590 Cap.51. Eve was, not by discourse, but by the Spirit of God, telling him what he was; and fo we being filled with the Spirit of God, we fhall come to know one another, we shall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac and Iacob, we fhall have communion with them, not onely as godly men, but as with Abraham, Ifaac and Facob,and if with them, why not with others? This we have in Scripture, that fpiritual relations shall adde much to the glory of the people of God in Heaven, though natural relations shall be taken away; as the Father, if he know the childe, there fhall not be that natural affection to the childe as is nów; yet the Scripture feems to speak of spiritual relations, that they fhall continue even in Heaven for the glory of the Saints; and therefore St. Paul fays to the Philippians, You are our crown, and our rejoycing in the day of Chrift: It shall be known, who were converted by such a Miniftery, and it shall be a crown to a Minister, that fuch were converted, and edified, and built up by him." But we need not trouble our felves about this queftion, because we have one thing that will fatisfie us, about all questions that are not clear: Either we shall have all that happiness we do think in our thoughts, or can think, or elfe we shall have that (we being our own judges and choofers) that shall be as good or better: fo that if a Parent thinks what an happiness were it for me to fee my childe in heaven; and the childe fball think, what an happiness were it for me to fee my Patents in Heaven,you think fo here: We guess at things thus childishly,but yet either this shall be, or that which is as good or better then this. As fuppofe I fhould think, how glad fhould fhould I be if fuch a one would give me a fhilling, Cap.52. if after I come to know he will give me this, or a Twenty fhilling piece, I do not trouble my felf to know whether he will give me a fhilling or no. And fo much for Communion with the Angels and Saints. CHAP. LII. The happiness of Gods people in the Perpetual Sabbath that they shall enjoy. N Ow the last thing in the Explication is, to fhew wherein the happinefs of the Saints confifts, is that Perpetual Sabbath that they fhall keep with God, whereof this Sabbath is but a Type, Heb.4.9. Sabbaths here are comfortable, and we have felt fome fweet, and fome comfort in fome Sabbaths; but take all the comfort that ever you had in all the Sabbaths you have had here, and put all into one, that would be a comfortable Sabbath; but that perpetual Sabbath that shall be hereafter, will be the accomplishment of all thofe Sabbaths, and that will be fweet. Now I fhall exprefs my self in these fix or feven particulars, to fhew the happiness of Gods people in that perpetual Sabbath. Firft, they fhall be exercised in the highest employments that any creature can be exercised in, or that they are capable to be exercised in: The happiness of a creature confifts much in that which it is exercised in ; as there is a great deal of difference between 7. I. Cap.52. between the happiness of a Noble-man in Court, and the happiness of one that is employed onely in cleanfing channels, and the meaneft employment that is, because their exercife is different; the one is exercised about business that concerns a King, and a State, and the other is imployed about mean things; therefore according as the exercife is, that any creature is raised to, fo is the dignity and excellency of that creature: Now we are exercised in mean things here, in comparison of what we shall be hereafter, and yet our business here in making provifion for the flesh, in getting meat, and drink, and clothes, and money, is fweet; but though out-of obedience to God, we ought to go on comfortably in our callings and places wherein God hath fet us, because God calls us to these low mean things, yet we are to account them a mean condition, in regard of that which our natures are capable of, it is but a fore travel that is laid upon man, and this fhall not fatisfie us, as if we were capable of no higher things; but when we fhall be raised to be bufied about the higheft employments that a created fubftance is capable to be bufied about, that must be Pfa.145.6 comfortable, as the Pfalmift fpeaks, The high praifes of God fhall be in their mouthes: They fhall be always bufied in the high contemplations of God, and of the Trinity, and they fhall be always finging praifes to God and to him that fits upon the throne, and to every Verfe of the Song that they fhall fing to the Lamb, there fhall be a Selah put to it; it must be glorious,because this is the highest glory that God hath, not onely from his works here, but from all the counfels of his wifdom about the great mystery of Redemption, redemption, from all his works in Heaven, and the Cap.52. higheft glory, that he hath from all the communications of himself to the Saints in Heaven, in his praises that they fhall be exercised in: all the happiness that we have from God here, is a way of subserviency unto the actual praifing of God; there whatfoever God communicates to his creature, the top of all is not that the creature fhould have it, but that it fhould reflect the praife of all upon God. The end of all that God does in the world is his glory that he fhall have in Heaven, and the end of all he does in Heaven, is the actual working of the fouls of his Saints upon himself. Secondly, the happiness of the perpetual Sabbath, may be expreffed in this, in that the fouls of Gods people fhall be always up,and fit for these high works: God calls us many times to moft excellent things, to be exercised about himself, but our hearts are not fit for these exercises; fometimes we finde our hearts enlarged, and when our hearts are up, we take delight in holy exercises; but at other times,how hardly are we drawn to them? and we are weary in obedience, and count it a flavery,those exercises are heavy to us, but there is a time coming, when our hearts shall be always up, never to feek, but fhall be always upon the highest pin, enflamed with heat continually as it is an heavy curfe for a mans heart to be fuitable and fitted for temptation, when a temptation fhall come; fo it is a wonderful bleffing to be fitted for any holy employment, when we are called to it; this there hal be always in the Saints in heaven, in keeping this their perpetual Sabbath. It is reported of Anfelm, as he was walking out of his house, he 2. Cap.52. he faw a bird, that was fluttering to fly up, and could not get up, but fell down, and looking upon it wishly, he faw a ftring tyed to the leg, and a stone at the end; upon this his heart broke, and he bemoaned himself, This is my condition, fays he, though sometimes I would fain get up in holy exercises with God, O but this burthen of fin, and weight of fin, is like a ftone, and preffes me down, when I am got up a little way, I am pull'd down again, my heart is feldom fitted for holy exercifes: So it is with us ufually, though through Gods grace there are fome wings to moveup a little, yet this weight and burthen of fins preffes us down, and makes us unfit for holy duties, let us go humbly a while under that fore burthen,but know we fhall be freed from it ere long. 4. 3. Thirdly, the happiness of the Sabbath confifts in this, there fhall be no intermiffion, but they fhall continue day and night (though there fhall be no night) then we fhall not go to duty and break off again, and go again, and break off again, no, there fhall be no other imployment, though the duties of Gods worship here be of an excellent nature, yet we are not to spend all our time in them; but then there shall be nothing elfe to spend one moment of time in to all eternity. Fourthly, there fhall be no weariness; though we do spend fome time in holy exercises here, we are quickly weary before we have done, Though the fpirit be willing, the flesh is weak, but when we shall have been praifing of God millions of years, we fhall be as fresh at the end of them, as at the first moment; when we are exercised in holy duties with others, it is good to confider of their weakness,whether they be able to hold out, and joyn with us; but there |