CHAPTER XVI. Heavenly Contemplation exemplified, and the whole § 1. The Reader's attention excited to the following § 1. AND now, reader, according to the above directions, make conscience of daily exercising thy graces in meditation, as well as prayer: Retire into some secret place, at a time the most convenient to thyself and laying aside all worldly thoughts, with all possible seriousness and reverence look up toward heaven, remember there is thine everlasting rest, study its excellency and reality, and rise from sense to faith, by comparing heavenly with earthly joys: Then mix ejaculalations with thy soliloquies; till having pleaded the case reverently with God, and seriously with thy own heart, thou hast pleaded thyself from a clod to a flame, from a forgetful sinner, and a lover of the world, to an ardent lover of God, from a fearful coward to a resolved Christian, from an unfruitful sadness to a joyful life: in a word, till thou hast pleaded thy heart from earth to heaven, from conversing below to walking with God: and till thou canst lay thy heart to rest, as in the bosom of Christ, by some such meditation of thy everlasting rest as is here added for thy assistance. §2. "Rest! How sweet the sound! It is melody to my ears! It lies as a reviving cordial at my heart, and from thence sends forth lively spirits, which beat through all the pulses of my soul! Rest, not as the stone that rests on the earth, nor as the flesh shall rest in the grave, nor such a rest as the carnal world desires. O blessed rest! When we rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty! When we M D shall rest from sin, but not from worship; from suffering and sorrow, but not from joy! O blessed day! When I shall rest in the bosom of my Lord! When I shall rest, in knowing, loving, rejoicing, and praising! When my perfect soul and body shall together perfectly enjoy the most perfect God! When God, who is love itself, shall perfectly love me, and rest in his love to me, as I shall rest in my love to him; and rejoice over me with with joy, and joy over me with singing, As I shall rejoice in him!" § 3. "How near is that most blessed, joyful day! It comes apace. He that shall come, will come and will not tarry. Though my Lord seems to delay his coming, yet a little while, and he will be here. What is a few hundred years when they are over? How surely will his sign appear? How suddenly will he seize upon the careless world even as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth unto the west! He who is gone hence, shall so come. Methinks I see him coming with clouds, with his attending angels in majesty and in glory!" § 4. "O secure sinners! What now will you do? Where will you hide yourselves? What shall cover you? mountains are gone; the heavens and the earth, which were, are passed away; the devouring fire hath consumed all, except yourselves, who must be the fuel for ever. O that all could consume as soon as the earth; and melt away as did the heavens! Ah, these wishes are but vain! The Lamb himself would have ⚫ been your friend; he would have loved you, and ruled you, and now have saved you; but you would not then, and now it is too late. Never cry Lord, Lord; too late, too late, man. Why dost thou look about? Can any save thee? Whither dost thou run? Can any hide thee? 0 wretch, that hast brought thyself to this!" § 5. "Now, blessed saints, that have believed and obeyed! this is the end of faith and patience. This is it for which you prayed and waited. Do you now repent your sufferings and sorrows, your self-denying and holy walking? Are your tears of repentance now bitter or sweet! see how the Judge smiles upon you; there is love in his looks; the titles of Redeemer, Husband, Head, are written in his amiable, shining face. Hark, he calls you; he bids you stand here on his right hand; fear not, for there he sets his sheep. O joyful sentence! Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom, prepared for, you from the foundation of the world. He takes you by the hand, the door is open, the kingdom is his, and therefore yours; there is your place before his throne; the Father receives you as the spouse of his Son, and bids you welcome to the crown of glory. Ever so unworthy, you must be crowned. This was the projeet of free redeeming grace, the purpose of eternal love. O blessed grace! O blessed love! O how love and joy will rise! But I cannot express it, I cannot conceive it." § 6. "This is that joy which was produced by sorrow, that crown which was produced by the cross. My Lord wept, that now my tears might be wiped away: He bled, that I might now rejoice; he was forsaken, that I might not now be forsaken; he then died, that I might now live. O free mercy, that can exalt so vile a wretch! Free to me, though dear to Christ! Free grace, that hath chosen me, when thousands were forsaken! When my companions in sin must burn in hell, I must here rejoice in rest! Here must I live with all these saints! O comfortable meeting of my old acquaintance, with whom I prayed, and wept, and suffered, and spoke often of this day and place! I see the grave could not detain you; the same love hath redeemed and saved you also." § 7. "This is not like our cottage of clay, or prisons, our earthly dwellings. This voice of joy is not like our old complaints, our impatient groans and sighs; nor this melodious praise like the scoffs and revilings, or the oaths and curses, which we heard on earth. This body is not like that we had, nor is this soul like the soul we had, nor this life like the life we lived. We have changed our place and state, our clothes and thoughis, our looks, language and company. Before, a saint was weak and despised; so proud and peevish, we could often scarce discern his graces: But now how glorious a thing is a saint! Where is now their body of sin, which wearied themselves and those about them? Where are now our different judgments, reproachful names, divided spirits, exasperated passions, strange looks, uncharitable censures? Now we are all of one judgment, of one name, of one heart, house, and glory. O sweet reconciliation! Happy union! Now the gospel shall no more be dishonored through our folly. No more, my soul, shalt thou lament the sufferings of the saints, or the church's ruins, nor mourn thy suffer ing friends, nor weep over their dying beds, or their graves.. Thou shalt never suffer thy old temptations from Satan, the world, or thy own flesh. Thy pains and sickness are all cured; thy body shall no more bur then thee with weakness and weariness; thy aching head and heart, thy hunger and thirst, thy sleep and labor, are all gone. O what a mighty change is this! From the dunghill, to the throne! from persecuting sinners, to praising saints! From a vile body, to this which shines as the brightness of the firmament! From a sense of God's displeasure, to the perfect enjoyment of him in love! From all my doubts and fears to this posses sion, which puts me out of doubt! From all my fearful thoughts of death, to this joyful life! Blessed change! Farewell, sin and sorrow, for ever: Farewell, my rocky, proud, unbelieving heart; my worldly, sensual, carnal heart: And welcome now my most holy, heavenly nature. Farewell, repentance, faith, and hope; and welcome, love, and joy, and praises. I shall now have my harvest, without ploughing or sowing; my joy without a preacher, or a promise; even all from the face of God himself. Whatever mixture is in the streams, there is nothing but pure joy in the fountain. Here shall I be encircled with eternity, and ever live, and ever, ever, praise the Lord. My face will not wrinkle, nor my hair be grey: for this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal, immortality; and death shall be swallowed up in victory. O death, where is now thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The date of my lease will no more expire, nor shall I trouble myself with thoughts of death, nor lose my joys through fear of losing them. When millions of ages are passed, my glory is but beginning; and when millions more are passed, it is no nearer ending. Every day is all noon, every month is harvest, every year is a jubilee, every age is full of manhood, and all this is one eternity! O blessed eternity! The glory of my glory! The perfection of my perfection! §8. "Ah drowsy, earthly heart! How coldly dost thou think of this reviving day! Hadst thou rather sit down in dirt than walk in the palace of God? Art thou now remembering thy worldly business, or thinking of thy lusts, earthly delights and merry company? Is it better to be here, than above with God? Is the company better? Are the pleasures greater? Come away; make no excuse, nor delay; God commands, and I com mand thee; gird up thy loins; ascend the mount; look about thee with faith and seriousness. Look not back upon the way of the wilderness; except it be to compare the kingdom with that howling desert, more sensibly to perceive the wide difference. Yonder is thy Father's glory; yonder, O my soul! must thou remove, when thou departest from this body; and when the power of thy Lord hath raised it again, and joined thee to it, yonder must thou live with God for ever. There is the glorious New Jerusalem, the gates of pearl, the foundations of pearl, the streets and pavement of transparent gold. That sun, which lighteth all this world, will be useless there; even thyself shalt be as bright as yonder shining sun; God will be the sun, and Christ the light, and in his light shalt thou have light." § 9. "O my soul! dost thou stagger at the promise of God through unbelief? I much suspect thee; didst thou believe indeed, thou wouldst be more affected with it. Is it not under the hand, and seal, and oath of God? Can God lie? Can he that is truth itself be false? What need hath God to flatter or deceive thee? Why should he promise thee more than he will perform? Dare not to charge the wise Almighty, faithful God with this. How many of the promises have been performed to thee in thy conversion? Would God so powerfully concur with a feigned word? O wretched heart of unbelief! Hath God made thee a promise of rest, and wilt thou come short of it? Thine eyes, thy ears, and all thy senses, may prove delusion, sooner than a promise of God can delude thee. Thou mayest be surer of that which is written in the word, than if thou see it with thine eyes, or feel it with thine hands. Art thou sure thou art alive; or that this is earth thou standest on, or that thine eyes see the sun? As sure is all this glory to the saints; as sure shall I be higher than yonder stars, and live forever in the holy city, and joyfully sound forth the praise of my Redeemer; if I be not shut out by this evil heart of unbelief, causing me to depart from the living God." § 10. "And is this rest so sweet, and so sure? Then what means the careless world? Know they what they neglect? Did they ever hear of it or are they yet asleep, or are they dead? Do they certainly know that the crown is before them, while they thus sit still or follow trifles? Undoubtedly they are beside themselves, to mind so much their provision by the way, when they |