At the Futteral ofMr. Afii where they finl live toge&er,mver robe fcattered again. ToUnderhand this the better, let me offer three things to you, (hewing you that the godly are gathered to God three wayes : in this life, at death, and at the day of judgement.. Firm, The righteous are gathered to God in this life, and that is at their hillconverfion, for by nature we are aliens and hrangers to God, fcattered from any union or communionwith God; nct only fcattered from the giorious but from gracious pretence of God. God made maa at hill to enjoy communion with himfelf, but Adam loft this by fin, and now we are all Cains and Vagabonds, fcattered from the love God, and from union and communion with God ; but when Gcd converts any of the der% he gathers, them home to himfelf; for converfion is no- thing but God's gathering them to himfelf in the fecond Adam that were fcattered from him in the fiat Adam: the firfl Adam was a root of fcattering, a root of feperation from God, but the fecond eIdam was a root of union and conjundion. Chriti is the head, and all the eled are all gathered together in him, i tpls xo. that he mighr gath r together in one all things in fo that converfion is nothing but a gathering of the eled of God, to Chrili by faith, and a gathering to one another by love and charity. Secondly, God's people are gathered at death: here they are gather- ed to 010 13:i Grace, but at death they are gathered to.Chritl in glo- ry; here they are gathered to God by hope, but at death by fruition hereChriti is gathered to us, he comes down and dwells with us; but at death we be gathered to him, we shall go up, and be joined with him. There's a great deal of difference between efrs cum Chrillo, and elle its CI riflo, efe cum Chriflo, to be one with Chrifl is a Chriflians great fecurity ; but effe in Chrifio, tobelow in Chrdi, it is a Chriftians great felicity: la this lite we are gathered to God by faithibut at death by Lafily, we {hall be gathered to God at the day of jidgenient: it is caked the day of the gathering of the Saints togethe, : A day when all the Saints that ate, have been, or (hall be, fhall all be gathered toge- ther, a 7 hef. 2. a. I befeech you brethren, by the cerri ,g ofour Lard jefus Chriti, and by otir gathering together unto him at the great d,i;..o Ac the dayof judgement we (bail all be gathered together, and (hall all be taken up to ileaven I mean all the righteous, and b,?. ever with tile Lotd: andlo much fe r the opening of the7dcetfine, G g 2 ' But -
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