104 SERMONS upon the S E R M. Do&. That at ChriJls appearing, faithful Servants fhall not only be commended, but glorioufy Rewarded. I Pet. r. 7. That your Faith may be found unto Pra fe, Honour and Glory , at the appearing of Chrifl. r. There is not only verbal Commendation, but real Remuneration : Glory and Honour put upon them, as well as Praife äfcribed to them ; (r.) Pra fe, becaufe he fhall then commend their Faith before men anpl Angels. Revel. 3. 5, I will confefs his Name before my Father and his Angels. (2.) There will be a films; Own- ing and honouring of them, when all. the Holy Angels [hall be prefent. Oh whata Favour is it to be commended of God ! z Cor. so. 18. For not he that commendeth himfelf is approved; but .whom the Lord commendeth. When they had finifbedgb Tabernacle, all was viewed and approved by Mofes, Mofes bleffed them. Oh whaillIns it to be bleffed and commended by the Son of God , in that great Affembly of the whole world. z. Here is Preferment and Advancement to a higher place in the Family. Chrift will prefeïr them as men do their Servants, Mat. 24. 47. Make him Ruler over all his Goods : Thefe Expreflions are taken from the greateft Honours a man can do his faithful Servants in the world ; r Kings I a. zo. As fereboam was made Ruler over all the charge of the Houle of f ofeph, to will Chrift advance his Servants to high Dignity, fometimes expreffed by Jèttinó them upon Thrones, Revel. 3. at. giving them Crowns, 1 Pet. 4. 13. 2 Tim: 4.'8. That Antithe is is to be regarded,. few things, and many things. All things are few in companion of Heaven, our works, our Gifts, our Sufferings ; the Reward is far above all thefe : Rom. 8. 18. For I reckon that the Sufferings of the prefent, time, are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that /hall be revealed in us. z Cor. 4. 17. For our lightAffiiclions that are but for a moment, work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory. 'Tis all little that we do or fuller ; 'tis little that God bath done for' us in this world, in coin- parifon of what he will do for us there. Here is the,Earneft, that is but a fmall part of the whole fumm. 3. The next Expreffion is, Enter into the Yoy of thy Lord. Here Chrift flideth into the thing fignified by the Parable, as afterward in affigning Punifhment un- to the unfaithful Servant: Verfe 3o. Call him into outer Darknefs, where fball be Weeping and Gnafhing of Teeth. Here is Joy, anik the foy of the Lord, and faithful Servants are laid to enter into it. Firfl, The Efate of the bleffed, is a State of'oy ; which arifeth, partly, from the Beatifital Vifion; partly, from their own Bleffednefs; and alfo the bleffed Compa- ny. (r.) The Beatifcal Tlifion, or the Vifon of God. Pfal. 16. I1. In thy prefence is fulnefs of joy, and at thy right -hand Pleafures for evermore : There' is a mighty com- placency that 'we, take'now, in Peeing, knowing, loving, and being beloved of God. What can be found in the Creature, is but a drop to the Ocean, in corn - parifon of that a Believer findeth in God himfelf: God is to them an overflow- ing Fountain of all Felicity. But there is Gaudium Via, and Gaudium Patria: Here it admits of increafe and decreafe ; but there the Soul is fo filled, that it cannot receive any more ; Pfal. 17. 15. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteou /nefs : I (ball be fatisfièd when I awake with thy likenefs. God maketh out himfelf m the utmoft latitude. As to the wicked, he ftirreth up all his wrath : Here he pu- nifheth by the Creature, and, fo doth not put forth all his power; as a Gy ant ¡hiking with a ftraw, cannot put forth his ftrength. Ìn Heaven the Soul [hall be filled with unfpeakable joy and delight : What Delight is to the Senfe, that Joy is to the Mind. Three things are neceffary *to Delight. A Faculty, or Power of the Sold capable of pleafure, and then the thing itPelf; which being brought to the Mind, doth fir up delight. As in bodily things, Colours; Fruits, Tafts, plea - fure conffts in the near Union, and Conjun&ion of thefe things. The more no- ble the Faculty, the more excellent the Object; the nearer the Conjun &ion, the greater the Delight and Pleafure. 'Now in Heaven our Faculties are perfekked ; God is the Subjekt, and there is a near Conjun&ion: Oh what embraces between liim and the Soul! (2.) In their own glorified Eflate, 1 Pet. 4. 13. Rej ÿie, in as much as ye are parta- kers
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