~tabeng I!;appinefg. 467 ------,-:::-:- = -- pear one ro another. l· The glorified body of our bleffed Sa~iour; we .fhall fee him that is clearer than all our fri ends, that died for our fins, not mh1s humtlny, but m the brightnefs of his glory. , Secondly, the wdlts for ever fatisfied with a pcrfeCl:, inward, ahd eternal commu· t1ion withGod himfclf; Chrtfl: that ts God and man, by ):us Manhood alfumed umteth us unto God, and by his Godhead alfuming uniteth God unto ~s; fo that by h1s fecret and facred communion, we are made partakers (and a~ !t were po!Te!Tors) of God himfelf: 0 bottomlelfe depth, and dearell: confluence of .joyes and ·plea– fures everlalling! her~ is the perfec'bon of all good things; the Crown of glory; the very life of Life cvcrlaftmg. And :vell may it be f~, for what can the foul delire, God will not be unto her? tt 1s he that 1s emmently 1n hunfelf beauty to our eyes,mufick to our ears, honey to our mouths, perfume to our nofl:rils, light to our under!hnding, .Jelight to q~r will, continuation of eternity to our memory; in him fhall we enjoyall the varieties of times, all the beauty of creatures, all the pleafures of P~tradife. Blelfed Thief,what a glory was this to be admitted to the fociety of Chrifl: in his Deity! 7hM fbalt be with me?] how then ihould he be but happy ? Where could hebe ill wuh Vlii .,,,!i pote– him? where to~tldhe be well without him? In thy prefencethere i;f~tlncf; of JO)', and tit thy ,., 11 effc cum right hand there are picafure;fw evermore; joy, and fulnefs of joy; pleafurcs and eillo i ubi bm ' vcrlafhng pleafurcs: JJie/Jed arc all they that live in thy houfe, 0 Lord, for they fha/1 praifc P"'' m rffe fin~ · h d ~ 1 8 iiloi Aug thee eternally wodd wit out en , P a • 4• 4· , . . Pial. 1 6. 11, But a little to inlarge on this. To be wuh the Godhead,] tmplie~ thefe thmgs. 1 . The pr•J. s 4 • 4 , prefence of God. 2. The blelfed vifion ofGod~ 3· The happy umon wnh God. 4· The glorioljs commmunion with God. 5. The fruition of God. 6. The enjoyment of the Saints themfelves in God. Firft, To be with God, implies the ptefeirce of God: heaven it felf were not hea11,eli without the prcfence of God: it is the prefen·cc of God that mak.es Heaven wherefoe– ver it is;17av•d would not be afro<id though he walksd in the valley ofthe Jhadow of dutth,fo that God lVCYCJVith bim, Pfal. 2J. 4·· Lnther would rather be in hell with Gods prefence, t~~h~3;"n'tct. ~=~~7/~;"~;;~~~tei~fd:~~~:· a:Ot!!~~~\~rt[~nb~~~~:~:~~=~ ~:a~yh~a~:%, 0~~~~ cop, ~<>· will the prefcncc of God make Heaven to be ? The three children in the 1\ery furnace with Gods prefence were happy; how happy then are the Saints with Gods ·prefence in Heaven? God made rich promifes to M ofe;, yet he could not be fatisfied without the prefcnce of God; If thy prefence be not wuh m, bring'" not hence : And the Apofl:le Exod. H · 11. when he would fer outthe mifery of thofe that are daqmca, he faith, They fha/1 bepuni. • Tlier. I. 9· fhedwith ever/afling deflructionfrom the prefence ofthe Lord. Now the prcfence' of God, muft needs be the happinelfe of the Saint$. i. Becaufe this mull: needs draw out all thclr.gr•ces in all the fweet favour of them, Whde the K•11gjittcth at hi! table, my frdenard fendeth forth the fine!/ thereof. t•nt '· '"' 2. The prefence ofGod quickens all the comforts of the Saints, and keeps them al; wayes m v1gou~ and activity; as the Sun quickens things that lay dead, fo Gods pre– fence hath a qu1cknmg power, tt keeps the comforts of Gods people green, and live· ly: wh~n they fhall be prcfentedJaultleJJebeforerhe pre(mce of huglory, it jhaU caufe ex– cccdzng joy. 3·, The prefenc~·of God fills the fouls and bodyes of the Saints with glory; fot it )ude '4' fills tne heavens Wtth glory, much more mull: it fill an immortal foul with glory, becaufe that~~ more capable of glory than heaven: if the Sun can put a glory upon thefe dark creatures here below, much more ~an the prefence of God put glory upon the glorified bod1esand fouls of the Saints. hSecond~y, To be with God, implies the beatifical vifion of God: the Saints fhall be W ere he IS, and they fhallfee hisface. Behold, now are we the fo~ts ofGod, and il doth ReveL • '· 4/ not yctjhappear what >ve jha/1 be: bitt we k._now that when he fha/1 appear, we fhall be lik$ him, I John 3· •· for we allfee h,mas htu. The glory of this may appear in thefe particutars. I. To fee God as the firfl: being of all, or the principal of all good; this is a mofl blh~ej th~1gf/~fec !f.dam the firfl: father, or Eve the firlt motherof mankind, or for he 1 'hto ee 1s.ather, andmother, out ofwhdfeloinsand bowels he came whom fie ~at . n~t feef 111 ma?y years, this is a joy and comfort: -but to fee the Croo~or the L: prmcip eo all th1ngs, that mull: be a great, and infinite contentment and (o fee ~mhthat h;th done all the good in the world; hath much fatisfU:Cl:ion· in it : 'Shiw us the at er, an tt fiifficcrh. • .i',· -z TofeeG d" h. · h ' · t}ohnl4·" · o. m 1s untty; w ereas now we underfland God only according to his' 0 o o· 2 · feveral"
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