Chapter 55: To whom the Recompense of reward appertains

BUt how may any know that they shall have this glorious reward?

Carnal and sensual hearts, because they have no principles of Gods grace, to show them the great things of God, and the mind of God, they think no man can know; we must have hopes, and hope well, but who can know what God has in heaven for us? Those that are acquainted with the mysteries of God in the Gospel, they know what Gods mind has been from all eternity concerning them, and what God will do for them to all eternity. How do they know?

First, would you know whether you shall have this Recompence of reward? Have you made Moses Choice? Certainly, those that have made Moses Choice, shall have Moses Reward: What Moses Choice was you have heard, Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season: Moses might have had honor and esteem enough in Egypt, but he accounted afflictions with the people of God, in Gods ways a great deal better; He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches then all; so I may have Christ and communion with his people, let me be reproached, and contemned, and despised, I care not. Now do you finde this? Though there was a time my heart was taken with the glittering shows of things here, and I saw no excellency in the ways of God, they were but notions to me; at length God wrought mightily upon my soul, and showed me the vanity of all things that I accounted for glorious things, and showed me a beauty in Gods people, and began to knit my heart to them, so as I was willing to part with any thing to have communion with them, and to venture all upon the bare word and promise of God, for those glorious things that are revealed in it, and this choice I have made, and my soul is setled in it, whatever befals me in this world; has there been such a work upon your souls, that you have made Moses Choice? then you shall have Moses Reward.

Secondly, are you begotten unto the hope of these glorious things? Whoever shall be partaker of this glorious reward, must be one that is born to it. There are some dignities in the world that are got no way, except they be born to them; so if you have this reward, you must be born to it, 1 Pet. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us unto a lively hope: Whoever has the true hope of Heaven, it is one that is begotten to it, that is, There must be a mighty work of God upon your hearts, a new birth, a regeneration in you, otherwise there is nothing you have done or can do that can get this reward. In Mat. 19:28 says Christ unto his Disciples, after Peter had spoken what they had left for him, Ye that have followed me in the Regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel: As if Christ should say, Peter, you have forsaken all and followed me, but know, the bare forsaking is not enough, but you who have felt the work of God regenerating your souls, upon which you have followed me, you shall sit upon twelve thrones: Some do interpret this place Regeneration, the estate of the Gospel, and so make it not to be the work of God upon the soul, but the work of God upon the world, to make a new world; as the glorious estate of the Church under the Gospel is called a new heaven, and a new earth, and so take it, Ye that have followed me in this new world, ye shall sit upon twelve thrones, &c. but I rather take it the other way, not wholly excluding this, they are only those that follow Christ in the Regeneration, that shall have this reward.

It is called the new birth, because there is such a strange change; there is a new spirit, and a new life put into a man: Suppose a rational soul were put into a beast, what a change would be in that creature? Suppose an Angelical nature were put upon us, what a change would there be? By the change that is wrought in regeneration there is a greater difference; the highest degree of glory in heaven is not so different from the lowest degree of grace here, as the lowest degree of grace here is different from the highest excellency of nature, because the difference between the highest degree of the glory of heaven from the lowest degree of grace, is but a gradual difference, but the difference that is between the lowest degree of grace, and the highest excellency of nature, is a specifical difference. Therefore you that hope for glory, know there must be a regeneration, that work of God upon your souls that must cause a greater difference in you from that you were by nature, then there is in the glorified Saints, that have the highest degree of glory, from the meanest Saint in the world; as the reward is a mighty glorious thing, so the work of God in preparing a soul for this reward is a mighty glorious work. And therefore do not content yourselves in every poor slight thought of heaven, know heaven lies upon that which is a mighty work of God in you.

Thirdly, if you ever come to Heaven, there is a principle of heaven put into your souls here, that is, a heavenly principle that carries you heavenward, I mean the work of God, causing you to have heavenly mindes, and heavenly hearts; Our conversationis in heaven, says the Apostle. In Cant. 3:6 the Church is compared to pillars of smoke that ascend upward to heaven; Though the Church be black and dark in regard of her infirmities, yet it has a principle to carry it upward to heaven. The Saints are compared to Eagles that fly aloft towards heaven, though their bodies are not there, their hearts and souls are there; if our treasures be in heaven, our hearts are there already. I read of Edward the first, who had a mighty desire to go to the holy Land, to Ierusalem, and because he was hindred, and could not get thither, he gave his Son a charge upon his death-bed to carry his heart thither; and he prepared Two and thirty thousand pound to carry his heart thither: So the Saints, though they have not their bodies in heaven, their hearts are there, and they take much pains, and are at great charges to get their hearts thither.

All things in nature have a principle to carry them to their proper place; because the place of fire is on high, therefore fire has a principle to carry it on high; and because the place of earth is below, therefore earth has a principle to carry it downward: So if the place and center of the heart be in Heaven, then certainly it has a principle to move naturally thither, to move upward to heaven; and therefore that soul that has nothing but a principle to carry it downward to the earth, and to the lusts of it to these things below, heaven is not the proper place for such a soul, and when the soul goes out of the body, it wil not go to Heaven: Take earth, and close it in a vessel, and take fire, and put into a vessel, open the vessels, and let them out, and they go both to their places; so the souls of men when they are gone out of the body, they go to the place whither they had a principle to carry them, therefore do not think the principle shall be put into them when you dye, but you must have a principle before: if your hearts be prest down by earthly things, when you dye they will fall down; and therefore observe which way your souls work: Can you say, as in the presence of God, My soul works heavenward, though I have weights of corruption that would weigh me down, yet I have a principle that does work to Heaven? But the consciences of many tell them their souls work downward, to vanity and sensuality, and you have no other principle, and therefore when your souls depart, they fall downward.

Fourthly, what soul soever has an interest in heaven, heaven is in that soul already: The kingdom ofGod is in them, and they have taken hold of eternal life, now eternal life abides in them; Whom he has justified, he has glorified already, they have the glory of heaven begun; you heard what that was. In heaven there is the perfection of our natures, the image of God shall be renewed; now is the image of God begun? has God marked you, and set the stamp of his image upon you? There is no soul that God does intend to put glory upon, but he marks that soul, and stamps his image upon it in the work of conversion, and says, Here is a soul I set the stamp of my image upon, because I mark it out to glory: if ever you come to Heaven, God must see his own Image and Superscription upon you. As the Beast set his mark upon men, and would suffer none to trade but those that had his mark: so God will set his mark upon his people, and none shall come into his Kingdom but those that have his mark: now a mans Image is upon a thing, when by beholding of it I am put in mind of him that it is an Image of; so if you have this Image and stamp of God, a man that knows God, as soon as he looks upon you, as soon as he beholds your conversation, he is put in mind of God, and he says, I have heard and read much of God, of the holiness and righteousness of God, and by this mans conversation I am put in mind of that holiness and righteousness of God, the brightness of which I see shining here.

Again, in Heaven you know God himself is the portion of the Saints, they have the presence of God: What presence of God do you enjoy here? Were your souls ever acquainted with the presence of God in the Ordinances? What blessed vision have you of God here? Those who come to Heaven, God gives a sight of himself here. And what union have you with God? What union of grace? What mystical union between God and your souls? And what fruition have you of God? Is it God that you enjoy in the creature? and God in all things? God in the Ordinances? and what rest do your souls finde in God? though you be tost up and down in regard of the uncertainty of the creature, yet is God your rest: yea, do you enjoy yourselves in God? the beginning of all these are now for the present. And likewise for communion with Jesus Christ, what communion and converse is there between your souls and Jesus Christ? Is it not a riddle to you? Are you delighted in the communion of the Saints? Are the Sabbaths your delight, as a beginning of the eternal Sabbath you shall keep in Heaven? Therefore now do you ask, Who shall have Heaven? and, Who shall ascend into the Mount? Those whom the Mount now comes down unto. Many hope they shall have God when they dye, but surely if God be not so merciful as to give you spiritual mercies for the present, he will not be so merciful as to give you eternal mercies hereafter; if he do not give you mercies of grace here, he will not give you mercies of glory hereafter.

Fifthly, what are the apprehensions that you have of this reward? there may be a special note drawn from thence, whereby you may see whether this reward shall be yours or no. What is it that you apprehend to be the heighth and excellency of that reward and glory that you expect? Is it that spiritual and supernatural good that is in Heaven? Do you not apprehend Heaven after a carnal and natural way, when you hear speaking of Crowns, and dignity, and happiness, and glory, and the like? but has God showed you that the heighth and top of all consists in those spiritual and supernatural things, in the image of God, and in communion with God, and those things that have been opened? are your hearts more after these then after any thing else? then it is like that Heaven is for you, for these things are kept hid from those that Heaven is not for.

Sixthly, consider what your hopes are for this recompence of reward.

First, where hopes are true, they are such as are wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Secondly, they are purging hopes.

First, they are such hopes as are wrought by the power of the holy Ghost, Rom. 15:13 Certainly, hopes of such great things as these, must be raised by a great power, they are hopes that could never be raised by any natural apprehensions, by any work of Reason: you have hopes of Heaven, and of the glorious reward; How came you by them? What almighty power of the holy Ghost have you felt that has raised these hopes? If you have no other hopes but those that may spring out of nature, natural conceits and apprehensions, you are far short of this recompence of reward: but this recompence of reward being glorious, it has a glorious principle to raise hopes, such hopes as can bear down strong difficulties that shall oppose them: the holy Ghost does stretch out the hopes of the soul beyond that which nature can do. In the Hebrew that word that signifies hope, signifies a line, because by hope the heart is stretched out as in a line to the thing it hopes for: now the hopes that nature raises is but in a short line, and they stretch out the heart but a little way, but the hopes that are wrought by the power of the holy Ghost, are such hopes as the heart is stretched out very far by them; and there must be a mighty stretching out of the heart, and that by a mighty power, to make it hope for such great things as these, that God should bring such a poor worm to such high things as these are: Ordinary base drossie hopes that have nothing in them, they are not stretched out to these things, they have some confused apprehensions, and slight opinions about heaven, & they are loth to think they should be damned for ever, and cast from God, and therefore they will have some conceits it shall be well with them, and they hope well; but to have their hearts stretched out to expect these blessed things as the happiness of their souls, and as the real, substantial, and only good, this is by the mighty power of the holy Ghost.

Secondly, they are purging hopes; 1 John 3:3 And every man that has this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure: It is a lively working hope, 1 Pet. 1:3 Blessed be God who has begotten us again to a lively hope. As a fountain that has dirt cast into it, it being a living fountain, it works, and works, and never leaves till it has got the dirt out; cast dirt into a puddle, and it lies there, and putrifies: And this is the difference between the sin of one that is natural, and one that has hope of eternal life: When sin comes into a carnal natural heart, it lies there and putrifies; but where sin comes into a gracious heart, that has hope of eternal life, such a heart by these hopes are as a living fountain, that will never leave working till it be pure again: Such a soul as apprehends it self a vessel of such rich and glorious mercies as these, do labor to cleanse it self to the utmost: if you have a vessel that you put ordinary water into, you care not though there be some dust in the bottom, but if you will put in some precious liquor, you will cleanse it again, and again, and will not suffer any dust to be there: So carnal hearts that do not know what great things God has laid up for his people, that are not vessels of mercy, but only look for some common things, they can suffer their hearts to filled with noysom lusts, but where the soul does apprehend it self a vessel of mercy, such a one as God will fill with these glorious things, it would not have any filth and corruption abiding in it. In 2 Tim. 2:21 The Apostle speaks of two sorts of vessels that are in Gods House, that is, in the Church, Vessels of honor, and Vessels of dishonor; But how shall we know we are vessels of honor, or of dishonor? if therefore a man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel of honor; a vessel of dishonor is an unclean vessel, a vessel of honor is a clean vessel: If therefore your hopes be such as can stand with any beloved sin against knowledge, you are vessels of dishonor: And here is the liveliness of this hope; if you hast a hope to be a vessel of honor, it purges you from filth, and by that purging from filth, there comes to be a readiness and preparation to every good work, here is such a one as shall ascend up into the holy Hill of God. This is the sixth note.

Seventhly, examine what your claim is, whether your claim to Heaven, and eternal life, and this recompence of reward do lie right in the point of Justification or no? If you look at nothing but the works that you do, though they be never so glorious and good, & do not lay your claim first right in the point of Justification, you will mistake and miscarry, and be disappointed of all this recompence of reward. Therefore Paul, in Rom. 8:30 says, Whom he has justified, them he also glorified; so that Glorification does depend upon Justification: Now then the first thing that a soul is to look after for the assurance of its portion in this recompence of reward, is to make sure in the point of Justification, for there lies the claim to heaven, and all the rest comes but as a consequent of this. Now the laying our claim right in the point of Justification consists in this, When a soul comes to apprehend the infinite need it has of a perfect righteousness of a Mediator, and looks upon that righteousness of the Mediator as well pleasing to God, as sufficient to absolve it from former sins, and to discharge it from former guiltiness, whereby another reward was due to it, and by faith applies this righteousness, whereby it comes to be perfect before God, and lays the weight of all its confidence of Heaven, and of glory upon this; then you may hope to have interest in this recompence of reward: but if your claim come in any other way then this, it does not give you any interest to heaven; and therefore look much to the point of Justification, and be sure that your hearts have laid the claim and interest it has to heaven and eternal life right there, and then there may be great hope of the recompence of reward, though afterward there be many failings in your works and services: And if you will look at any work whereby you should have the reward, especially look at the work of believing, closing with the righteousness of Christ in the apprehension of your own unworthiness; This is the greatest work that any man is able to do, that shall have the greatest reward in heaven.

You think if you were able to perform duties, and do such and such things, to keep your hearts up for God, you should have this reward; but the greatest work of God that ever any creature did, is when it apprehends its own unworthiness, to venture upon the righteousness of Christ; if you were able to perform full obedience to every particular of the Moral Law, it were not so great a work, not so accepted of God, not so well pleasing in his eyes, nor should not be so gloriously rewarded in Heaven, as this one work of believing in his Son. God takes such infinite delight in his Son, as he looks more at that work of the souls believing in his Son, and venturing it self and its eternal estate upon his Son, then he does upon all works besides: and therefore look upon the point of Justification by faith first, and if that be right, the assurance of the reward will come in: divers objections will rise, that can never be answered, till the heart be setled in the point of Justification. All the Objections that rise from our weakness and sinful infirmity comes from this, because we do not settle ourselves well in the claim we make to the recompence of reward in the point of Justification, in the righteousness of Christ by faith.

Eighthly, examine what your works are, see whether they be such as shall attain to this recompence ofreward: If all the excellencies of all the moralities of all the men in the world were put into one, these could never reach to this reward; it is a supernatural thing, and therefore if you would know whether you shall have it, there must be something supernatural in you.

But when is a work supernatural, so as I must have some comfortable hope, that it shall reach unto this supernatural reward?

A supernatural work has, First, supernatural Principles. Secondly, it has supernatural ends. Thirdly, it is performed in a supernatural manner.

First, the principles are supernatural; first, they are above nature; and secondly, they are fetched from a fountain that nature has no skill of. For the first, there is something above nature, that puts you upon duties; you do not only go on in the ways of godliness, because you know you are bound to them, you cannot be saved else, but because you finde a new light let out by God from heaven, that shows an infinite excellency and beauty that is in the way of godliness. And you finde a principle of Divine nature put into you, that makes the ways of godliness agreeable to you; and the more Spiritual and Divine they are, the more suitableness you finde between your souls and those ways.

And secondly, do you finde that you draw your principles that enables you to any good work from a Mediator? The natural principles come at highest but from reason, it sees reason for such and such things to be done; but a supernatural principle is drawn from a Mediator, from God-Man, from God in Christ, and by vertue of the promise, and so it comes to be an Evangelical obedience.

And it has supernatural ends, beyond self, and all self, and creature respects: That work that is natural rises no higher then nature in its ends; as the water ascends no higher then from the place it descends: so all natural works have some self or creature respects, but when you finde your hearts are raised above self and creature respects in your obedience to God, there is a supernatural end.

And then they are performed in a supernatural manner. Seneca has this expression of desires; You may know it is not a natural desire when it rises beyondbounds: He applies it to evil desires, when a man desires things without bounds, that is no natural desire: Now that which he applyes to the corruption of nature, we may rather apply to the perfection of nature. All the desires of nature are such as are limited in a narrow compass; no natural man in the world does go on in the ways of obedience with an infinite desire to dilate himself infinitely as far as he is capable, but is always limited in a little narrow compass, so far he will go, and no further; but when the soul comes to walk with God in a way of supernatural obedience, it comes to be without bounds, all those bounds that did limit the soul are taken away, and there is a letting out of the heart to God in the ways of godliness in an infinite manner; and this is a most clear evidence of a supernatural work, that will go for currant in Heaven, and shall be rewarded there; there is the impression of Gods infiniteness upon the heart in every work that is performed; examine whether your works be not like those that the Apostle speaks of, in 1 Cor. 3:15 where he speaks of the works that shall burn; therefore let us consider whether our works be such as when they come to the tryal, shall be found to be stubble, and burn.

There are a great many whose works are like to burn, and themselves too: Many of the works of Gods people are like to burn, but look too yourselves for your main and principal works, whether they will hold when they are examined by the rule of heaven, and shall be rewarded: It is nothing what your works are before men, the people of God may highly esteem of your works, but when they come to be examined in heaven, they shall be examined strictly, and unless God see a supernatural stamp upon them, they will burn; and therefore look to your works, see whether they be supernatural in the principles, in the ends, and in the manner of doing of them: and examine by these rules the assurance of this reward. Mr. Latimer says, the assurance of heaven, is the sweet meats of the feast of a good conscience: In great feasts there are good meats and banquets: There are other dainty dishes in this feast, and the assurance of heaven is the sweet meats and the banquet. Now that we may have the feast of a good conscience made full, let us take pains in examining whether this recompence of reward be ours: if we did but apprehend this reward to be ours, it would make us go on with power in our way, whereas now every little thing is ready to turn us aside.

Again, if upon examining by these arguments you finde some comfortable hope that the recompence of reward is yours, what concerns you, but patience to wait for it; and in the mean time to live as those that shall have these things, and labor to dye so?

First, patiently to wait; St. Iames says, The Husbandman waits for the precious seed till the harvestcome: Though it be precious seed, the Husbandman casts it into the earth, he is not discontent because he has not harvest next Week, but he is content to let the winter, the frost and snow go over it; and so we must be content to have many troubles between the hope of the reward, and the possession of it. We must work in the vineyard of the Lord, and endure the heat of the day, and not expect our peny till night. Mark how the Apostle would have those to walk who have the hope of heaven, Rom. 2:7 To them, who by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life. Great things are to be expected and waited for; If a man have a great venture at Sea, that he expects some mighty profit by, he is content to wait two or three years, because he thinks it will make amends for all: So in your way of merchandizing, if a man go and buy a commodity of five or ten shillings, he lays down present money, but if the commodity come to a great sum of many hundred pounds, he does but give something in earnest, the great pay is to come many moneths after: so when men will bargain with God for their obedience to have credit and esteem in the world, yea, those men that aspire after the greatest things in the world, these are poor trifling matters, and God gives them presently: but because the Covenant that is between God and Christ, & so between Christ and us, is about great matters, and God intends to reward his people with glorious things eternally in the Heavens, they have but the first-fruits of them for the present, and they must not expect the fulness of them suddenly.

Great men have two kinde of Servants usually, some servants that they hire by the day, or the moneth, or the year, that they shall have so much wages, and so their wages is paid them, it may be every night, or every week; other servants have not their wages presently, but that which they serve for, is the expectation of some great office or living that their Lord should give to them after many years service, and therefore they go on in their service, though nothing come presently. Here is the difference between the men of the world and others, I speak of those who live the best lives who are not truly gracious; they in some measure are the servants of God, they do God some service, only such service as poor laboring men do that are hired in a great mans House, that have their pay every week, or day; so you have your pay every day, you have meat and drink, and the comfort of the creatures; but God has other greater Servants, godly people, Christians, and though they have not so much pay presently, as wicked men have, yet there are reversions, and some glorious things that they expect hereafter, and therefore they go on patiently, though for the present they have not so much as others. And you have no cause to envy others: If there be two Servants in a great mans House, the one sees the poor laboring man have his shilling given him, shall he envy him, and say, I have served many years, and have not had a shilling? No, he does not envy him, because he expects some great things: And so when you see the men of the world have the great things of the world, do not envy them, because you serve God for greater things.

Queen Elizabeth, she envyed the milk-maid when she was in prison, but if she had known what a glorious Reign she should have had for four and forty years, she would not have envyed her. Wait therefore patiently, because the things are great, and the longer you wait, the greater they will be: as it was the speech of the Son of an Emperor, says he, The longer the Cooks are preparing the meat, there will be the better chear, meaning, The longer he staid for the Empire, the greater it would be; so go on in your way, wait patiently, the longer you wait, the better it will be at the last: and it is sure enough, Christ is gone before to take possession, and God never so wrought to make any thing sure, as he has wrought for the assuring of the good in the Covenant of grace. Yet long after it and desire it. In Rom. 8:21 it is said, The creature groaneth to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, to come into the glorious liberty of the children of God; and therefore we ourselves should much more desire it, and pant after that time, we should cry out with David, though with patience, When shall I appear before God, the living God?