Chapter 20: Persuasions to draw to the joining with the people of God in the nearest communion
HEnce then let me speak; first, unto those who yet are not partakers of that good that is to be had with Gods people, I mean in nearest communion: though we all have the name of God upon us, and have some kinde of communion with the people of God; yet, seeing there is much good to be had in communion with them further, it should be the desire of every one, to enjoy the nearest communion with them that can be; this is a mercy that you should labor to seek after: for a good there is here, which none know the sweetness and benefit of, but only those that do enjoy it, seek to have it, for great things are spoken concerning it. If there be any realities in the truths that have been opened to you, it cannot but make the communion and joining with Gods people very lovely; but certainly that which I have said, comes abundantly short of what is in it: for the most things that are used, for the showing the excellency of this communion, were from some expressions of God to his people under the Law, and we come short in the understanding of them; but if we could understand them fully, they come short of the abundance of priviledges that Gods people have under the Gospel, and the reason is, not only because ceremonies were typical, but Gods dealing with his Church, their way in Church order, and government, was but a typical thing, to typifie the estate of Gods people under the Gospel.
Now we know there is a great deal more in the antitype, then in the type, the type is but a shadow of that which is typified; now if the excellency of the estate of the Church under the Law, was but a type of the estate of the Church under the Gospel, then all that is said of the excellency of that condition, is but as a shadow of that which is now, Heb. 10:1 The law was a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image; The estate of the Church now under the Gospel, is the image of that glory that is to be revealed, but the Law was but a shadow of that image: as a Limner, first draws a dark shadow of a picture in coal, and after makes the Image; look what differenne there is in the excellency of that rude draught by a coal, and the beauty of the Image; such there is between all the excellency of the estate of the Church under the Law, and that there is under the Gospel: and therefore, that which is to be expected now, is a great deal more, and should enflame the desires of all, to seek after such a priviledge.
Consider, that this good which is to be had in communion with Gods people, is a special fruit of the loving kindeness of God; and would you not all be made partakers of the loving kindeness of the Lord? Thriving in your Trades, and outward blessings, are a fruit of the common kindeness of the Lord, but communion with Gods people, is a fruit of his specialloving kindeness: Psalm 36. 7, 8. How excellent is your loving kindeness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of your house, and you shall make them drink of the river of your pleasures. The satisfaction of the soul with the fatness of Gods house, is the fruit of Gods loving kindeness, yea, the fruit of Gods excellent loving kindeness, and his admirable excellent loving kindeness: It is worth the seeking after, to be satisfied with the fatness of Gods house: And you shall make them drink of the river of your pleasures: While you seek after the comforts of the creature, you seek to drink in puddles, but here are rivers of pleasures.
It is the inheritance of Gods elect ones; Isaiah 65:9 I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Iudah an inheritor of my mountains, mine elect shall inherit it. I do not say, whoever does enjoy communion with Gods people, is elected; but whoever does enjoy it, enjoys that which is the inheritance of Gods elect, such a fruit of Gods loving kindeness, as comes to the elect by inheritance, though some others do get into it, yet none should but only the elect ones; and therefore if you have any hope to be the elect of God, desire after this as part of your inheritance; A man would be loath to lose part of his inheritance. It is an inheritance promised to those who trust in God, and opposed to all the vanity of the world; Isa. 57:13 Vanity shall take them, but he that puts his trust in me, shall inherit my holy mountain.
Thirdly, it has been the only desire of gracious hearts heretofore; and if God has wrought any grace in you, sure your grace is suitable to the grace of others, as David, in Psalm 27:24 This one thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord: as if there were nothing were the object of Davids desires, but this one thing. And in Psalm 84. what abundance of expressions have we to set out his desires this way? David was here in his banishment; we do not finde him complaining, O my Kingdom that I am like to lose! my brave Palaces, and my brave Chambers, Gardens and attendance that I am like to lose; but the house of God. And in Psalm 42. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after you, O God! It was not after the enjoyment of God that he might have in his own soul privately, that his heart so panted after, but the appearing before the Lord in his house.
Fourthly, this is the especial work of wisdom: if God has let out any beam of wisdom into your souls, to show unto you any thing of the excellency of Christ, this will be immediately desired; as in that Parable of the wise Merchant, as soon as he had found the Pearl, he went and sold all to buy the field: the meaning is, when a soul comes to have any knowledge of Christ, that Christ is the only Pearl, then it desires to seek to enjoy him, where he is to be enjoyed; it is in the field, in the Church of God, in communion with it; and the wise Merchant would part with any thing, that he might have the field, that is, have communion with Gods people in his Ordinances, and so come to enjoy the Pearl.
Yea fifthly, the reason why God puts any light or truth into the soul, is to put forth the soul to this, to join with his people in this way of communion, Psalm 43:3 What was the reason why the Prophet would have the light and the truth of God? but to lead him to the holy hill, and to the Tabernacle.
Sixthly, by joining yourself with the Saints, and furthering this work of communion, you set up the honor of God much, God is much glorified by this, and will be more and more; Exod. 15:2 I will build him a Tabernacle, the Septuagint renders it, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], I will glorifie him: and it is very observable, that as soon as Moses was delivered from the Egyptians, he thinks of, and resolves, and promises, the building of Gods Tabernacle, which was a type of the Church. If God has delivered you out of any trouble, out of any sickness, in testimony of thankfulness to God for his mercy, set upon this work, to further the building of Gods Tabernacle; Seeing God has spared my life, this shall be one of the first things I will do, I will put in what I can, to the furthering of the building of Gods Tabernacle.
Seventhly, we finde in Scripture, that there is a fearful threatning against all those that shall neglect this, Zach. 14:17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth, unto Jerusalem, to worship the King the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain; that is, no blessing of God. You will say, how does this appear to be meant of Gods people now? It appears the holy Ghost did intend the estate of the Church in the time of the Gospel, and therefore it follows in the 20. ver. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto the Lord, and the pots in the Lords house shall be like the bowls before the Altar. Now these expressions are spiritually to be understood of the glorious condition of the Church of God in the time of the Gospel, and therefore God takes it ill at the hands of any that shall not come to join with his people.
And further, we have a fearful threat, Isaiah 65. 11, 12. against such as forsake, or forget Gods holy mountain, I will number you to the sword, and ye shall bow down to the slaughter: You may think to provide for yourselves, to live securely, and safely, at your ease, enjoying house, lands, friends, trades; you are loath to hazard yourselves so as others do, to bring yourselves into so much trouble, but as ver. 13, 14. Thus says the Lord, My servants shall eat, and ye shall be hungry, my servants shall drink, and ye shall be thirsty, my servants shall rejoice, and ye shall be ashamed.
Eighthly, if any soul have any desire to come and join with Gods people in his Ordinances, there is a blessing given to that desire, Psalm 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the ways of them. If the ways of your Ordinances be but in your heart, you art blessed, and therefore be very desirous of this blessing, be not satisfied that God gives you outward blessings, and outward comforts in the world, unless you have this; if you know what communion with God in his people means, you cannot but desire to be with them, there is so much of God with them. If you have any spiritual life, you cannot but desire this, because spiritual life will desire to join with that which is like to its self.
If you know what the power of any Ordinance means, you cannot but desire this; There is a great mistake of people, they think if they can but live in a place where they may hear good Sermons, that is enough: know therefore except you have communion with the Saints this way, though you may hear many good Sermons, yet there is a great deal of difference between your hearing of them, and their hearing who are in communion with the people of God, you only come to be made partakers of a mans gifts, you cannot depend upon the gift of such a one as being in office by God, set over you, to watch over your souls: There is a great deal of difference between the dispensing of a gift by way of gift, and by way of office: there may be the same thing done in the exercise of gifts, and yet not to be so powerful, as when it is done by vertue of an office: the ordinary Officers are Pastors, and Teachers, for the building up of the Church; therefore if you be acquainted with the way of Christ in his Ordinances, for the building up of the body, and if you believe yourselves to be members of his body, you cannot but desire those Ordinances that he has appointed for the building of his body.
The Church is set up as a light, or an ensign upon the top of an hill, to draw others that are near unto it, to come under it: And therefore as we have it in Rev. 22:17 The Spirit, and the Bride say, Come; and let him that hears, say, Come; and let him that is a thirst, come; and whoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. The Spirit of God covincing your consciences, says, Come; and the Bride, the Church says, Come; and let all that hear, say, Come; all that hear what has been said of communion with Gods people, say ye to all your friends, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. We have a Prophesie, Isa. 2:3 that the people of God should encourage one another, and shall say, Let us go up into the house of God, for he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his pathes: O that that Prophesie might be fulfilled now, that you might have such a desire to the ways of God, as to encourage others to come and walk in them, that your hearts may be refreshed with the consolations of God in the way of his Ordinances. And Isaiah 62:12 it is prophesied of the Church, that she should be called, Sought out: O that it might be so, that we could see the hearts of men so set after it, that we might give it that name (Sought out.)
The blessing that the Elders of the City desired upon Ruth, cap. 4:11 when she was married to Boaz, was, The Lord make the woman that is come into your house, like Rachel, and like Leah, which two did buildthe house of Israel: Why like Rachel and Leah, and not like Rebekah? did not she build the house of Israel likewise? Yes, but all her posterity was not of the Church of God, there came an Esau from her, as well a as Jacob; but all the children of Rachel and Leah were of the Church of God, they were Patriarchs, and this was a special blessing upon them; it is therefore to be accounted a special blessing to be in the Church, and to have all our posterity to be in it.
When you have heard these glorious things of the priviledges of Gods people, if you should neglect the seeking after, the being made partakers of such things, how will you free yourselves from the guilt of prophaneness, that you should prize outward accommodations, more then these spiritual things? Esau was branded for a prophane wretch, because he set no higher price upon his birthright, but set a mess of pottage before it: This is greater then the birth-right they had under the Law, and to prize any carnal thing before these heavenly priviledges, is to be a prophane Esau. I meet with one who interprets that place, 1 Chron. 4:23 These were potters, and those that dwelt amongst plants and hedges, there they dwelt with the King for his work; to be meant of some baser sort of the Jews, who when liberty was proclaimed for their return to Jerusalem, where they might enjoy God in his true worship, yet because they got their living by making pots for the King of Babylon, they thought themselves well as they were, and they rather choose to stay under the hedges of Babylon, then to go to Jerusalem; the holy Ghost brands them for base persons. God loves the gates of Sionmore then all the dwellings of Jacob; take heed you be not found guilty of loving your contentment and gainful dwellings, more then the gates of Sion.
