Vet. 2 3. the 8th Chapter to the R OM ANS. 219 ven to of God. Faith is the eye of the foul, Hob. t r. r. And an Eagle-eye it is; that help. eth us tolook above the miffs and clouds of the lower world, and fee eternity at the back of time, and glory following fhame, and yell labour ; now afftaions follow per fwafion, Heb. i i. 13. Being perfwaded of theft things; they imbraced thorn: They tha fee there is another world,a life infinitely more defrable than that which we nôsty enjoy, will find their affeCtions furred towards it;an elate fo bleffed,if it were roundly blElieved; it would be earnefily defired ; and certainly men do not believe this bleffednefs, if they be coldly affeEted towards it. 2. By the ftrfiftuits of the fpirit, they do in part know the excellency ofit. Surely, 'cis no flight and vain thing, which is fo defired, groaned after, and waited for by all the Saints ; they find fomewhat in themfelves which makes them to value and efteem it ; if the firft fruits be rich and glorious, what will the whole harvea be? If the taft be fo ra- vilhing, what will the whole feaft prove ? Surely it will wholly fwallow us up with joy; The joys of the fpirit are unfpeakable things, l Pet. r. 8. But at his right hand thete isfulnefs of.joya for evermore, Pfd. r6. it. The reftefbings we meet with by the way, doth mightily fupportus;what comfort (hall we have when we come to our journeys end, andenjoy what.we have heard of? And what we heard, have is little to the injoyment. TheSaints would not part with their Communion with Chrift here, for all the world: What will it be when our Union ând Communion is full and perfe& ? To get a glimpfe of Chrift, as he fheweth himfelf through the Lattefs; doth much revive the drooping foul; but there we shall fee him with opcn face , herewe gee a little from him in his Ordinan- ces, and that little is as much as we can hold; but there he is all in all, and we ire filled up with the fulnefs of God : Chriift in us, now it the hope Of Gloty, COL a. 2,. But Chrilt in us then is glory its (elf: The fpirit in us now is a well fpringing up, but then the water groweth not only into a fiream, but into an Ocean : Holinefs here is cal- led the Seed of God, but then it is the life of God : Grace tendeth to the place whence it cometh, as a (park of fire tendeth to the Element of fire; there 'cis in its perfeet eftate. In fbort, Look what difference there is between the Spring-head, and the outfall of the water into the Sea, fuch difference there is between our enjoyment of God now; arid hereafter. 3. By the ftrfl fruit, of the fpirit, we are prepared andfitted for that bleed eflate. We read in theScripture, that as Heaven is prepared for the Saints, fo the Saints are prepa- red for Heaven, Rom. 9. 23. Will of mercy, which he hath aforehand prepared unto glory, Col. t t 2. Who bath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light. Now we are prepared by the Spirits fantlifying Body and Soul, and fitting us for the heavenly estate ; 'tis.faid, 2 Cor. 3. 18. We are changed into his image from glory to glory ; as grace increaleth, glory haftneth on 1 every degree is a ftep nearer; we grow more meet to dwell with God, as we grow more like God; now this Argument holdeth good on Gods part and oars; when God path formed us and fitted us for any efiate, lie will bring us to its as the Apohle telleth us, a Cor. 5. 6. Now he that hash wrought as to this felf fame thing is God, who hash given us the earnefjpof the fpirit. This piece of work - manfhip was never defigned to be left always here in the world, but. fuited to a better place, to which it (hall be tranflated : 'Tis the Wifdom of God to bellow all things in ,apt places ; every creaturehath its Element, and a peculiar nature, Which carryeth it thither; as Fifties to live in the Water, and Fowls in the Air; 'tisanfwerable tothe nature which God hash put into them ; the new creature bath a fuitablenel to the glo- rious eftate to come hereafter ; therefore the New Jerufälees is the only convenient place to the new creature .and they that have a Divine Nature, mutt live in the imme- diate Pretence of God. On their part, Gods Word telleth them of a better life than this, and their hearts incline them to it; they being formed and fitted for it; for the more a thing is formed for the end, the more vehemently it tendeth towards it : God will not carry us to Heaven againi our will; therefore there is not only a preparation,but an ear- nett expe&ation, which is the fruit of it; they long to enjoy their God, to fee their Re- deemer, to enteruponthat bleffed eftare, for which God hath prepared them , whereof in par: he bath aflured them : No man is unwilling to be happy, and to attain his end. Certainly a Chriftìan out of Heaven, is out of his proper place; we are like fill] in a pad - dletrunk, or (mall vaffel of water, which will only keep us alive, we would fain be in the Ocean. 4. By the fi'af jeriti of the fpirit our title End right is eared. For 'cis compared to a Seal, to warram our prefent intereft, Eph. 4163. Teare Pealed with the holy fpirit ofpro- mite. To an Earned, to fecure our future enjoyment, a Cor. 4. aa. Who bath Elfo fedl- 9E2 cd
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