Of HEAVEN. Chap. V. an engaged Eye, as his own by many dear Titles, and is ravifh'd with the Reflex of his own Excellencies fhining in them. As the Bridegroom rejoices O'Ver the Bride ( ?tis the Language of Divine Love) fo their God rejoyces wer them. The Lord thy God in the midjl of the~'! mighty ; he rv_tll fave? he wilL r~j~ice o~er thee ~vith joy_ : He wiN reft tn his love; !Jt wrll Yf)Otce over tlm wtth Jingtng. He IS mfimtely dehghwl 10 the communication of his Goodnefs to them. And what a blelfed Reft do they find in the compleat fruition of his Goodnefs? All their Delires quietly expire in his Bofom. What triumphs of Joy follow? Can we frame a fuller Conception of Happinefs, than to be perfeCtly loved by the belt and mol! blelfed Being,. and perfealy to love him, and to partake of the riche!i Efolfn;tions of his Lwmg-kmdnefs, that u far more 'IMI11able and dejirab/e than Life it How precious and joyful will the Prefence of Chrift be to the Saints? 'Twas his Prayer on Earth, Father, I will that thry alfo whom tho11 haft given me, be with me where I iG~ '%~~:hrh:z~eho~:6 ~;~(d,-a:h~hei~h:d!~~7~~a;e~;~"cf:;~~dc~:ift t~~ t~;~~~~~ Ine~lmable Felicity ! whether we confider him as the Son of God, 10 whofe confpicuous Countenance all the Glory of his Father fhines; or as the Saviour of Men, and the Head of the Elea, upon a double account: partly, that hethatlwed m, andw.jb'd"' from our Sins;,. hit Blnod, after fuffering all Indignities and Cruelties for our fake, has received the Reward of his meritorious Suffurings, the triumpl) of his viaory, being glorified with the Father with the Glory he had before the World w.u: and partly, becaufe every Member !hall be conformed to him in Glory. The fight of the Face of Mo/is when radiant, had no transforming Efficacy, for the Light of itwasnotinhimasitsfpring, ~~~~;a~~r~~~i~~im~h~st~,!~~r~.f 0:~jsh;~~~rJT=~~~~~rui?~ti~~~r~fe~~e0~/:~e ~~f~is ro Chrift.?· He thm fees of the travel of hit So11l, the fruit of his jbarp Sttjferings ana bleeding Love, and it fatiljed. How delightful is it to him to fee all his Spiritual Progeny fafely brought to Heaven, and made partakers of his Glory and Joy in his Everlafting ~~:,do~: !ill th~~r;:~f.~~th~~~~~i:~!~~e?~~; ~~~~:a:~:~l~~e~~~~~~~~: l~J. am 1, and the Children whom thou haft given me. · The deareft Affeaionsof Chrift and the Saints in Heaven, are mutual ahd reflexive.' In the Sacred Song, the expreffions of Love, Delire, and Joy, borrowed from the Efpoufals of Solomon and his beloved Wife, are, as it were, Charafurs in the Bark, to be underftood in a fpiritual Senfe, of the Myftical Marriage of Chrift and the Church. What endearing ent~rcourfe is there between the mol! perfea Lover, and his Spouf~ ihfpir'd with the fame pure Flame ? Here amiable Perfeaions attraa his Eye and Heart: Thou art allfair, my Lwe, there is no Jfot ia thee, Cant. 7· His propriety in the Church is his unvaluable Treafure : My Vineyard which is mine, is ever hefore me. He repeats the word Mine, in the fweeteft and mol! tender manner. And the Church, with the fame harmonious Affeaions, fpeaks of Chrift. She contemplates in a f9ft extafy his ever-fa- ~~y:~~ B~i,~tb~ea~f!~h':~%{;~~:ef;t,~e;:e~h::r:;:~. ";n~s ;~~g~:~~"::f.•/"~~ all their expreffions of joyful Love and Union, we may afccnd in our Though~s, what are the Joys of Heaven, where the.Communion of Chrift and the Church is entire and uninterrupted for ever. If Faith and Love of ourunfeen Saviour produce a1oy unjpe~kab!e and glorious, as if Believers were wrapt up to Parad1fe, or Parad1fe defcended mto them, what will the light and fruition of him? There is as great a difference. in degrees between the Joy that flows from · the alfurance and application of Faith, and the Jar from Vilion and full Polfeffion1 as between the impreffion of Joy the· Forerunne~ of Chriftfelt, when hefprangintheWombatthe coming of our Saviour; and h1Srav1lh· ing Joy, when he faw Chrift, and pointed him out to his Difciples, Behold the Lamb of God, that la/m •way the Sins of theWorld. _ J· ThefupreamJoy of the Saints is for the Felicity and Glory of God h1mfelf. For as the holy Soul feels no more powerful motive to love God, than becaufe he is moll worthy of it, as he is God, a Being of infin!te Excellencies, _and therefore to be loved above the·deareft Perfonsand Th10gs, even 11 felf; fo the liJgheft Joy ll_partakes of IS from this confideration, that God is infinitely blelfed and glorio~s. For m thiS the f~ pream.delire of Love is accomphfhed, that the mol! beloved <:JbJea "perfeCtly honour d and pleafed. In Heaven the Love of the Saints tO God· JS m 1ts h1gheft Perfea10n, and they fee his Glory in the moll perfea manner,. which caufes a tranfcendent Joy to thent. And this is one reafon why the Saints, tho fhming With unequal degrees of Glo;~~ail; . *
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