20 NATURE OF [Chap. 1. thereof. And there shall be no more curse ; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads. These sayings are faithful and true, and the things which must shortly be done. And now we say, as Mephibosheth, let the world take all, forasmuch as our Lord will come in peace. Rejoice, therefore, in the Lord, 0 ye righteous ! and say, with his servant David, " The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance : the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I have set the Lord always before me : because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Whit pre- sumption would it have been, once, to have thought or spoken of such a thing, if God had not spoken it before us ! I durst not have thought of the saints' preferment in this life, as Scripture sets it forth, had it not been the ex- press truth of God. How indecent to talk of being sons of God speaking to him having fellowship with him--- dwelling in him, and he in us, if this had not been God's own language ! How much less durst we have once thought of shining. forth as the Sun of being joint heirs with Christ of judging the world -of sitting on Christ's throne of being one in him and the Father, if we had not all this from the mouth, and under the hand of God ! But he hath said, and shall he not do it? Hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good ? Yes, as the Lord God is true, thus shall it be done to the man whom Christ de- lighteth to honor. Be of good cheer, Christian; the time is near when God and thou shalt be near, and as near as thou canst well desire. Thou shalt dwell in his family. Is that enough ? It is better to be a door-keeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Thou shalt ever stand before him, about his throne, in the room with him, in his presence-chamber. Wouldst thou yet be nearer? Thou shalt be his child, andhe thy Father; thou shalt be an heir of his kingdom; yea, more, the spouse of
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