Ver.24. the 17th Chäpter of St.) O H N. 353 Prifon of the Body, you enter into your Eternal Kett ; it flied' hence to Chrift, to be there where he is. To be (bort, certainly Men enter upon their final Siate prefently as Coon as they die. a Pet. 3. 19. He went and preached to the Spirits in Prifon ; com- pare it with Heb. 12.24. To the Spirits of Jujî Men made - perfe0. How can Souls be perte&, if they lie only in a dull Sleep; without any Light, Life, Joy, or Delight, or A& of Love to God ? We fee the very prefent refre(hments of Sleep are a burden to the Saints, becaufe they rob us of fo much Time, cheat us of half .our Lives. 2. Compleatly at the Refurre &ion. Believers confi(t of Body as well as Soul. Now it is faid, that they may be there; that is, their wholeSelf (hall be there where Chrift b. And fo it proveth the Refurre &ion, and theTranfiation of our glorified Bodies into Heaven. So our Lord (hewed], that our being there where he is, thall complcatly be after his fecond coming. John 14. 3. And if I go and prepare a Place for you, I will come again and receive you to my felf; that where I am, there ye may be all. Chrift. and we that are one, cannot always live afunder ; if he ha4é any Glory, we muff have' part of it ; and therefore he will come again and take us tò himfelf, that as Coheirswe may live upon the fame Happinefs. Rom. 8. 57. And if Children, then Heirs, Heirs of God, and joint Heirs with Chr : if fo be that we firjer With him, that we may be alp glorified together. As Jofeph brought his Brethren to Pharaoh, he bringeth us to God., As he took part with us in Natstre, fo he will have us take. part. with him in Glory. Now the Happinefs of it will appear, s. BY the Place, the third Heaven, or Paradife ; as there was the Outward Court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of' Hohes. The fpangled Firmament, is but the Out- fide and Pavement of that Houfe, where Chri(t and the Saints met. When we look upon the afpe &able Heavens, we may cry out, as David in his Night - Meditation, Pfaí8.4. Lord, what is Man, that thou art mindful of hint ? and the Son of Man, that thon vifrtefi him ? The Church is but nre_oaveeov ,y.aegci Ator, the Portal, as one faith, and entrance into Heaven. If the viftble Heavens fo affe& us, how glorious is it within ! 2. The Manner of bringing us thither ; I will come again mots receive you to my felf, John 14. 3. Chri(t will not fend for us, but came in Perfon to fetch us in Rate, which will make our accefs to Heaven the more glorious. Chrift will come to lead his Flock into their Everlafting Fold, to prefent his Bride to God, decked and apparalled with Glory. How glorious a fight will it be to fee Chrift and all his Troops following him, with their Crowns upon their Heads ! to fee the triumphant entrance into thofe Ever - lafting Habitations ! and to hear the Applaufes of thé Angels! Pfal. 24. 7, 8. Lift up your Heads, 0 ye Gates, and be ye lift up you Everlafiing Doors, and the King of Glory ]hall Rome in. Who is this King of Glory ? the Lord firong and mighty, the Lord might] in Batte, That was a private and a perfonal entry at his Afcenfion ; but now it (hall be publick and glorious; now Death the laft Enemy is de(troyed, then he is the Lord mighty in Battel indeed. 3. Our perpetual Fellow(hip with Chrilt, in the Pretence and Glory of his Kingdom. Pray mark, there is a Pretence, and that is much, that we are called to Heaven as Wit - neffes of Chrill's Glory. The Queen of Sheba fáid of Solomon, 1 Kings to. 8. Happy are thy Men, happy are theft thy Servants, which (land continually before thee, -and that hear thy ¡I'Vifdom. They that (land before the Lord, and fee his Glory, are much more hap- py. Zacheoec preffed to fee him : the Wife Men came from the Eall to fee him. It is our burden in the World, thatthe Clouds interpole between us and Chrift, that there is a great Gulph between us and him, which cannot be palled but by Death ; that God is at a diftance, that our Enemies often ask us, Where is your God ? Now we (hall be happy when we (hall be in his Arms, when we can fay, Here he is, when our Redeemer is ever before our Eyes, gob ¡9.26. to remember us of the Grace purcha(ed for us, and we are as near as we can deftre. Now we dwell in his Family. David envied the Swallows that had their refidence in the Temple; One day fßent in thy Courts, in better than a thou fond fpentelfembere, Pfal. 84. so. Then we (hall always be about his Throne, . and we (hall for ever feed our Eyes with this Glorious Spe&ade, Jefits Chrifi; his Body fhall be in a certain Place where all (hall behold it. The three Children walked com- fortably in the fiery Furnace, becaufe there was a fourth there, the Son of God ; Dan. 3.25. Lo, I fee four Men loofe, walking in ti4midii of the Fire, :-- . and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Again 5 this Pretence maketh way for Enjoiment. it is not a naked fight and fpeculation, we are in the fame Rate and condition with Chrifc ; . Rom. 8.17. Heirs of God, and joint -Heirs meth Jefas Chrift. We (hall be like him. Y Y Y Y Servants
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