Heaven Collection BV4831 .B4 1765

-- THE SAINT'S REST. 47 our tears, one stream ! and our desires, one prayer ! But now all our praises shall make up one melody; all our churches one church; and all ourselves, one body ; for we shall be all 6ne in Christ, even as he and the Father are one.(k) 'Tis true, we must be careful not to look for that in the saints which is alone in Christ. But if the fore - thought of sitting down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the king- dom of heaven,(/) may be our lawful joy ; how much more the real sight, and- actual possession ! It cannot choose but be comfortable to think of that day, when we shall join with Moses in his song, with David in his psalms of praise, and with all the redeemed in the song of the Lamb for ever ;(m) when we shall see Enoch walking with God ;(n) Noah enjoying the end of his singularity ; Joseph of his integrity ; Job of his pa- tience ; Igezekiah of his uprightness ; and all the saints the end of their faith.(o) Not only our old acquaintance, but all the saints, of all ages, whose faces in the flesh we never saw, we shall there both know and comfortably enjoy. Yea, angels,' as well as saints, will be our blessed acquaintance. Those, who now are willingly our ministering spirits,(p) will willingly then be our companions in joy. They, who had such joy in heaven for our conversation,(q) will gladly rejoice with us in our glorification. Then we shall truly say, as David, " I am a companion of all them that fear thee ;"(r) when we are come unto tpunt Sion, and unto the city of the living God, th&'hea- venly Jerusalem, and unto an innumerable cotnpanyof, angels, to the general assembly and church of the first -born, who are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new cove- vant.(s) "Tis a singular excellence of heavenly rest, that we " are fellow - citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. "(t) (k) John xvii. 21. (1) Matt. viii. 11. (m) Rev. xv. 3. (n) Gen. v. 24. (o) 1 Pet. i. 9. (p) Heb. i. 14. (q) Luke xv. 7, 10. (r) Psalm cxix. 63. (s) Heb. xii. 22, 24. (s) Eph. ü. 19.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=