of performance God gives in. to ſee how God anſwereth their prayers, and delivereth them. Let them doe as the Saints in the Old Teſtament, that gave names to places where they ſaw God; As Penuell hee ſhall ſee God, and Abraham, God will be ſeen in the Mount. So Sampſon and others they gave names to places where they had deliverance, that they might be moved to bee thankfull. A Chriſtian taketh in all the comforts of this life to believe the things of the laſt great day. Loe, we have waited for him.
That ſhall be a time of ſight, and fruition, of full power, and full joy, which is reſerved for heaven; then we ſhall ſay, Loe, behold this is the Lord. The more we ſee God here, the more wee ſhall ſee him hereafter. There be many wayes of ſeeing, ſo as to ſay, Loe, this is the Lord. We may ſay from the pooreſt creature, Loe this is the Lord, here are beams of his Majeſty in the works of his Juſtice and Mercy, Loe here is the Lord. The Lord hath brought mighty things to paſſe, the Lord is marvailous loving to this Children. Behold and ſee the ſalvation of the Lord. We may ſay, Loe here, and ſee ſomething of God in every creature, no creature but hath ſomething of God. The things that have but meere being, have ſomething of God; but the things that have life have more of God: And ſo in ſome there is more, in ſome leſſe of God.
But in the Church of God ſpecially, wee may ſee his going in the Sanctuary; Loe this God hath done for his Church. And in the Sacraments we may ſay, I have ſeen the Lord, and felt the Lord in his Ordinance by his holy Spirit. Wee doe all this before we come to ſee him in heaven: but that is not meant ſpecially.
We ſhall ſay, Loe, this is the Lord, when we ſhall ſee him in heaven, all ſight here leadeth to that ſight. Faith hath a ſight here, but it is in the Word and Sacrament, and ſo imperfect; but the ſight in heaven is immediate and perfect, and therefore oppoſed to faith. VVee live by faith, and not by ſight, in heaven we ſhall live by ſight; not that we live not by ſight here in ſome degree, for the leſſer ſight leadeth to the greater ſight, But in compariſon of ſight in heaven, there is no ſight.A ſight of God comparative here. The Scripture ſpeaketh of ſight of God comparatively: Moſes ſaw God, that is, more than any other: And Jacob ſaw God, that is, comparatively more than before, but not fully and wholly. VVee can apprehend him, but not comprehend him, as they ſay; wee may ſee ſomething of it,Abſolute in heaven. but not wholly: but in heaven we ſhall have another ſight of God, and then wee ſhall ſay, Loe, this is the God we have waited for; wee ſhall ſee Chriſt face to face.
Beloved, that is the ſight indeed. And if yee will aske me whether wee ſhall ſee God then or no; Conſider what I ſaid before, this is the God wee have waited for in obedience, and fruitfully.
If we ſhall be raviſhed with the ſight of God, ſurely if we ſee him here we may ſee him there: VVe ſee him with the eye of faith, we ſee him in the Ordinance, wee have ſome ſight of God that the world hath not, God diſcovereth himſelfe to his children, more than to the world, And therefore they ſay, thou revealeſt thy ſelf to us, not unto the world. A Chriſtian wonders that God ſhould reveale his love, and mercy, and goodneſſe to him, more than to others. And therefore if wee belong to God, and ſhall ſee him hereafter, wee muſt ſee him now, as we may ſee him, we muſt have ſome knowledge of him: And if wee ſee God any way, all things in the world will be thought of no requeſt in compariſon of the Communion of God in Chriſt. As Iſaiah 14. We have ſeen the Lord, and what have wee to doe with Idols? The ſoule that hath ſeene Chriſt, growes in deteſtation of ſinne, and loatheth all things in compariſon.
And then againe, if we ſhall ever ſee God in glory, in this glorious and triumphing manner, This is the Lord, This ſight is a changing ſight. There is no ſight of God, but it changeth, and alters to the likeneſſe of God. When he calls to look up to him, and he looks on us in favour and mercy. The beſt fruit of his favour is grace, of peace, and joy, for theſe be beames that iſſue from him, grace, as beames from the ſunne. But where-ever God lookes with any favour, there is a conformity to Chriſt, a gracious, humble, pittifull, mercifull, obedient diſpoſition, which is an earneſt of the Spirit of Chriſt.
And there is a ſtudy of purity, of a refined diſpoſition from the pollutions of the world; The pure in heart ſhall ſee God, they that hope to ſee God for ever in heaven, will ſtudy that purity that may diſpoſe, and fit them for heaven. And there is ſuch a gracious influence in it that they that hope for heaven, the very hope muſt needs helpe to purifie them.
As there is grace ſuitable to waiting,There's an influence from the thing hoped for to uphold graces in waiting. ſo there is an influence from the things hoped for, to give vigor to all grace: As all the graces of a Chriſtian fit and inable him for heaven; ſo hope of heaven yields life to all grace. There is a mutuall influence into theſe things. God vouchſafeth diſcovery of theſe glorious things, to helpe us to wait, to be patient, and fruitfull and abundant in the work of the Lord.Simile. And the more wee wait fruitfully and patiently, and ſilently, the more wee ſee of heaven. So that as in nature, the ſeed bringeth the tree, and the tree the ſeed; ſo in the things of God one thing breeds another, and that breeds that againe; ſo that waiting and grace fit us for heaven, and the thought of heaven puts life and vigor into all the graces that fit us for heaven. What is our faith to thoſe glorious things we ſhall ſee hereafter? what is patience, but for conſideration of that? what is hope, but for the excellency of the object of hope? And what were induring of troubles, if ſomething were not in heaven to make amends for all? They help us to come to glory, and the lively hopefull thoughts of thoſe things, animate and enliven all the graces that fit for heaven. If ever we ſhall hereafter poſſeſſe heaven, and ſay, Loe, this is he we have waited for, wee muſt ſee him here ſo, as to undervalue all things, to ſee him with a changing ſight, for the object of glory cannot bee revealed, but it will ſtirre up a diſpoſition ſuitable to glory; if this bee not, never hope for a ſight of him in heaven.
And therefore let mee intreat,Wee ſhould look to the laſt end, to fit us for it. and beſeech you, with the Apoſtle Paul, to look to the end, look to the maine chance, that can come in this world, and that ſhall come hereafter. It is wiſedome to looke to the end. A man that buildeth an houſe, will thinke of the end, that is, dwelling, and habitation, that he propoundeth. We are for everlaſting communion with God; we are to be perfect, as in grace, ſo in glory. Heaven is our element, we reſt not till then, we are in motion till then, that being our ſtation. Then thinke often of this, never to reſt in any intermediate Condition, becauſe we are in waiting, till we come to that condition. Let us ſo carry our ſelves, that we may ſay, this we waited for, it is the glory wee expected. It is our wiſdome often to have the end of our lives in our eyes that wee may bee helped to waite patiently, cheerefully, and comfortably, till the conſummation come when all promiſes ſhall end in performance, when all that is ill, and imperfectly good ſhall bee removed, a conſumption of ill, and a conſummation of all good.
Oh have that day in our eyes, that day of all dayes, and the very thoughts of it will fit us for the day. The thoughts of our end will fit and ſtirre us up to all meanes tending to that end. Phyſicke is good, if it tend to health: The very thoughts of that preſcribes order, and meanes. Wee read, Seek the Kingdome of Heaven firſt, and all other things ſhall bee added to you. The thought of the end preſcribes order to all meanes, and it preſcribes meaſure, How to uſe the World, as though I uſed it not: for the thoughts of my end ſtirre mee up to uſe all courſes ſuitable to that end. And therefore the beſt wiſedome in Chriſtians is often to prefixe the end, and to bee content in no grace, nor comfort, as it is in a way of imperfection, but to look upon every grace, every comfort, every good, as it tends to perfection. David deſired not to dwell in the Houſe of God for ever, becauſe hee would terminate his deſire in the houſe of God here, but hee aimeth at Heaven. And ſo when the Saints of God bound and terminate their deſires and contentment, it is with reference to the laſt day, the reſt of a Chriſtian, beyond which they cannot goe, even communion with God himſelfe.