- - --Opened and Applied. there which is [cattered in feveral creatures here; nay, n')t fin '-re, but infinite : good~elfe and glory; therefore this is our b!e!lednelfe. 1 I in regard of God the F11thers exce:ding great love, t;nd the pureofe of God to manifeft i~ · ~o rh: fons of mer:; thts IS the t~ature of l?ve, when one I is in a Helfed condmon htmfelf, he wtllla~ou_r tO bnn~ _rhof~ tr !oves to that I cnndirion; now the blelfednelfe of God lies 111 fellowlhtp wtth hts fon, Prov. 1'8. "o. Now God th~ Father loves them dearly, and would havl! all the world I to kn~1v tbH ~e d?th fo, and hence brings them at la!l:.imo rhe fame fellowihip i wirb btmfelf m hts fon; John 17. 23. That the wor[,l mt~y k._now thou ha(f /o- ' v ed me · the Father out of his infinite love communicates himfelf to ChriJl, and his 'fellowlhip is with the Father; all know this is a dear love; in mean while love to his Saints is unknown;they and the wicked lhare all alike; and the Sainrs have the lea!l: portion and 1vorft part many times;fo that men cannot fee · by any o,ntward thing any more love to them,rhan unro others; the rime wi 11 come th,At they !hall be:made perfe~ in one, as n~ar the Lord as can be, that the world may know thts love, &c. I When cA6fo!om had Oain his brother, and fled from his father, it is faid, 3 Sam. 1 3· 39· that the foHl of David longed, or WM c•nfumed to go forth I,., J,im ; David might have fai~ , I will never !oak ~frer him mor~; fo I mioht the Lord have fatd eo us ; or tf he I >ved, he mtghc never have mamfef!ed it (as Dav1d) but the Lord mutt lhew his love, &c. Becaufe this is tle end ' of 11/l the prayers;11nd endeavours, '"'d all the workings of the Saints in t?is World: Suppofeall glory_ be in Chri!l:~ let a chin<> b:: never fo gocxl, butif a man hatb no deftres after 1(, bath no mtnd to ir, i~ woulcl not be blelfednelfe to him; but this is the end of all the pra)'ers, duties of the Saints, if at·la!l: they maJ be with the Lord, Phil. 3· 8, 9; Joh. 4- 14. He fhall never ;birft, their d~jim are tak.!n off from other things, but only their hearts are to this. If there be any pillow the Lord lees them Oeep · upon in th1s world, they lhall finde it hard at laft, and arife with a -Kings bead and heart, and fay, Ob here is not •my reft; the belt entertainment this world cangive, hatheverfomewhat .mixt with it, thatmakesthepeopleof God fay, Ob that I mi[.ht be with the Lord! S E C T. VI. f G_!:eft. s· Hall not the bappinejfe of the SaiNts partly lie in fellowfbip with f theSaints ' . I Anfw. I. True, b~t this is but a confequenc to the former; as feparation I fromGod isthefublhnce of mifery in hell, but other things ·· follow upon it; ' v1~. communion with Reprobates and Divels; fo here we have firH commu1 nion with Chrill, here is the fub!l:anc;: of our blelfednelfe; then this is acci- ,dental, and follows upon that ; vi~. the communion with the Saints, which is I exce::ding fweet. · · ' f z. That good we lhall have in communion with Saints, is not from them- : r~lves, butChri!l:inthem; as 2The{?. I. Io. ·Chriff fhal ' be admired itJalt ; his Sa ints ; fo Chrift lhall then in his Saints and Angels; it is the light of the ; ~hr~(~~t 1hines in the Stars, and they lhall do nothing but fet out the praifes of . G_!:ell. But wiMt ble(?ednejfe u thm in thu, feeing it u in one thing only? when a man h· jitk, or poor, can grnce refrefh him, ~an he live by thnt? (thus '"'"'} carnal hearts think., ) \ ------------------- Real. z. Rear. 3·
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