Difciples were called friends, but hereafter the Cap.48. friendship fhall be much more full and sweet; Fob fhall have his defire, O that the terror of God may not fall upon me: Here when God fpake by himself, many of the dearest of his Saints have been afraid; but when we come to be made partakers of this bleffed Recompence of reward, all fuch fear fhall be done away.

Again, another thing in familiar converse, is the mutual opening of themselves one to another; much is faid of Gods opening of himself to his people here, Pfal.25.14. Prov.3.32. 1 Cor.2.16. Fohn 15. 15. and that is the reason why they are brought into the Chamber spoken of in Cant. 1.4. because their fecrets are discovered; as they faid to the King of Fudah, concerning the Prophet, The Prophet that is in Ifrael, does reveal whatsoever thou doeft in thy bed-chamber, because in them Kings reveal their fecrets: The myfteries of the Kingdom are revealed to the Saints here, much more in heaven, there are many fecret things that God hath to tell his people, when they come to have familiarity with him. When a man comes to a woman a stranger, he does not tell her his fecrets; but when she is marryed to him, then he tells her his fecrets; fo in heaven, God will reveal his fecrets, and they fhall not onely fee his face, but they shall fee Gods heart. And they fhall open their hearts to God, for they fhall have nothing in their hearts that they fhall be ashamed of. As the Sun-flower, when the Sun fhines, the flower is open, but when the Sun is down, it fhuts: So here when Gods. face fhines, their hearts are open to God, 003

but

2.

Cap.48. but often they lose the fhine of Gods face, but in Heaven Gods fhine fhall be always upon them, and their hearts fhall always be open to God.

3.

4.

Again,in converse there is discoursing one with another, it is much here, 2 Cor. 6. 16. I will dwell in them, and walk in them: walks of friends are for discourse, in Canticles 7. 5. The King is held in the Galleries: Galleries are made for converse, and walking; fo the Church is compared to the Galleries in which Chrift is held: There is converse with God here, but much more in Heaven.

And then in familiarity there is abundance of delight, not onely in one another, but in receiving one from another; when men do converfe, they delight in being receiving, and being useful to one onother; fo God will rejoyce in any thing that they fhall be able to give him, as they fhall rejoyce in what God does give them. And the ground of all, is because they live the fame life of God; as now there cannot be a converse between plants and beafts, because they do not live the fame life; but between one beaft and another, there may be converfe, because they live the fame life; and fo there cannot be converfe between beafts and men, because they do not live the fame life; nor between God and man, unless they live the fame life; but there fhall be a glorious life hereafter, fitting the fouls of the Saints for converse with God: no creature is capable of converfe with God, but the rational creature, because no creature can live the life of God, but the rational creature: and the ground

of

1

the converse that the Saints have with God, is from Cap.48. the near familiarity that God hath with Chrift. Zach. 13.7. Awake, O Sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow; it is the voice of God concerning Chrift: now because there is this familiarity between Chrift and his Father; this is the ground why the Father hath fuch a fweet familiar converfe with the Saints. And from all this communion that is between the Saints of God, and God himself, hence it is that the Saints are carried to God, as the univerfal latitude of good; it is as natural for the will to will good in general, as it is for the fire to burn, or for the Sun to fhine; but here is the miftake, fome miftake good, they will good in general, but they look for good in this creature and that creature, or in this luft or that luft: but here is the happiness of the Saints; as it is natural for their wills to will good, fo it fhall be as natural for their wills to will God as an univerfal good! this is the bleffed communion that the Saints fhall have with God, and this is the accomplishment and iffue of all the communion we have with God here.

Cap.49.

5.

I.

CHAP. XLIX.

The happiness of the Saints in their fruition of God, and their perfect rest in him.

T

He fifth thing in the Saints having God to be their portion, is fruition of God, enjoyment of God: Gods people fhall not onely be in his prefence, and fee him, and have union with him, and communion with him,but they fhall have fruition and enjoyment of him: The fruition of God confifts in these four things.

The firft is, The reflect act of the foul, whereby it comes to know what it hath; it hath a God, and it knows it, by a reflect act; and upon this it is, that there is no creature can be faid to enjoy a thing properly, but the rational creature, the beafts and plants have many things communicated to them, but they have no reflect act to know what they have, this is proper to the rational creature. If one have never fo great a good, if he were ignorant of it, and did not know it, he could not be faid to enjoy it: As one that hath an inheritance given him, if he knows not of it, he is far enough from the enjoyment of it. This will adde much to the happinefs of Gods people, they fhall be filled with happinefs and glory, filled with God, and they shall know all their happiness: There are many excellencies that other creatures have,but they know not of their excellency, and many of Gods people have abundance of mercy from God, God communicates much to them here, but they cannot be faid properly to enjoy it, because they do not know it; but

time will come, though God lets out himself fully, Cap.49. he fhall let out himself no further then we fhall know him.

yet

2.

Deum ad

luptatem,

tem,

Secondly, there is in fruition the having use of all, if a man be never fo rich, and have never fo great poffeffions, if he have not the actual use of what Videbit he hath, he cannot be faid to enjoy them; a man voluntamay have right to a thing, and yet for the prefentem,babenot enjoy the use of it. But now the people of God, bit ad vo as they hall have God to be their portion, fo they fructar ad fhall enjoy God fully, to have what ufe they will of jucunditaall the Attributes of God, and all that is in God: Ber.Serm. And this is an infinite good and happiness to the de Tripl. people of God, that they fhall have as much ufe of Gen. Bon. Gods infinite wifdom, of the infinite power of God, and of the infinite mercy of God as they will; and they cannot will it fo foon, but they hall have it, nor fo eafily, as they may enjoy it: Then we do enjoy the benefit of friendship, when one friend fays to another, Make use of all I have as your own, as you will: So God fhall come to his people, and bid them make use of all his riches, and glory, and excellency as they will: Hence it is, that God is not onely the happiness of his Saints, caufally or effectually, but he is formally the happiness of the Saints: He is not caufally the happiness of the Saints; that is, That he should cause fome good to come from him to the Saints; but he is formally the happiness of the Saints, because they have God himself to enjoy, and have the use of himself. The Sun is caufally great good to the world, it causeth the herbs and plants to grow, but it is not formally the good of the creature here below: But God is not

onely