Chapter 42: The differences between that good we receive here from God, and that we shall have hereafter

FIrst, we will compare that we have here, with that we shall have hereafter: Brethren, though we receive many mercies from God, yet look what difference there is between that close place of the womb, that the infant is in before it be born, and this space of the world that the childe comes into when it is born; such difference is between all this world, and any good and happiness here, and the world that is to come; this, and much more then this.

First, here we receive good from without: First unto our outward senses, and by them it comes into the soul; but now hereafter God shall first let out good unto the soul, unto the rational part, and from the redundancy of that good and glory that God shall communicate unto the rational soul, there shall flow glory, and sweetness, and good to the body, and outward senses: whereas here we see from without, and so it comes in; there shall be a spring, and a fountain of good within the soul; the kingdom of heaven shall be within, and more good shall be in the heart, and flow from thence outwardly, then to be received from without, and so to come inwardly; for us to receive something in our sences, and so to convey it to the soul, this is but a low way; but to have a spring and fountain of all good and happiness to be within the soul, and so spread it self and flow out, this shows wonderfully the blessedness of Gods people, when God shall communicate himself to them in that way.

Secondly, here the excellency and eminency of an object does destroy the faculty, if the faculties of our souls be exercised about objects, that are very high above us, that are full of excellency and glory, they destroyed the faculty; as now though light be the most pleasing to the eye of all things in the world, yet the excellency and glory of light destroys the eye; so sound is the proper object of the ear, but if the sound be too great, it makes one deaf, but it is otherwise in heaven, the more excellent the object is, the more perfect will the faculty be; the object shall not only delight the faculty, but perfect and strengthen the faculty. nature as in a glass, but thus far, that as we see good in the creature now, then we shall see them by knowing God himself, more then by knowing the creature. And the reason is, because all excellency and good that is in the creature is eminently in God; for all the good of the effects must needs be eminently in all the principles, and the good of all principles in the first principle: If all good in the creature be eminently in God, and the souls of the blessed shall come perfectly to know God, so far as their created understandings shall be capable of, then they must needs see the excellency of the creature in God. We shall know as we are known, 1 Cor. 13:12 Upon this a learned man has this note, We shall know as we are known; now God knows all his works, by knowing himself, by knowing his own power, and will, and nature, and so we shall know as we are known, because we shall know the creatures by knowing God.

Fourthly, here the mercies and good that we have from God are sweetned unto us by the sense of our wants: But hereafter we shall prize them, and have the sweetness of them in regard of their own fulness: not from such a low relation, as our wants and our necessities; when God would have us prize any mercy here, he first makes us sensible of the want of the mercy, and so it comes to be sweet to us, and scarce any mercy comes to be sweet, unless we feel the want of it first, for else we would prize the mercy at any time, but in that we do not prize all mercies always alike, it appears the great commendation of Gods mercy is from our wants: but hereafter the prizings, and the relish, and the sweet of all shall be from the fulness of the goodness that we finde in God: Gods goodness to us here, is but the supplying of some defect, but hereafter Gods goodness shall be the glorifying of perfect nature.

Fifthly, here when we do enjoy any comfort from God, we are much sensible of it at the present enjoyment, but after we have had it a little while, we grow to be less sensible, we begin to be cloyed with it: as the most beautiful sight that we did admire at first, if we see it every day, it does not affect us; as who is affected at the sight of the Sun, because he sees it every day? but suppose we had lived all our days in a dark dungeon, and this had been the first day we were brought out of the dungeon, and now see the Sun, and the Earths and Seas, how mightily would we be taken with the sights that we see? but now it is not so with us, because we have the Sun every day: and so the melodious sound to the ear, first we are ravished with it, but when we are used to it, it is nothing: and so for the taste; the taste of sweet things is mightily pleasant to us at first, but afterward it is no more pleasing to us, then the taste of ordinary mean fare is to poor people, who have as much content in their mean fare, as rich men in their delicious fare, because rich men are used to such delicious things; but this is the excellency of Gods manner of communication of himself to his people hereafter, they shall be to all eternity as exactly and fully sensible of the glory of heaven, as they were in the first moment they came into it.

The sixth difference between Gods communication of himself to us here and hereafter, is, here we have much good from God, but much good is in the habits, and is not always in action: there are many habits of grace, that are not always acting fully, but sometime the act of one habit is called forth, and sometime the act of another; but here is the blessedness of Gods people, there shall be no habits lying still no instant, but every minute to all eternity, they shall act to the utmost of them, so far as may any way conduce to their happiness; for the end of the habit it is action, and in the enjoyment of our happiness we shall ever be enjoying to the full the highest and last ends; and therefore there shall always be the utmost activity of the habits of grace: There is a necessity here of cessation of actions, because we grow weary quickly of any action, though it be a gracious action, we must unstring our bows and cease, that some actions may give way to others, for the heart to be always up, it is not able to bear it, but then there shall be no need of any cessation any moment.

Again, here we are not able to exercise ourselves in the works of God without some difficulty: there is difficulty in raising our hearts unto any thing that is good, and to keep our hearts up; but hereafter there shall be that communication of God unto his people, that they shall be exercised about the highest things, in the highest manner, without any difficulty, but as freely, and readily, and fully as the Sun shines: the Sun does shine without any difficulty, and the fish draws in water without difficulty; so there shall be that perfect working of the soul about the highest object, without any difficulty or labor.

Again, here in this world there cannot be an intention in one faculty, but it does hinder the intention in another; as if man speak to me, and I be intent in looking upon an object, I do not hear him that speaks: and so in all faculties, the intention of one faculty does hinder the intention of another; but in Heaven, all the faculties of the soul shall be intens'd to the highest intention, and the intention of the one shall not hinder the intention of the other.

Again, the good we receive here is in the root, in the promise, in election in great part, but that we shall have hereafter shall be in the fruit, in the actual communication of God: as before all our actings shall be acted upon God, so all the good shall not be contained in the root of his electing love, or in the promise; but shall be in actual communication.

Again, here we receive many mercies from God, that we do not understand ourselves, that we know but little of, we do not see into the large extent of the mercy that we have from God: but there we shall have no mercy from God but we shall know it fully, in all the circumstances of it, in all the principles of it, and in all the appertainances that do any way concern the mercy we have, and we shall know the issue of it, and the like.

Again, here we receive great mercies from God, and we know not how to manage them; Gods mercies lie and sowre in us, we turn our mercies many times into afflictions for want of skill: but hereafter we shall have the full improvement of all mercy that we receive from God.

Again, here we see and desire many good things that we do not enjoy and possess; but hereafter we shall see no good, nor desire any good, nor will any good, but we shall have it: And as God said concerning the Land of Canaan, unto the children of Israel, in Deut. 11:24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread, shall be yours; so in heaven, whatever the Saints see they shall have: Here we may will a thing, and will it lawfully, and yet it may be cross unto Gods secret will, and it shall never come to pass; the reason is, because the rule of our wills is Gods Commandment, and not his secret will; as David did will to build God a house, and God commends him for it, and yet God did not will it: And a childe may will the life of his parent, and yet God may will his parent shall not live, and yet he is not to be blamed, because he wills according to the rule; but hereafter God shall so far reveal his will to us, and our wills shall be so fully united to God, that there shall not be the least crossing between any thing that we will, and that God wills.

Again, here it is one especial excellency of the work of grace, for us to keep in our hearts and affections, to restrain them that they be not let out too far in that we do enjoy: but hereafter when we come to the recompence of reward, we shall not need keep in our hearts, we shall have liberty to let them out.

Object. But we may not let out our hearts too much upon the Saints, to love them above God.

Ans. Then we shall love nothing but in God, all shall be swallowed up in God himself, that we shal not need fear the letting out of our hearts to the utmost: Though I may love the creature, yet I may let out my heart fully upon it, because I love it only in God.

Here many times a thing is more prized before we have it, and when we come to enjoy it, we do not see so much excellency upon it, and so do less prize it; but though we may set a prize upon Heaven, and say, O the blessed time, when we come there, we shall infinitely more prize it and rejoice in it then we can here.

Yet further, here we can enjoy nothing that we can be so certain of, but that we can lose it wholly, or in some part; but the Saints of God hereafter shall be so certain of that they have in enjoyment, that they shall not lose any thing of it in the least degree.

Lastly, that we have from God here, is mediately conveyed through many Channels, through the Pipes of Creatures and Ordinances, but that we shall have hereafter, shall be let out immediately from God; and this is indeed the special difference of all, from whence flow many excellent consequences, which would even require a particular of it self: I may hereafter enlarge myself in this, in some other Treatise.

And thus you may see the blessed condition of Gods people, when they come to the recompence of reward. We have something here, and we rejoice in it, and bless God for it; but those ways that God has to communicate himself to his people hereafter, are glorious ways. O that our hearts were raised to look after that communication of God that we shall have hereafter! O those base and drossie spirits that we have! Because we receive some goodness of God here, we are ready to be quieted here, and rest here, as if God had nothing to communicate to the Children of men, but that we have here. See the vileness of our hearts, we are here ready to rest upon the lowest things that God communicates, and do not so much as rise in our hearts to the highest things that are communicated here; but a christian heart should rise higher then the most excellent things that are here in the world; namely, to the most blessed things that are hereafter; let us show ourselves that we are men of hopes to enjoy God after another manner then here.

Many do not desire enjoyment of God; let them have the creature, they never think of any communication of God so much as through the creature, whereas a true Christian that has grace, he receives nothing in the world, but he thinks with himself, how have I God here? how does God communicate himself to me in meat and drink, and cloathes, and friends, and the like? it is well if you go thus far, but you must go higher; are there not choice mercies? O yes, there are blessed things communicated through the ordinances, through prayer, and the word, and sacraments, there are blessed things; few mens hearts look so high as to look to the communication of Gods choice mercies in this world; but a gracious heart rises higher, & does as it were bathe it self with those refreshments that are to come: through Gods mercy I have the creature, and the communication of God through that; and I have the ordinances, and Gods choice mercies communicated through them; but there are glorious things to be communicated hereafter, and those my soul rejoyces in. Now God does communicate himself only in that way which is suitable to our condition; now we are but narrow vessels, and have but narrow mouthes, and are not capable of that greatness of Gods communication; but time will come when as God will communicate himself in a more glorious manner, and in that I bless myself; and therefore I will not regard any of Gods communication of himself to me here, but in order unto that glorious communication of God to me hereafter. And thus we have seen something of the recompence of reward, comparing it with what we have here. Now secondly, we are to compare it with the condition of Adam in the estate of Innocency.

As for the estate of Adam in Paradise, it was a blessed condition, yet far under the happiness of the Saints in the recompence of the reward. For Adams body was but natural, and his Paradise was but a natural Paradise; and a possibility there was he might lose his happiness: and if he should have stood, there should not have been that glorious distinct working of the three Persons of the Trinity about mans happiness, that there now is: and therein especially lies the difference.

Thirdly, compare it with the Angels, and you shall finde in Scripture some expressions of the happiness of the Saints, beyond the happiness of the blessed Angels themselves. For the union that the Saints shall have with the Deity, is a nearer union in divers respects, then the union that the Angels have with the Deity: and the righteousness wherewith the Saints stand righteous before the Lord, is an higher righteousness, then Adam or the Angels should have been in.

First, the union that the Saints have with the Deity, is a nearer union then that of the Angels. First, the humane nature in general, that is advanced to an higher dignity then all the glory of the Angels put together: Because there is an Hypostatical union between the humane Nature and the Divine in Christ. Again, we have many expressions in Scripture of the union of Saints with the Deity; whereby it appears, their union is nearer then the union of the Angels: They are called the friends of Christ; They are said to have fellowship with Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. 1:9 They are the Brethren of Christ, They are Co-heirs with Jesus Christ; There are no such expressions of the Angels. And yet, there are nearer expressions of their union; they are the Spouse of Christ, the Bride; the Angels are but as the servants. They are the members of Christ, and are made one with Christ: They are those that are to be one with the Father, as the Father and the Son are one: Iohn 17:21 Christ there prays, As you Father art in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: he never prayed so for the Angels. Lastly, they are said to be loved of the Father, with the very same love wherewith he loved the Son: now though God loves the Angels, yet it is not said that he loved them with the same love that he loved his Son: These are the expressions we finde in Scripture, concerning the near union that the Saints have with the Deity in some respects beyond the Angels; but of the union of the Saints with the Deity, we shall speak of more when we come to speak of the reward positively. And then the righteousness wherewith they stand righteous before God, is greater then the righteousness of Adam in Paradise, or the Angels; because it is the righteousness of the second Person of the Trinity; and that is of an higher nature, and a more glorious righteousness, then the righteousness of any meer creature. Now the righteousness of the Angels, though it be perfect in its kinde, yet it is not a righteousness of such an high nature, as that righteousness which is the Son of God. And thus of this recompence of reward comparatively.