Dr. Thomas Manton's Funeral Sermon. on of his Prefence, makes his Love mofl: fenfibl e to them. 0 the mutual delights between God and glo6fied Soul~ ! God looks o_n them with an en?;aged Eye, as his own by many dear T 1tles, and IS well-pleafed m h1s own Goodnefs to them, and ravifil'd with the reflex of his own Excellencies {hining in them. A, the Bridegroo1;t rejoycu over the Bricle, ( 'tis the Language of Divine Lbve) fo their God 1·ejoyces over them. And what a bleffed Refl: do they find in the compleat fruition of their BeJ~:e~ ~~~l ;;~eiir~~;~e~ t~;f:;Y~~~~~~J~~~i~l~0~ine~l~al~aJ;~ub'f~~rr:cJ~~o~~~ by infinite Goodnefs, and perfeCl:ly to love him ? 3· The fupreme Joy of.the Saints is for the Felicity and Glory of God himfelf. For as the Holy Soul feels no more powerful motive to love God, than becaufe he is mofl: worthy of it, as he is God, a Being of infinite Excellencies, and therefore ~o be loved above the dearefl: Perfons and Things, even it felf; fo the highefl: Joy 1t partakes of is from this Confideration, That God is infinitely bleffedand glorious. For in this the fupream ddire of Love is accomplifh"d, that the moft beloved Objell: is perfell:ly honour'd and pleafed. In Heaven the Love of the Saints to God is in its highefl: Perfell:ion ; and they fee his Glory in the moO: perfcll: manrier, which caufes a tranfcendent Joy to them. And this is one reafon why the Saints, though ~~~nge~·;~1r~~n~~~a~J~1~;: ~~: i?~~~~;.;:~ ~?~~~~ ~?~,%7h/tu~:~~;i:::,~~;~~~: nications of his Goodnefs, is full fatisfall:ion to their defircs. Befides, in thofe difb•~•~\~ ~~~~· ~~m~I~J':fi:: ~Jb~J~~ybu~";lfato~~ f: [o content with his own, * that there is no :!ti~~~~~~ a~i~ 4· The full Joy of Heaven {ball c;ntinue without dimiOution, or end~ ~~~uhat:r Firft, T!1e number of. Po~effors ~annat lefTen it. The Divine Preft.:nce is ~!I uti- "' ,.,;, ,m. wafl:ed Spnng of Plea[ure eq~i!lly full and open to all, and abund~ntly fuffiCient to pJ;us. A.g. fatisfy the immenfity of their ·defires. Envy reigns in this World, becaufe earthly things are [o imperfell: in their Nature, and fo peculiar in their Poffeflion, that they cannot fuflice, nor be enjoyed by all. But in Heaven none is touch'd with that low bafe Paflion : for God contains all that is precious and defirable in the higlwfl: Degrees of Perfell:ion, and all partake of the influence of his U niverfal Goodnefs without intercepting one another. In•the Kingdom above there is ho caufe for the Elder Brother to repine at the Father's Bounty to the Younger, nor for the Younger to fupplant the Elder, to obtain the Birth-right. The Heirs of God are all rais'd to Sovereign Glory. Every one enjoys him as entirely and fully, as if folely his Felicity. God is a Good as indivijible as infinite, and not diminifh'd by the moO: liberal Communications of Himfelf. We may illufl:rate thi s by comparing the Price. of our Redemption, and the Reward. The Death of Chrifl: is an univerfal Benefit to all the Saints, yet 'tis fo applied to every Believer for his perfell: Redem1',tion, as if our Saviour in all his Agonies and Sufferings had no other in his Eye and Heart ; as if all his Prayers, his Tears, his Blood were offer'd up to his Father only for that Perfan. The common refpcll: of it the Apofl:le declares in thofe admirable words, that fignilie [uch an excefs of God's Love to us, f!e that ]Pared not hi< own Son, b11t deli- • ~· <o<~m ~' ver'd him up for m all, how Jhall he not .with him alfo fteely give ui all things 1 But to ~e 1 ~t~~vefi~~ imagine that * the propriety of every Believer is tl~ereby prejudiced, is not only ••"• Ao P" falfe, but extreamly injurious to the Merit and Dignity, and to the infinite Love of ~:'ffi~~;'(~;d Chrifl:. Therefore the fame Apofl:le tells us, The Life which I 11ow live in the Flejh, ~~~l:.'fi~~~;. ~~;: :(,e'f~l{~~e~ ~f ~7ril·?~;e~~h;~e~~~d"i~,~:~d ~;t{(~ff;;l~~s~s i~~d ~n~;~fi: ~~this appropriating of it to hirnfelf, is no prejudice to the Rights of all others. St~ fin!id" ; ••fi ]oh11 defcribes himfelf by that truly glorious Title, The Difciple whom Jef"' love.d• ~~' $.~~"fin· Could he [peak this of himfelf without the injmy and indignation of the other ~Ifg~J; ""'"' u· ciples? Certainly he might. For if WC confider that incomprehenfive Love of Chrifr, ~~~:~\,deu;~ expreft to them all at his Jafi Supper, after J11dtU was gone forth; A.r the Father hath nm<finguli. loved me, fo h•ve I loved yo11. We may eafily underfl:and, that every one of them •"'(,~") ~m· might jufl:Jy believe that he was fingularly beloved of Chrifl. They were all re- "" '"""· ccived in the ~~~~tbf~~~~g~S:;.~th ~:~; fn tt%v~~ c'J~~ ~;\~~ai;rii~e~~~~B.;~=~f;~ no: ~lt:ru~:~~rt~~f!~i!or:~~i~ of all the Saints~ and the peculiar Portion of every one. * A~ by l1~ num fono~. ranquam cibos: fed Effcnce he equally fills the whole \.Yorld, and eve:y part of It; an omnequod fona~& omniblntn- by his Providence equally regards all and every particular Creature; . fo ~~~P~~~~J~Q7~}~~~omm.&Hgufl. in Heaven he difpences the Riches of his Love to all> that they ~n· not defire more if ev~ry one of thorn were (if I may fo e¥prefs 1t) ' the
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