Chapter 50: The Saints happiness in Communion with Christ

NOw the fifth particular in the reward of the Saints, is the communion that they shall have with Jesus Christ, God and Man: there are divers things in which the happiness of the Saints consists in having communion with Christ, God and Man. It was one of Saint Augustines three wishes, To see Christ in the flesh: It would be a great delight to you to see Christ in the flesh. Many make much of the Picture of Christ, and if they had it right, they would make more of it; but if Christ should come to any of your houses, as he did when he lived upon the Earth, in his mean condition, would it not greatly delight you? but when we come to enjoy communion with Christ in Heaven, it will be another manner of communion, then that upon Earth: We accounted the Apostles blessed men, that lived with Christ upon the Earth; what a blessed condition will it be, to live with Christ in Heaven? If there were such vertue in Christ upon Earth, that there came such vertue from the hem of his garment, what glory will there be in Christ, in his full glory? If Christ were so glorious when he was in his transfiguration, how glorious is he, being glorified before men and Angels eternally in Heaven, With the glory that he had with his Father,before the beginning of the World! If there was so much vertue in the Apostles of Christ, in regard of the reference they had to Christ, as from the shadow of Peter, and the Napkins that were taken from Pauls body, there was such power as to heal diseases, what vertue must needs come from Christ, when we shall come to enjoy him, when we come to see Christ that was the author of all our good? We read of the poor Cripple, when he was healed by the two Disciples, he ran and catched hold on them, and was loth to go from them, who had been the instruments of so great good to him; but for the Saints to come and be with Christ, who has been the instrument of so great good to them, as Christ has been, what an infinite happiness will this be? we read of many that would go long journeys, to see those men that had any excellency in them; as some would go from the utmost parts of Greece to Rome, to see Livie, Themistocles: to see Christ then, in whom is so much excellency, will be glorious. And then to have communion with him: it is he in whom God the Father takes full satisfaction; surely he must be the full satisfaction of the Saints: this is that which Christ prays for; First, he prays for his own glory, and then he prays for the Disciples, and all Believers, That they might be with him to see his glory.

O to see the Lord Jesus glorified as he shall be glorified, must be a glorious thing! As to see his glory in regard of the lustre of his Divinity, through his humanity; when Christ pleased to let out any lustre of his Divinity, through his humanity here, men were not able to bear it; as those that came to apprehend him, when he said, I am he, they fell down backward: now in Heaven the lustre of Christs Divinity, shall shine mightily through his humanity; so in him our bodily eyes shall come to see God as much as it is possible for any creature to see him; because God shall be let out through the humanity of Christ, as much as it is possible for the Divinity to appear in any corporeal substance, or in any creature: We shall see him with these our eyes, as Iob says. We shall see how the power of an infinite God can convey the lustre of a Deity into a creature. Certainly, Angels and men will be continually viewing of Christ, he shall come to be admired of the Saints, he shall be admired at the day of Judgement in the Saints, but in Heaven they shall see such excellency in Christ, God and Man, as they shall be admiring at him to all eternity, as much as they did at the first moment; here if we see any thing that is excellent, we admire at first, but after a while we do not so: but there will be so much excellency in Christ, as we shall so admire at it, to all eternity, as we did at the first moment; for there shall be no abatement of our being taken with the glory of the sight of Christ. Blessed are your eyes, says Christ, that see those things you see; and blessed are your ears that hear those things you hear: It is a blessed thing to see the things we may see here; but to see the Divinity shine through the humanity, this will be a great blessing.

And we shall see him in the glory that the Father will put upon him; Certainly, God will put an infinite glory upon his Son, because the Lord was so infinitely well pleased with the satisfaction of his Son: Because he subjected himself to the death of the Cross, therefore He has given him a name above all names. And we shall see the glory of Christ, when all the Angels shall be worshipping of him, and all the Saints shall be singing with Praises and Hallalujahs to him. And this shall be the business in Heaven, eternally to be admiring Christ, and praising God for Christ. And then we shall see him in his glory triumphing over all his enemies, in bringing them down; and in his glory when he shall have brought to perfection that great work that he did undertake: Now to see Christ thus glorified, and for us to enjoy communion with Christ thus in his glory, this will be a glorious reward for Gods people. This glory of Christ, will be made the glory of the Saints: as a Queen that sees the Prince in his glory, she delights in it, because it is her glory: and so the Church, when she shall see Christ her husband in his glory, she shall rejoice in it, because she looks upon it as her own, I speak of the Triumphant Church: The Angels shall admire at it; O that these poor worms should be raised from this low estate to such a glorious condition! they pry into the mystery of Salvation. Then the love of Christ shall be enflamed to his people, that love which caused him to plead with God for his people from all eternity, that caused him to undertake this great work for his people; from this love, there will be most glorious embracements. If at one salutation of the mother of our Lord, John Baptist springs in the Womb for joy, how shall the heart of a glorified Saint spring at the glorious embracements of Christ himself, when he is in his glory? And when we shall be in such a condition as we shall be fitted for communion with him, we shall be able to understand Christ in another way; we shall know the hypostatical union of his two natures, and know Christ fully, and be fitter to entertain the manifestation of his love, whereas here we are not able to entertain much; Christ looks through the lattess, and we have but some few drops of his love, but then when his love shall be enflamed and fully let out, we shall be fitted for it.

And it shall be such a communion with Christ, as we shall never leave, but follow the Lamb wheresoeverhe goes: There shall be no moment to all eternity, in which Christ shall be out of the sight of so many thousand thousands of Saints: And though that Text in the Revelations be meant of the Church in this world, and the following of Christ wherever he goes here, following of him in the ordinances; but if it be an happiness here to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, much more in heaven: You that are willing to suffer any thing, to follow the Lamb in his ordinances here, know there is enough to pay for all, you shall be always following the Lamb in heaven, and you shall always be in the company of Christ; and this is the fifth particular, namely, The communion that the souls of Gods people shall have with Christ. There are yet two things to be opened in this branch, to show what the recompence of reward of Gods people is; and they are the enjoyment of communion with the Angels and Saints, and the keeping a perpetual Sabbath in Heaven.

The enjoyment of communion with the Angels and Saints: The Angels and Saints are joined together under one head; the Angels rejoice here in being ministring spirits unto the Saints; O what rejoicing will there be then in communion with them! the Saints of God shall enjoy communion with the Angels in a familiar way, they shall be fitted for communion with God and Christ himself, much more fitted for communion with Angels; yea, the Angels shall account it part of their happiness to have communion with the Saints: The sight of an Angel to us now in the flesh, though he comes to bring good tidings, is a great amazement; but then the sight of the Angels shall be no amazement, but we shall look upon them as our fellow creatures, to have communion with them, Heb. 12:23 Ye are come unto Mount Sion, and to the City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the company of innumerable Angels: This is spoken of the priviledge of the Gospel; before by the Law there was nothing but terror, that made Moses to fear and quake; now we are not to come to Mount Sinai, but to Mount Zion, and unto the City of the living God: Before, without Christ we were vagabonds, wandring up and down in the wilderness of the Word, but by Christ we are gathered unto the City of the living God, and the heavenly Ierusalem; there were nothing but troubles before, but now they are gathered to Ierusalem into peace, and to an innumerable company of Angels: Before the Angels were as Gods Host, ready to revenge the quarrel of God upon us, but now we are come to the innumerable company of Angels, who are ministring spirits to us here, and we shall enjoy communion with them: The Angels are full of wisdom, and therefore when the Scripture would set forth the excellency of wisdom, it sets it forth by the wisdom of the Angels. Doctor Taylor the Martyr, rejoiced that he came into prison with Master Bradford, that Angel Bradford, though he was but one that had the likeness of an Angel, and in prison, yet he rejoiced in being with him: What rejoicing will there be to be with all the Angels that are Angels indeed, and that in our Fathers house? The way and manner of the converse of Saints with Angels is very obscure; how spirits do converse one with another, we know but little; we converse one with another by speaking, there can be no such way of converse with Spirits. The Schoolmen say, By the act of their wills, they come to make known what is in their mindes, but we shall know more of the manner of converse with them afterwards.