Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

If a man looks upon a delightful objec't, he is loath to have the eye dnwn from it: you fhallncvcr have your eye drawn from God. 9 . Tv fee God in our fclves. It is an happinefs to fee God in the creature, but much more to fee God in our felves. The chiefefl: of the glory of God, next to that which appears in Jefus Chrilr as God-man, fhall appear in the Saints; and the ch1cf excellercy of God that the Saints fhail fee, fhall be within rhemfelves; they fhall fee more of the glory of God within themfclves, than in all the Heavens befides. Thirdly, 7'obe wi1h Cjod, implies the happy union with Gael. Sight IS hcgher than .. prefence, and union is higher rhan fight. And thus Chrilr prays to his Father, That ]oh~. 17 · ". the) may be one in w, aJ thou art m me, find J m thee. Now that there fhall b~ fuch a wonderful glorious union between God and the fou l in Heaven, appears upon thefe gruunds. I. There is not fuch difl:anee between God and the foul, but that it is capable of u– nion with God: One would think, how · is it pol1ible that God fhould be fo united to the foul, beirrg thei'e is fuch an infinite difl:ance, betwixt God and the foul : But ther_e is no fuch diflance, as that there fhould not be a glorious union betwixt them. There IS a great deal oflikcnels betwixt God and the Soul : Firll:, in the fpirituallity, God is a Spirit,and the foul is a fpirit. Sccondly,in the immortality;God is immortal,and the foul is immortal. Thirdly, in the high excellency of God, the underflanding, and wrll, the foul is endued with underftanding and will. ~. God fhall fee nothing but himfelf in the fouls of his Saints. Now things that are of a like nature, dv unite: Bring an hot fire-brand to the lire, ~nd it dorh unite pre– fenrly, bccaufc the .fire dorh find fomthing of it fclf there, if there were fome may– flu~ in the brand, it would not fo fully unite. So here we cannot have full unton with God, becaufc thou~h God fee fumwhat of his own in us i yet there is a great deal inus that is nor Gods : Bur when we fhall be wholly free from fin, and God fhall fee nothing but his own in us, that mull: needs be a ground of a moll: glorious union, 3. There fhall be an infinite inflamed love betwixt God and his Saints: indeed here is an union of love, bur in Heaven there will be a further degree of Love; and love being cnflamed, there muft needs be a glorious union. 4 . The bond of connexion of God and the foul together, requires it; namely, the meditation of Chrilt. 0 this union with Go_d is enough to caufe the fouls of Gods people (o to be fatisfied, as to fay ; Though all things be t11k;n from me, it is enough, I havefometvhat of GodJ prefence here, bttt JJha/1 have ~he glorious prefence, and vzjion of God, and llnionwitb God hereafter: and though mineeyCJ jhould never fee good day after, er ne'!" fee co/Jifortable objeEt in thiJ tvorld,thiJ is enough, I jha!lfee God,<~nd have fu!lttnion ~vith Go i, tbough Godjho~tld rend this t;reature,?r that c:rcature,the deanft hmband,thc dea· rejf tvife,or the dearejl comfort in the worldfrom me; yet it iJ enough thllt God and my foul are fomervhat unrrcd,and that God and m)'fo;tl jhall have aglorio~ts union hereafttr! Fourthly, To b< IVith .Cod, implies the glorious cbmmunion with God. Union is . the ground of Communion: in this Life there is a Communton that the Scripture fpcah of;-Our jd:owjl,ip is with the Father, and his Son Jefus Chrijl: and The Commltnion ofthe 1 John ~, 3, Holy Ghof/ be 1ruh )'011, .r.·uth the Apofl:lc. _But certainly it f11all be another manner of • Cor. 13. 14, Commuocon that the Somts fhall have w1th God in the world to come. Now this Communion, it ftands either. in regard of the work of God upon and towards his Samts, or the work of the Samrs upon and towards God: for Communion is en both fides; and that in rhcfe four tliings: 1. Communion confifl:s in the delight they have in one another: there is fuU, actu– al, mutual, cvcrlafl:ing delight between God and the Saints in heaven. 2. In Communion there is a mutual wifhing.and willing of good to one another. Now God fhall wtfh_ all good to the Saints, and they wifh all good to God-? but what~oodcan they w•fh or will to God? It is true, there can be no addition to the cffentcal good11efs of God, bur they can will that this his goodnefs be honoured and pra1fcd. . 3· lti Communion, there is the communion of what one harh unto another ··And thm God comnmni_eatcs himfclf to his Saints immediately, fully, freely, evm~lafl:ingly. And fo the Samrs communicate to God in the fame way that God comnmniqres to thch : They arc always worfhipping God immediately, not through Ordinan– ;;sd;} 1 ey arc alw 1 ays eommunieati~g rhemfelvcs, and all that they are or have to "-JO •u ly and free y. . ' 4· Il\

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