Sermon X- Rev. 3:20
communion of imperfect saints; I shall walk no more by faith, but by sight. (10.) In a word, and that a great word too, this is the grace that saves you, Eph. 2:8. "By grace are you saved through faith." Your salvation is the fruit of free-grace; but grace itself will not save you in any other method but that of believing. The grace of God runs down through the channel of faith; faith is the grace that espouses your soul to Christ here, and accompanies it every step of the way until it comes to its full enjoyment in heaven, and then is swallowed up in vision. It embarks you with Christ, and pilots you through the dangerous seas, till you drop anchor in the haven of everlasting rest and safety; where you receive the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. O then, in consideration of the incomparable worth and absolute necessity of this precious grace, make it your great study, make it your constant cry to heaven, night and day, Lord give me a believing heart, an opening heart to Jesus Christ. If you fail of this, you come short of the great end and design of the whole gospel, which is to bring you to faith, and by faith to heaven.
SERMON X - REVEL. 3:20
—— If any man hear my voice, and open the door, [I will come in to him, and sup with him.] IN the former sermons, we have considered Christ's suit for a sinner's heart: we now come to the powerful arguments and motives used by him to obtain his suit, which are two:
1. Union, "I will come in to him, and sup with him."
2. Communion, "and he with me."
These are strong and mighty arguments and encouragements, able, one would think, to open any heart in the world to Christ, and yet considering how fast the hearts of men are glued to their lusts, fixed and riveted in
their sins, until the Spirit come upon them with powerful convictions; and when under conviction, what mighty discouragements they labour under from their former sinfulness and present unworthiness, all this is little enough to bring them to faith; nay, in itself utterly insufficient, without the almighty power second and set them home with effect on the heart; for it is not mere moral suasion will do the work. It is true, Christ will not make a forcible entrance into the soul, he will come in by the consent of the will; but the will consents not, until it feels the power of God upon it, Psal. 110:3. Almighty power opens the heart and determines the will, but still in a way congruous to the nature of the will; Hos. 11:4. "I drew them with the cords of a man, with the bands of love." When, under the influence of this power, the soul opens unto Christ, he will come in, take that soul for his everlasting habitation, refresh and feast it with the sweetest consolations and privileges purchased by his blood, whence the tenth observation is, Doct. 10. That Christ will certainly come into the soul that opens to him; and will not come empty-handed, but will bring rich entertainment with him. I will come in to him, and sup with him.
When the prodigal (the emblem of a convert) returned to his father, Luke 15:22 his father not only received, but adorned and feasted him. In opening this point, I shall shew, First, What Christ's coming into the soul intends.
Secondly, How it appears Christ will come in to the opening soul.
Thirdly, What that rich entertainment is he brings with him.
Fourthly, Why he thus entertains the soul that receives him and opens to him.
First, What Christ's coming in to the soul intends; and in general I must say, this is a great mystery, which will not be fully Understood till we come to heaven; John 14:20. "At that day you shall know that I am in my
Father, and you in me, and I in you." Then the essential union of Christ and his Father, and the mystical union between believers and Christ, will
be more clearly understood than we are capable to understand them in this imperfect state: yet for the present so much is discovered, as may justly astonish poor sinners at the marvellous condescension of the Lord
Jesus to them. More particularly, this expression, I will come in to him, imports no less than his uniting such a soul to himself; for he comes in with a design to dwell in that soul by faith, Eph. 3:17 to make such a man a mystical member of his body, flesh and bones, Eph. 5:30 which is the highest honour the soul of man is capable of. Indeed this coming of Christ into the soul of a sinner, doth not make him one person with Christ: that is the singular honour to which our nature is advanced by the hypostatical union: But this makes a person mystically one with Christ; and though it be beneath the hypostatical union, yet it is more than a mere fœderal union. Christ's coming into the soul, signifies more than his coming into covenant with it, for it is the taking of such a person into a mystical union with himself, by the imparting of his Spirit unto him. As the vital sap of the stock coming into the graft, makes it one with the stock, John 15:15 so the coming of Christ's Spirit into the soul, makes it a member of his mystical body; and this is a glorious supernatural work of God, 1 Cor. 1:30 most honourable, most comfortable, and for ever sure and indissoluble; as I have elsewhere* more fully shewed.
Secondly, I shall evidence the truth and certainty of this most comfortable point, that Christ will come in, and that with singular refreshments and comforts, to every soul that hears his voice and opens to him. No present unworthiness, or former rebellions shall bar out
Christ, or obstruct his entrance into such a soul. Whatever thou hast been or done; all that notwithstanding, Christ will come in to thee, and dwell with thee, and make thy soul an habitation for himself through the Spirit,
Eph. 2:22. I say, let thy heart be open to him, and he will both fill and feast thee, with a non obstante, as to all thy former miscarriages.
I know it is the common discouragement that multitudes of convinced humbled sinners he under, who seeing so much vileness in their natures and practices, cannot be persuaded that ever the Lord Jesus will cast an eye of favour on them, much less take up his abode in them. What, dwell in such a heart as mine, which hath been an habitation of devils, a sink, a puddle of sin from my beginning! this is hard to be believed; but, sinner,
thou hast the word of a King from heaven for it, a word whose credit has never failed from the first moment it was spoken, that whatever thy former or present vileness or unworthiness hath been, or is, he will not be shy of such a soul as thou art, if thou be but willing to open to him. Thy great unworthiness shall be no bar to his union with thee. "If any man open, I will come in to him," &c. For, 1. If personal unworthiness were sufficient to bar Christ out of thy soul, it would equally bar him out of all the souls in the world: for all are unworthy as well as thyself. Wherever Christ finds sinfulness, he finds unworthiness; and to be sure he finds this wherever he comes. Christ never expected to find worthiness in thee, but it highly pleases him to find thee under a becoming sense of thy personal unworthiness, Jer. 3:13.
"Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God," &c. The returning prodigal acknowledged to his father, "I am not worthy to be called thy son," Luke 15:18, 19. But this did not bar his access to, or hinder his acceptance by his father. All that come to God to be justified, must see and confess their own vileness, and come to him as one that justifieth the ungodly, Rom. 4:5.
2. Thy former vileness and present unworthiness can be no bar to Christ's entrance, because it can be no surprize to him. He knew thou wast an unworthy soul when he made the first overture of grace and reconciliation to thee; and if thy unworthiness hindered not the beginning of his treaty with thee, it shall not hinder the closing and finisting act thereof in his union with thee. "I knew that thou wast a transgressor from the womb," Isa. 47:8.
3. Christ never yet came into any soul where Satan had not the possession before him. Every soul in which Christ now dwells, was once in Satan's power and possession, Acts 26:18. "To turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God." So Luke 11:21, 22. "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoil."
4. Thy present vileness and unworthiness can be no bar to Christ's entrance into thy soul, because Christ never yet objected to any man his
unworthiness, but his unwillingness to come unto him; John 5:40. "You will not come unto me, that you might have life." And again, Mat. 23:37.
"How oft would I have gathered thy children, and ye would not?" Indeed, you find something like a repulse from Christ to that poor Canaanitess,
Mat. 15:24, 26. "Lord, help me," said that poor distressed soul; "but he answered and said, it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs." However harshly and discouragingly these words sound, yet certainly it was none of Christ's intent to damp and discourage her faith, but to draw it forth to a more excellent and intense degree: which effect is produced, ver. 27.
5. Neither would Christ have made the tenders of mercy so large and indefinite, had he intended to have shut out any soul upon the single account of personal unworthiness, provided it be but willing to come unto him. Cast thine eye, poor discouraged soul, upon Christ's invitations and proclamations of grace and mercy in the gospel, and see if thou canst find any thing beside unwillingness as a bar betwixt thee and mercy; hearken to that voice of mercy, Isa. 55:1. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; come buy wine and milk without money, and without price," i.e. without personal desert or worthiness. So again, Rev. 22:17. "The Spirit and the bride say come, and let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Here you see personal vileness and unworthiness is no obstacle in the way of Christ. Once more, see John 7:37. "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink." Thus you see what Christ's coming into the soul is, and what evidences there are, that when once the soul is made truly willing, Christ will certainly come into it; and no former vileness or present unworthiness shall be a bar to obstruct his entrance.
Thirdly, In the next place I shall shew you, That when Christ comes into the soul he will not come empty-handed. It is Christ's marriage-day, and he will make it a good day, a festival-day; bringing such comforts along with him, as the soul never tasted before. He spreads as it were a table, furnishes it with the delicates of heaven: I will sup with him, saith the text. What those spiritual mercies are which Christ brings along with him to the opening, willing soul, comes next in order to be spoken to. And,
1. When Christ comes into the soul of a sinner, he brings a pardon with him, a full, a free, and a final pardon of all the sins that ever that soul committed. This is a feast of itself, good cheer indeed: Christ thought it to be so when he told the poor palsy-man, Matth. 9:2. "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee." He doth not say, Be of good cheer, thy palsy is cured, thy body recovered from the grave; but, "be of good cheer, thy sins are pardoned." O how sweetly may the pardoned soul feed upon this! And this is not any peculiar mercy designed for some special favourites, but what is common to all believers, Acts 13:43. "By him all that believe are justified from all things." Christ and pardon come together; and without a pardon no mercy would relish: no feast, no music, no money, no honour, have any favour or comfort with them to a condemned man; but the comfort of a pardon reaches to the very heart,
Isa. 40:1, 2. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith the Lord: speak comfortably to Jerusalem;" or, as in the Hebrew, speak to the heart of Jerusalem. But what are the ingredients of that cordial that will comfort
Jerusalem's heart? Why, "Say unto her, that her iniquities are pardoned;" that carries along with it the spirit of all consolation.
And there are three things in the pardon of sin that makes it the sweetest mercy that ever the soul tasted; comfort which is impossible to be communicated to another with the same sense that the pardoned soul hath of it, Rev. 2:17.
(1.) That which makes the pardon of sin ravishingly sweet, is the trouble that went before it. The labourings and restless tossings of the troubled soul, which were antecedent to his pardon, make the ease and peace that follow it incomparably sweet. As the bitterness of hell was tasted in the sorrows of sin, so the sweetness of heaven is tasted in the pardon of it.
(2.) The nature of the mercy itself is incomparably sweet; for it is a mercy of the first rank. Pardon is such a mercy as admits no comfort to come before it, nor any just cause of discouragement can follow after it. If God hath not spoken pardon to the soul, it can have no settled ground for joy,
Ezek. 33:10. And if he have, there can be no just ground for dejection, whatever the troubles be that lie upon it. Isa. 33:24. "The inhabitants shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquities."
(3.) The third thing that makes this mercy delicious and ravishingly sweet to the soul, are the properties of it, which are four. (1.) God writes upon thy pardon, Frank: it is a free mercy which costs thee nothing, Rom. 3:24.
"Being justified freely by his grace. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, yet I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgression for my own name's sake." (2.) God writes upon thy pardon full, as well as free; the pardon extends to all the sins that ever thou committedst, Acts 13:39.
"By him all that believe are justified from all things." The sins of thy nature and practice; the sins of thy youth and riper age; great sins and lesser sins are all comprehended within thy pardon. Thou art acquitted not from one, but from all! Certainly, the joy of heaven must come down in the mercy of remission. O what a feast of fat things with marrow is this single mercy, a pardon free without price, full without exception! And then, (3.) it is final, without revocation; the pardoned soul never more comes into condemnation: "Thine iniquities are removed from thee as far as the east is from the west." As those two opposite points of heaven can never meet, so the pardoned soul and its pardoned sins can never more meet unto condemnation, Psal. 103:12. (4.) God writes upon the pardon another word, as sweet as any of the rest, and that is sure. It is a standing mercy never to be recalled, vacated or annulled, Rom. 8:33, 34, 35. The challenge is sent to hell and earth, men and devils: "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died," &c. Who can arrest when the creditor dischargeth? Who can sue the bond when the debt is paid? It is Christ that died. The table is spread, and the first mercy served in is the pardon of sin. "Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." Now the labouring conscience that rolled and tossed upon the waves of a thousand fears, may drop anchor, and ride quiet in the pacific sea of a pardoned state. What joy must stream through the conscience when the sweetness of that scripture, Rom. 8:1 shall be pressed into thy cup of consolation!
The pardoned soul may speak and think of death and judgment without consternation; yea, may look upon it "as a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord," Acts 3:19. This is heavenly manna, the sweetness of it swallows up all expressions, all conceptions; no words, no thoughts can comprehend the riches of this mercy.
2. And yet this is not all; behold another mercy, in consequence unto this, brought in to refresh and cheer the consenting soul, and that is, peace with God. Pardon and peace go together, Rom. 5:1."Being justified by faith, we have peace with God." Peace is a word of a vast comprehension; peace, in the language of the Old Testament, comprehends all temporal good things, 1 Sam. 25:6. And peace in the New Testament comprehends all spiritual mercies, 2 Thess. 3:16 the blessings of heaven and earth are wrapt up in this word. The soul that opens to Christ hath peace of reconciliation in heaven; the enmity that was betwixt God and that soul is taken away through Jesus Christ, Isa. 12:1, 2. "O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me." This must be an invaluable mercy, for the purchase of it cost the blood of Christ, Isa. 53:5. "The chastisement of our peace was upon him." He made peace by the blood of his cross, Col. 1:20 and this peace of reconciliation is settled by Christ upon a firm foundation. His blood gives it a more firm and steady basis and foundation than that of the hills and mountains, Isa. 54:10. And that which makes it so firm and sure, is the advocateship of Jesus Christ in heaven, 1 John 2:1, 2. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father." There is also peace in the believer's conscience; peace as it were by proclamation from heaven; and this is built upon the peace of reconciliation. We cannot have the sense of peace, till we are brought into a state of peace; the latter is the result of the former. And this is a special part of that supper Christ provides to entertain the soul that receives it. How sweet this is, is better felt than spoken. A dreadful sound was lately in the ears of the law-condemned sinner; but now his heart is the seat of peace. And this peace is, (1.) the soul's guard against all inward and outward terrors, Phil. 4:7. The peace of God shall keep φρουρησει or, as the word is, guard your hearts and minds. The persons of princes are secured by guards of armed and valiant men, who watch while they sleep. Thus Solomon had his royal guard, because of fear in the night, Cant. 3:7, 8. This peace of God, Christian, is thy life-guard, and secures thee better than Solomon's threescore valiant men that were about him. Time was when thou wast afraid to sleep, for fear thou shouldst awake in hell: Now thou mayest say with David, "I will both lay me down and sleep, for thou, Lord, makest me to dwell in safety." Now come life, come death; the soul is safe, the peace of God is its royal guard. (2.) This peace is ease as well as safety to the soul: it is
hearts-ease: No sooner doth God speak peace to the conscience, but the soul finds itself at ease and rest, Heb. 4:3. "We which have believed, shall enter into rest." It is with such a soul as it was with the dove Noah sent out of the ark; that poor creature wandered in the air, as long as her wings could carry her; had her strength failed, there was nothing but the waters to receive her. O how sweet was rest in the ark? (3.) This peace is news from heaven, and the sweetest tidings that ever blest the sinner's ear, next unto Christ; Heb. 12:24. "The blood of Christ speaketh better things than that of Abel." And you are come to this blood of sprinkling, the same day and hour that Christ is come into your souls. This is the voice of that blood, 'Thou hast sinned, I have satisfied; Thou hast kindled the wrath of God, and I have quenched it.' The angels of heaven cannot feed higher; their joys are not more delicious than those prepared for believers are, whereof this is a foretaste: Whatever circumstances of trouble a man may be in, this effectually relieves him. Paul and Silas were in sad circumstances, shut up in the inner prison, their feet made fast in the stocks, their cruel keepers at the door, their execution designed in a few days: God did but set this dish upon the table before the prisoners, and they could not forbear to sing at the feast, Acts 16:25. At midnight they sang, &c.
3. After these two royal dishes, pardon and peace, a third will come, in, viz. Joy in the Holy Ghost. This is somewhat beyond peace, it is the very quintessence and spirit of all consolation. The kingdom of God is said so consist in it, Rom. 14:17 it is somewhat near to the joy of the glorified, 1
Pet. 1:8 it is heaven upon earth. All believers do not immediately attain it, but one time or other God usually gives them a taste of it; and when he doth, it is as it were a short salvation. O, who can tell what that is which the apostle calls, "The shedding abroad of the love of God in the heart, by the Holy Ghost, which is given to us!" Rom. 5:5. It is a joy that wants an epithet to express the sweetness of it, 1 Pet. 1:8. "Joy unspeakable and full of glory." It hath the very scent and taste of heaven in it, and there is but a gradual difference betwixt it and the joy of heaven. This joy of the Holy
Ghost is a spiritual cheerfulness streaming through the soul of a believer upon the Spirit's testimony, which clears his interest in Christ, and glory.
No sooner doth the Spirit shed forth the love of God into the believer's heart, but it streams and overflows with joy. Joy is no more under that
soul's command. And this will evidently appear, if you consider the matter of it; it arises from the light of God's countenance, Psal. 4:6, 7 the heavenly glory, 1 Pet. 1:8. "Whom having not seen we love," &c. The soul is transported with joy, ravished with the glory and excellency of Christ.
Didst thou ever see this Christ whom thy soul is so ravished with? No, I have not seen him; yet my soul is transported with so much love to him, whom having not seen we love. But if thou never sawest him, how comes thy soul to be so delighted and ravished with him? why, though I never saw him by the eye of sense, yet I do see him by the eye of faith; and by that sight my soul is flooded with spiritual joy. Believing we rejoice. But what manner of joy is that which you taste? why, no tongue can express that, for it is joy unspeakable. But how are Christ and heaven turned into such ravishing joys to the soul? why, the Spirit of the Lord gives the believing soul not only a sight to discern the transcendent excellency of these spiritual objects, but a sight of his interest in them also. This is my
Christ, and this the glory prepared for me. Without interest, heaven itself cannot be turned unto joy, "My soul rejoices in God my Saviour," Luke
1:47. We read, Luke 13:28 of some that shall have a sight of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yet a sight without joy; a dreadful sight to them, for want of a joint interest with them in that glory. They shall see, and yet wail and weep, and gnash their teeth: But an interest sealed, gives joy unspeakable. Now, as to the excellency of this joy, it will be found to be the pleasant light of the soul.
Light and joy are synonymous terms in scripture, Psal. 97:11. It is as the cheerful light of the morning after a sad and dismal night. You that have sat in darkness and the shadow of death, you that have sat mourning in the dark, without one glimpse of a promise, you that have conversed with nothing but dismal thoughts of hell and wrath; Oh! I shall be cast away for ever! What will you say, when after all this darkness, the day-star shall arise in your hearts, the joy of heaven shall beam upon your souls? Will not this be a glorious reward for all your self-denial for Christ, and fully recompense for the frowns of carnal relations for giving entertainment to Christ? This joy of the Lord, if there were no other heaven, is an abundant recompence. This joy of the Lord shall be your strength, Neh. 8:10. Let
God but give a person a little of this joy into his heart, and he shall presently feel himself strengthened by it, either to do or to suffer the will of God. Now he can pray with enlargement, hear with comfort, meditate
with delight: and if God call him to suffer, this joy shall strengthen him to bear it. This was it that made the martyrs go singing to the stake. This therefore transcends all the joys of this lower world. There are sinful pleasures men find in fulfilling their lusts. There are sensitive joys that men find in the good creatures of God, filling their hearts with food and gladness: There are also delusive joys, false comforts that hypocrites find in their ungrounded hopes of heaven. The joys of the sensualist are brutish, the joys of the hypocrite are ensnaring and vanishing; but the joys of the Holy Ghost are solid, sweet, and leading to the fulness of everlasting joy. This is the third heavenly dainty you may expect to feed on, if you open your hearts to receive Christ by faith, else you have all the consolation that ever you must expect.
4. We read in scripture of the sealings of the Spirit, a choice and blessed privilege of believers, consequent upon believing; Eph. 1:13. "In whom after that ye believed, ye were sealed," &c. This then may be expected by every soul that opens to Christ, how rich soever the comforts of it be. The Spirit indeed seals not before faith, for then should he set his seal to a blank: but he usually seals after believing, and that as the Spirit of promise. Note here, the agent or person sealing, the Spirit, he knows the counsels and purposes of God, 1 Cor. 2:10, 11. He also is authorized to this work; and being the Spirit of truth, he cannot deceive us. There is a twofold seal spoken of in scripture; one referring to God's eternal foreknowledge and choice of men, 2 Tim. 2:19. "Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth who are his;" i.e. The Lord perfectly knows every soul that belongs to him through the world. But now what comfort is this to a poor believer, that God knows who are his? Therefore there is another sealing referring to the Spirit, as his act upon believers, to make them know that they are his.
The first is general, The Lord knoweth who are his. But this is particular, The Lord knoweth thee to be his. This is joyful news indeed. The former makes it sure in itself, the latter makes it sure to us. Now this is a most glorious privilege, a work of the Spirit, which hath a most ravishing, delicious sweetness in it; and that which makes it so, is,
(1.) The weightiness of the matter sealed to, which is no less than Christ, and the eternal inheritance purchased by his blood. This seal secures our
title to Christ, and to the eternal glory: We are sealed to the day of redemption. The sealed believer can say, Christ, how great, how glorious soever he be, is my Christ; the covenant of grace, and all the invaluable promises contained in it are mine.
(2.) The rest and quietness which follow it, make it an invaluable mercy.
This brings the anxious solicitous mind and conscience to rest and peace.
O what a mercy is it to have all those knots untied, those objections answered, those fears banished, under which the doubting soul so long laboured, and which kept it so many nights waking and restless! God only knows at what rate some poor creatures live under the scarings of their own consciences, and frequent fears of hell: And what an unconceivable mercy would it be to them to be delivered at once from their dangers and fears, which hold them under a spirit of bondage? Open to Christ, and thou art in the way to such a deliverance: "Come unto me and I will give you rest," saith Christ, Mat. 11:28, 29.
(3.) This sealing of the Spirit, which follows upon believing, will establish the soul in Christ, confirm it and settle it in the ways of God, which is an unspeakable privilege; 2 Cor. 1:22. "Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ is God, who also hath sealed us." Mark how establishment follows sealing. Now temptations may come, great persecutions and sore afflictions may come; but how well is that soul provided for them all, that hath the sealings of the Spirit unto the day of redemption? Yea, though the soul that was sealed should for the present be under new darkness, new temptations and fears, yet the former sealing will give establishment and relief, when the thoughts run back to the sealing day, and a man remembers how clear God once made his title to Christ. Well then, open to Christ, if ever you expect to be sealed to salvation. If you continue to despise and reject the tenders of Christ in the gospel, whilst others that embrace him are sealed to the day of redemption; your unbelief and final rejection of Christ, will seal you up to the day of damnation.
5. And lastly, we read likewise in the Scriptures, of the Earnest of the Spirit; this is three times mentioned in the Scriptures. Eph. 1:14. "Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession." 2 Cor. 1:22 where it is joined with the former privilege of sealing, "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in
our hearts." And again, 2 Cor. 5:5. "He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who hath also given unto us the earnest of the Spirit."
The word is αρραθων, originally a Syriac word; the Greeks are supposed to get it from the Phœnician merchants, with whom they traded, and it notes a part paid in hand, to confirm a bargain for the whole. There are two things in an earnest. (1.) It is part of the sum, or inheritance; if it were a contract for a sum of money, then it was a small part of a greater parcel: if for an inheritance, then the earnest is taking a part of the inheritance, as a twig, or turf, part of the whole. Now the Spirit of God chuses this word on purpose to signify two great things to his people by it:
(1.) That those comforts communicated by the Spirit to believers, are of the same kind with the joys of heaven, though in a far inferior degree. 1
Pet. 1:8 called there, joy unspeakable, and full of glory: And Rom. 8:23 called there, The first fruits of the Spirit. The first-fruits, and the crop or harvest, are one in kind; surely there is something of heaven, as well as hell, tasted by men in this world: hell is begun here in the terrors of some men's consciences, and heaven also is begun here in the absolution, peace and comfort, of other men's consciences.
(2.) As an earnest is part of the sum or inheritance, so the use and end of it is confirmation and security; as much as to say, take this in part till the whole be paid; yea, take it for thy security that the whole shall be paid.
Believers have a double pledge, or earnest for heaven, one in the person of Christ, who is entered into that glory for them, John 14:2, 3 the other in the joys and comforts of the Spirit, which they feel, and taste in themselves. These are two great securities, and the design of God in giving us these earnests, and foretastes of heaven, are not only to settle our minds but to whet our industry, that we may long the more earnestly, and labour the more diligently for the full possession. The Lord sees how apt we are to flag in the pursuit of heavenly glory, and therefore gives his people a taste, an earnest of it, to excite their diligence in the pursuits of it. God deals with his people in this case, as with Israel; they had been forty years in the wilderness, many sore temptations they had there encountered; at last they were come upon the very borders of Canaan, but then their hearts began to faint; there were Anakims, giants in the land,
poor Israel feared they should not stand before them: but Joshua sends spies into the land, who returning, bring the first-fruits of Canaan to them, whereby they saw what a goodly country it was; and then the fear of the Anakims began to vanish, and a spirit of courage to revive in the people. Thus it is, even with the borderers upon heaven; though we be near that blessed land of promise, yet our hearts are apt to faint upon a prospect of those great sufferings without us, and those conflicts with corruptions we feel within us: but one taste of the first-fruits of heaven, like those grapes of Eschol, revive our spirits, rouse our zeal, and quicken our pursuits of blessedness. For these reasons, God will not have all of heaven reserved till we come thither. And now tell me, you that have tasted these first-fruits of the Spirit, (1.) Is there not something of that glorified eye, in faith, by which the pure in heart do see God in heaven?
Mat. 5:8. O that eye of faith! that precious eye! which comes as near to the glorified eye, as any thing in this imperfect state can come, 1 Pet. 1:8.
"Whom having not seen ye love, in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." (2.) Is there not something of that glorified love to be felt in an inferior degree by the saints in this world? What else can we make of that transport of the spouse, Cant. 2:5. "Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love!" It is true, our love to God, in heaven, is much more fervent, pure, and constant; yet these high-raised acts of spiritual love have a taste and relish of it. (3.) Is there not something here of that heavenly delight wherewith the glorified delight in God? As the visions of God are begun on earth, so the heavenly delights are begun here also.
Some drops of that delight, are let fall here, Psalm 94:19. "In the multitude of the thoughts I had within me, thy comforts delight my soul."
David's heart, it is like, had been full of sorrow and trouble; a sea of gall and wormwood had overflowed his soul: God lets fall but a drop or two of heavenly delight, and all is turned into sweetness and comfort. (4.) Is there not something here of that transformation of the soul into the image of God, which is complete in heaven, and a special part of the glory thereof? It is said in 1 John 3:2. "We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." This is heaven, this is glory, to have the soul moulded into full conformity with God: something thereof is experienced in this world:
O that we had more! 2 Cor. 3:18. "But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from
glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." (5.) Is there not something felt here of the ravishing sweetness of God's presence in ordinances and duties, which is a faint shadow, at least, of the joys of his glorious presence in heaven? There is certainly a felt presence of God, a sensible nearness unto God at sometimes and in some duties of religion, wherein his name is as ointment poured forth, Cant. 1:3 something that is felt beyond, and above, all the comforts of this world. (6.) In a word, the joys of heaven are unspeakable joys, no words can make known to others what they are. When Paul was caught up into paradise he heard unspeakable words, 2 Cor. 12:4 and are there not times, even in this life, wherein the saints do feel that which no words can express? 1 Pet. 1:8, Rev. 2:17.
Now if such earnests of the Spirit do follow after believing, if opening the soul to Christ do bring it unto these suburbs of heaven; who then would not receive Christ into his soul, and such an heaven upon earth with him?
And thus I have shewed you what some of those heavenly rarities are with which Christ entertains believers upon earth, the fulness and perfection whereof is reserved for heaven, and hereby secured to the opening or believing soul: which was the third thing to be discovered.
Fourthly, Next we shall enquire into the reasons why Christ thus entertains, feasts, and refreshes the soul that receives him. And,
Reasons Reason 1. This he doth to express the great joy and satisfaction his soul hath in the faith and obedience of poor sinners. We read, Isa. 53:11 of the hard travail of Christ's soul, and the great satisfaction he hath in the fruit and issue thereof: "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." O what pleasure and satisfaction doth it give him to behold the eternal counsels of God and sore travails of his soul brought to such a birth! there is no such pleasure like it to the soul of Christ in this world.
As it is abundant satisfaction to a man, to behold the accomplishment of a design upon which he hath laid out many thoughts and much cost, at last happily finished: or as it is to a woman that has had a hard labour, a sore travail for a child, to behold the fruit of her womb, to embrace and smile upon that child she travailed for; so, and much more than so, it is to Christ; and therefore, as the Father of the prodigal manifested the joy of
his heart for the return of his son (who was to him as dead, and lost) by a feast and music, so doth Christ here answerably manifest the content and satisfaction of his soul by entertaining the believer with these royal dainties of heaven: it is the soul's welcome home to Christ.
Reason 2. This Christ doth to relieve and refresh poor distressed souls who have endured so many fears and sorrows from the time of their first conviction until this day of their union with Christ by faith. The way of faith is a very humble way; there is much cutting work in antecedent convictions and humiliations, sad nights and sick days with many poor souls; and these things bring them very low: they see the law broken by sin, wrath hanging over them in the threatenings, the bitter taste thereof they have in their consciences; they have dealt with fears and horrors a long time, and they need succour and support, which the Lord Jesus is now resolved to give them, lest the spirit fail before him, Isa. 57:16. He delights to comfort them that are cast down, 2 Cor. 7:6. Christ is of a compassionate nature, he is as ready as able to succour them that are tempted, Heb. 2:18. That word which we render succour, signifies to run in by way of help at the cry of one that is in distress. Many emphatical cries have gone up to heaven from the distressed, sin-sick soul; these the compassionate Jesus hears, and now comes in seasonably to succour and refresh it; he hath rich cordials for fainting hours; the soul hath had a bitter breakfast, and therefore Christ will give it a comfortable supper; "I will come in to him, and sup with him."
Reason 3. Those that open their hearts to Christ must expect to meet great troubles, sufferings, and temptations, in that new course whereinto they are entered: their way to heaven lies through much tribulation; all our troubles are not over when we are got into Christ; nay, then commonly our greatest outward troubles begin. Heb. 10:32. "After ye believed ye endured a great fight of afflictions." Carnal relations now scoff, frown, and cast off; the world hates them, and marks them out for persecution. Now that poor Cristians may not utterly be discouraged when they meet with those troubles in the way of their duty, Christ will cheer and hearten them by these spiritual refreshments: this is a stock laid in for a rainy day. Christ himself had a voice from heaven, Matth.
17:5. "This is my beloved Son," a little before his great combat; much
more do his poor people need such consolations, to support and encourage them. The wise God foresees, and by this provision fore-lays the troubles they are to meet with: an hour of sealing fortifies the soul for an hour of suffering. It hath been the observation of some Christians when they have felt more than ordinary comforts of the Spirit, that some great trial hath been near them; and the event hath confirmed it.
Whatever comforts Christ gives his people at their first entrance into his service, they will have need enough of them all before they finish their course. To these first sealings they will need often to run back and have frequent recourse to them, and all little enough to support them in aftertrials.
Reason 4. Christ comes in to the opening soul with such divine cordials and refreshments to defeat and countermine the plot of Satan, who hath so often and so lately been discouraging them by representing the ways of Christ as sad, melancholy ways; telling them they shall never laugh more, never be merry more after they have embraced and espoused the ways of holiness: Spiritus Calvinianus est Spiritus melancholicus. Well, their own experiences shall now confute it, for they now taste that pleasure in Christ, in faith and obedience, which they never tasted in the ways of sin: thus that scandalous libel of the devil is experimentally confuted. They find they were never truly merry till now, Luke 15:24 all true mirth commences from our closing with Christ; "and they began to be merry."
Now these spiritual refreshments are by Christ here called a supper, because the supper among the Jews was their best meal, Luke 14:17 and because it is the last meal. This is not only the best meal that ever a believer made, but upon these spiritual comforts (though much more refined and perfect) they are to feed for ever in heaven. O Christian, well mayest thou be contented with thine outward lot of providence, however it shall fall in this world with respect to thy outward man; will a King from heaven come and sup with thee? Doth he feed thy soul with pardon, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, seal an earnest of future glory? Then thou livest at a higher and nobler rate than any of thy carnal neighbours do. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ," Eph.
1:3. The same person that thus blesses God with a heart overflowing with
joy and comfort, endured as many persecutions, felt as many wants and straits as any man. What if providence do but meanly clothe your bodies, so that you cannot ruffle it out in that splendor and gallantry others do?
Yet mayest thou say with the church, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels," Isa. 61:10. What if thou fare not so deliciously as the great ones of this world do? Yet if Christ will give thee to eat of the hidden manna which he promiseth, Rev. 2:17. art thou not better clothed and fed than any of the grandees or nobles of the world? This takes away all grounds of complaint. It may be you will say, O but we have bodies as well as souls; if God had created us angels, that we could live without material food, it were another case. I reply, Christ never thus intended to feast thy soul and starve thy body; he that feeds thy soul with bread from heaven will take care for all necessary provisions on earth, Isa. 41:17. You have sought and found the kingdom of God and his righteousness; fear not but all other things shall be added to you.
I. Use, for Information The point before us is full of uses; I shall begin with information in the following inferences.
Infer. 1. Hence learn, That it is a vile and groundless slander upon religion, to say or insinuate that it deprives men of the comfort and joy of life.
The devil, in design to discourage men from the ways of God, puts a frightful mask upon the beautiful face of religion, pretending there is no pleasure or joy to be expected therein; but this is abundantly confuted and refelled in the text, "I will come in to him, and sup with him.
Solomon tells us, Eccl. 10:19. A feast is made for laughter." I am sure that soul that sits with Christ at such a feast as has been described above, has the best reason of any man in the world to be merry. Religion indeed denies us all sinful pleasure, but it abounds with all spiritual pleasure. No rational, solid mirth can come before Christ: the unsanctified rejoice in things of nought, and their joy will be soon ended; they are hastening to
that place where they will find that to be verified of the wages of sin, which they now falsely impute to the wages of holiness; they shall never rejoice more, never be merry more: But believers shall find that scripture attested by their daily experience, Prov. 3:17. "Her way are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." And that there are such pleasures in the ways of God, as they never experienced in the ways of sin; for is it a solid ground of comfort to a man to be out of debt and all fears of arrests, and is it not much greater to have our debts paid to God by Christ our surety? Matth. 9:2. "Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee." Is it matter of joy to have a sufficiency of all things for the supply of every want? He that is in Christ hath so. 1 Cor. 3:22, 23. "All are yours, and ye are Christ's." Is it a joyful life to be a borderer upon heaven, to confine upon blessedness itself? Then it is a joyful life to be in Christ; for they that are so may rejoice in the hopes of glory, Rom. 5:2. Is it matter of all joy to have the Comforter himself, who is the Spirit of all consolation, taking up his residence in thy heart, cheering, comforting, and refreshing it with such cordials as are unknown things in all the unbelieving world?
Then, certainly, the life of a Christian and the ways of holiness must be most pleasant and comfortable: And therefore let none that are looking towards Christ be discouraged in their way by the slanderous reproaches designedly cast upon religion for that end. Christ and comforts dwell together.
Infer. 2. Hence, in like manner it follows, That Christians usually meet the greatest difficulties at their first entrance into religion.
The first work of religion is cutting work, wounding work, groaning and weeping work: Thus religion usually begins, Acts 2:37. Acts 16:29. Now the soul seems to be struck dead, in the giving up of all its former vain hopes, Rom. 7:9. "When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died;" but afterward come pardon, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost. They that go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, now come back rejoicings bringing their sheaves with them, Psal. 126:6. Now that blessing takes place upon the soul, Mat. 5:4. "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart." It is quite contrary in the ways of sin; all the pleasures of sin come first, the terrors and gripes of conscience come after. Sin comes with
smiles in its face, but a sting in its tail. Pleasures lead the van, hell and destruction bring up the rear, Job 20:12, 13, 14. "Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue; yet his meat in his bowels is turned into the gall of asps within him." But here conviction and humiliation come first, these prepare the way for Christ; and after him come rest and peace. "Their sorrow is turned into joy," John 16:20.
Object. But is this always true? Do not the worst things of religion many times come last? How many Christians go out of the world in a bloody winding sheet?
Sol. Whatever the after-sufferings of Christians may be, the worst is past when they are once in Christ. Great and sharp sufferings they may endure, but the Lord sweetens them with answerable consolations, 2 Cor.
7:4. "I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation."
The lowest ebbs are followed with the highest tides; the greatest troubles need not give an interruption to their peace.
Infer. 3. Hence it follows, that no man can be owner of any true comfort till he be in Christ.
Comfort and refreshment, in the natural order follow faith; it is the vainest imagination in the world to expect solid, spiritual comfort before union with Christ; you may as well expect an harvest before a seed-time. I do confess there are two sorts of comforts found in the world without Christ. (1.) Men may have sensitive and sinful comforts and delights without Christ; these are common in the unregenerate world, where you may daily see rich men taking comfort in their riches, voluptuous men in their pleasures, James 5:5. "You have lived in pleasure upon earth." But these are the pleasures common to brutes, and beneath the noble, immortal spirit of a man. (2.) Hypocrites have their delights and comforts in a false imaginary happiness, which they fancy to themselves; but this is a vanishing shadow: They take comfort from their groundless hope of heaven, whither they shall never come; it is a feast in a dream, Isa. 44:20.
Thus they make a bridge of their own shadow, and are drowned in the waters. Such sensitive and false comforts and pleasures men may have; but no true, solid, spiritual joy takes place in any man's heart before Christ come into it.
Infer. 4. Guess from hence what heaven is, if there be such a feast to the soul in the very foretastes of it.
If a relish, a taste of heaven, in the earnest thereof, be so transporting and ravishing, what then is the full fruition of God! If these be unutterable, what must that be! Give me leave to say, whatever the comforts and joys of any believer in this world may be, yet heaven will be a surprize to him when he comes thither. The joys of God's presence are other manner of things than our present comforts are; though these be of the same kind with them, yet in a far inferior degree. There is a six-fold difference betwixt the spiritual comforts of believers on earth, and the joys that are above. They differ, 1. In quantity.
2. In constancy.
3. In purity.
4. In efficacy.
5. In the society, and 6. In the durability of them.
1. They differ in quantity. "Here we know but in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away," 1 Cor.
13:9, 10. When the scripture speaks of the comforts communicated to saints on earth, it usually expresses them in some diminutive terms or other, calling them first-fruits, earnests, and the like; and indeed it is necessary we should receive them here with such allays, and in remiss degrees, because the imperfection and weakness of our present state will not bear them in their plenitude and perfection. Here the joy of the Lord enters into us, but there we are said to enter into that joy, Mat. 25:21. It is too great to enter into us, therefore we enter into, and are swallowed up in it.
2. They differ in constancy; the best comforts upon earth are found to be intermitting comforts; a sun-blast and a cloud; a good day and a bad. You
know house-keepers feed upon two sorts of meat, daily-bread and dainties; rarities come not every day to the table. The daily-bread upon which believers live, is there cumbence and affiance of faith; as for assurance and joy, those come but now and then.
3. They differ in purity, as well as constancy; here we have the comforts of the Spirit, but we mingle sin with them, and usually the sin of spiritual pride, which spoils all. Yea, many times, the Lord suffers Satan to mingle his temptations and injections with them, lest we should be exalted, 2
Cor. 12:7. But above, the comforts of the saints are as the pure water of life, clear as chrystal, Rev. 22:1.
4. They differ in efficacy, as well as in purity. The highest comforts of the Spirit here are not perfectly transformative of our souls into the image of God, as they are in heaven; 1 John 3:3. "We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Here, after we are comforted by him, we grieve the Comforter himself by sin. Neither do the comforts of the Spirit, in this state, produce the fruits of obedience in their perfect maturity, as they do above; there is the same difference in point of efficacy as there is betwixt the influence of the sun beams in the winter months, and those in May and June.
5. There is a great difference in respect of society. Here, the believer, for the most part, eats his pleasant morsels alone; one Christian eats, and another hungers; but in heaven they all feast and feed together at one table, Mat. 8:11. "They shall sit down "with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God." O what is it to rejoice in the fellowship of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, where the joy of one is the joy of all.
6. They differ also in durability; sin here puts a stop to our comforts, but in heaven as there is no comma, so there shall never be a full point or period. Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. There is an eternal feast, no taking away the cloth, no rising from that feast, 2 Thes. 2:16. It is everlasting consolation: We shall be ever with the Lord.
II. Use This point puts serious matter of exhortation into my mouth. The Lord
direct it to the hearts of all, whether they be in Christ, or out of Christ.
First, To those that are out of Christ, and will not yet be persuaded to open their hearts, and consent to his terms. O what a spiritual infatuation is here! What, shut the door of thy heart against Christ and all the delights and comforts of this and the coming world! What madness is this! Hear me, thou poor deluded sinner, that wilt not be persuaded to part with thy sinful, sensual delights in exchange for Christ, and the peace, comfort, and joy that follow him: I have a few things to speak on Christ's behalf at this time; O that they might prevail, O that by them the Spirit of the Lord might persuade thy spirit, thou poor unregenerate creature! Let me offer four or five considerations or pleas on Christ's behalf, if haply they may prevail and make way for his entertainment in thy soul. And, Plea 1. Let me plead thine own necessity with thee; a mighty argument; which in other cases useth to make its ways through all oppositions, and make all difficulties fly before it; thou art a poor necessitous, pining, famishing soul; however thy body be accommodated, thou hast not one bit of spiritual bread for thy famishing soul to live upon. Christ is the bread that cometh down from heaven. The starving prodigal, Luke 15:16,
17 is the lively emblem of thy soul; he feeds upon husks, and thou feedest upon that which is not bread, Isa. 55:2. Thou art wretched and miserable, poor, blind, and naked, Rev. 3:17. Thy body hath often been filled and refreshed with the good creatures of God, but thy soul never tasted one bit of spiritual bread since it came into thy body; it never relished the sweetness of a pardon, the deliciousness of a promise, the joy and comfort of Christ; the choicest food that ever thou tasted, was such as thy soul cannot live upon.
Plea 2. Christ is at the door of thy soul with plenty and variety of heavenly comforts, costly dainties, purchased by his blood; if thou wilt but open to him, "Thou shalt be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of his house, and drink of the rivers of his pleasure," Psal. 36:7, 8. "He that believeth," as the scripture hath said, "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," John 7:38 meaning the graces and comforts of the Spirit.
Plea 3. If Christ be put off and refused now, you may never taste of those
invaluable mercies for ever, Luke 14:24. "For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." They were bidden, invited to this feast, and so are you; they refused to come, God grant you may not; for methinks this sentence of Christ, "Those men which were bidden shall not taste of my supper," is like a sentence upon a malefactor that is to be hanged in chains, and whom the law permits none to relieve. O, it will be dreadful to see the saints sitting at the royal feast in heaven, and yourselves shut out as a company of starving beggars standing in the streets, and about the doors where the marriage-supper is kept; they see the lights, they behold the rich dishes carried up, they hear the mirth and music of the guests, but not a bit comes to their share.
Plea 4. The refusal of Christ's invitation, as it is the greatest of all sins, so it will be avenged with the sorest wrath and greatest punishment; it is said of those guests that were bidden, Mat. 22:5 that they made light of it, but it fell heavy upon them, ver. 7. "He was wroth, and sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up their city." Have a care of making light of Christ.
Plea 5. What light and vain things are all those pleasures of sin, for the sake whereof you deprive your souls of the everlasting comforts of Jesus
Christ? Deluded soul, it is not the intent of Christ to rob thee of thy comfort, but to exchange thy sinful for spiritual delights, to thy unspeakable advantage. It is true, you shall have no more pleasure in sin, but instead of that you shall have peace with God, joy in the Holy Ghost, and solid comforts for evermore. What are the sensitive or sinful pleasures of the world? You have the total sum of them in 1 John 2:16, 17.
"All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof; but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever."
Quest. But how may a poor, unregenerate soul be prevailed with to make such a blessed exchange, to part with the pleasures of sin in exchange for the comforts of Jesus Christ?
Answer. Besides all that hath been offered before, let me briefly add these three following directions and counsels to such a soul.
1. Labour to see and feel thy need of Christ, and then thou wilt quickly be willing to give up all the pleasures of sin for the enjoyment of him. What makes men so tenacious of their lusts, so hard to be persuaded to give up their sinful pleasures, but this, that they never felt the need of a Saviour!
Oh, sinner, didst thou but feel thy need of Christ, wert thou but hungry and thirsty for him, thou wouldst never stand upon such trifles for the enjoyment of him. We read, in the famine of Jerusalem, how they parted with their pleasant things for bread to relieve their souls; jewels, rings, bracelets, things which cost dear, and were highly valued at another time, now were willingly parted with for bread. Christ is more necessary to thee than thy necessary bread.
2. Consider the spiritual and immortal nature of thine own soul, which cannot live upon material things, and must over-live all temporary things.
Now if thy soul cannot live upon them, and must certainly over-live them; what a miserable condition will it unavoidably fall into, when all these sensual, and sinful enjoyments are vanished and gone, as thou knowest they shortly will be? 1 John 2:17. "These things pass away:" and then hath thy soul nothing to live upon to all eternity.
3. Hearken to the reports and experiences of the saints, who have tried both sorts of pleasures, which you never did: They have tried the pleasures of sin, and they have tasted the pleasures of Christ, and so are best able to make a true judgment upon both; and they have accordingly determined, "That one glimpse of the light of God's countenance, puts more gladness into their hearts, than in the time that their corn and their wine increased," Psal. 4:7. Nay, the wisest Christians, upon trial of both, have rightly determined, That the worst things in religion are infinitely to be preferred to the best things belonging to sin; the very sufferings and afflictions of the people of God, have been pronounced better than the pleasures of sin for a season, Heb. 11:25. Could you but see with their eyes, and were you but capable of making a right judgment as they did, there needed not a word more to be said to persuade you to let go your most pleasant, and profitable lusts, in exchange for Christ and his beneficial, comfortable sufferings.
Secondly, The point affords variety of counsels and exhortations to the regenerate, who have opened their wills to Christ, and are thereupon
admitted into this comfortable state.
It is found, in experience, a difficult thing for a soul, after conversion, to bear and duly manage their own comforts, as it was to bear and rightly manage their troubles at conversion. My business here is to advise souls, under their first comforts and feelings of the Spirit, how to manage and improve their spiritual comforts, that they may abide with them, and be growing things continually in their souls.
Advices Advice 1. And first, See that you humbly admire and adore the condescending goodness of God to you, in all the comforts of the Spirit which refresh you.
O that ever God should comfort such a soul as thine, that hath so often grieved him! That Christ should be a joy to thee, who hast been a sorrow to him! If you look into Eph. 1:3 you will find the spirit of the apostle there filled with the sense and admiration of this mercy, which breaks forth into this rapturous expression, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (or things in Christ)." Some there are that never enjoy an ordinary degree of earthly comforts, Job 30:3, 4, 5 others enjoy abundance of earthly comforts, but no spiritual comforts, Psal. 17:14.
Some there are for whom God intends everlasting consolations in the world to come; but they are kept low, as to spiritual comforts in this world, Psal. 88:15. O, what cause have you to admire the bounty of God to you, for whom there is not only fulness of joys prepared in heaven, but such precious foretastes and earnests of it communicated in the way thither.
Advice 2. Cleave fast to Christ and those sweet and comfortable duties of religion, wherein you have found, and tasted the best comforts that ever your souls were acquainted with.
This is one thing God aims at in the communication of these spiritual refreshments, to glue your souls fast by them to the ways of holiness. The Lord knows temptations will befal you, discouragements enough you
shall be sure to meet with; but these enjoyments of God, which you have met with in prayer and hearing, in meditation, sacraments, &c. should engage your hearts for ever to the ways of obedience. You never found that sweetness in the ways of sin, which you have found in repentance, and faith. When a temptation comes baited with sinful pleasures, say as the olive tree and the vine, in Jotham's parable, Judg. 9:9, 10, 11. Shall I leave such soul-refreshing comforts as these, for the insipid pleasures of sin? God forbid.
Advice 3. Be communicative of the spiritual comforts you enjoy, for the benefit and refreshment of others.
The Lord never intended you should engross the comforts of his Spirit to yourselves, nor eat your pleasant morsels alone. 2 Cor. 1:4. "He comforts us, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." It is true, religion lays not all open, nor yet doth it conceal, and hide all. There needs a great deal of wisdom, humility, and caution, to secure us from pride, and vanity in spirit, whilst we communicate our comforts to others: As ostentation, so also impropriation of our comforts, are against scripture-law; he may be justly suspected that opens all, and so may he too that conceals all.
Spiritual comforts are not diminished, but improved by a wise, and humble communication.
Advice 4. Be much in renewing the acts, and exercises of faith; be frequent in that work.
Your first faith hath brought in your first comfort; your renewing, and repeating those precious acts of faith, will bring you in greater stores of comfort, than you yet enjoy. We are not to look upon faith as a single, but a continued act, 1 Pet. 2:4. "To whom coming as unto a living stone." Thy soul, Christian, is to be in a continual motion towards Christ; the more you believe, the more you will rejoice. You see the door through which comfort, comes into your souls. Joy is the daughter of faith, Rom. 15:13 your present comfort is the first birth of faith; but there are many comforts more in the womb of faith, which will yet be born to your souls, if unbelief cause not a miscarriage.
Advice 5. Take heed you be not a grief to Christ, who hath already brought so much comfort to you.
It will be a sad requital, if after he hath given you the joys of heaven to drink, you shall give him that which is as wormwood and gall; the Lord write that caution upon thy soul, reader, Eph. 4:30. "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed to the day, of redemption."
The argument of the apostle, in this place, strongly infers caution from comfort. Christ hath been all joy, all peace, rest, and comfort to you; take heed you be not a grief and shame to him. The intermission of thy duties, the falling and flatting of thy affections in duties, thy rash adventures upon sin, will be a grief to the heart of Christ, who hath filled thy heart with so much comfort; and if you grieve him, you cannot expect he should comfort you. A little sin may rob you of a great deal of comfort.
Advice 6. Be not staggered or dejected, if the first comforts Christ gives you should afterwards abate, or be taken away for a time.
This is a very common thing in the experience of most Christians; you must not think your first comforts are such fixed, settled things, that there is no hazard of losing them; alas! nothing is more volatile than the joys of a Christian. You will be apt to lose your first love, Rev. 2:4 and if you lose your first love, no wonder that you lose your first comforts: Yet if it should so fall out, be not cast down and discouraged; Christ is not gone, though comfort be gone; and though comfort be gone, it is not gone for ever; renew thy repentance, faith, and obedience, and try if God will not renew thy comfort. There is a former, and there is a latter spring of joy;
God will make thy comforts spring again. Besides, thy justification is stedfast, though thy consolation be not so. There are two things that belong to a Christian, one to his being, viz. union with Christ; another to his well-being, viz. Comfort from Christ: The latter is uncertain and contingent, the former fixed and stedfast.
Advice 7. Be filled with compassion to others who want those comforts you enjoy, especially such as God hath knit to you in the bonds of natural relations.
Art thou a father, or a mother, to whom God hath given those comforts,
and soul-refreshments, that have been opened in this discourse? And hast thou no compassion for thy poor children, who never yet tasted one drop of these spiritual consolations; Certainly it will do a man little good to be feasted abroad, whilst his wife and children are starving at home:
Say to them, as Paul in another case, "Would to God you were all as I am, except these corruptions." Religion breeds bowels of compassion. O tell them what sweetness there is in the ways of godliness; counsel, plead, and pray, that those that are yours may also be Christ's.
Advice 8. As ever you expect the continuance or enlargement of your comforts, see that you walk circumspectly.
It is as much as all your comfort is worth to give way to a little carelessness: That is a remarkable expression of the Psalmist, Psal. 85:1.
"I will hearken what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, and to his saints; but let them not return again to folly." Sin, in this text, is fitly called by the name of folly; for indeed it is the greatest folly and madness in the world to forfeit and divest ourselves of such sweet peace and comfort by returning unto sin, which hath cost us so much sorrow and trouble before. Are you willing to be in your former darkness and fears, tears and troubles; to exchange the pleasant light you now enjoy, for the horrors you have formerly felt? This you must do if you return again to folly.
Advice 9. Long for heaven, where the fulness of those joys is, whereof those you taste are but the earnest and first-fruits.
One design of God in giving them, is to set us a longing after heaven to help our conceptions, and raise our affections: if these be so sweet, what must they be? Rom. 8:23. "We which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." We are not to sit down satisfied, and say we have enough of these first-fruits; but they are given to set us a groaning after the fulness of those enjoyments. This answers God's end in giving.
Advice 10. Lastly, Improve every spiritual comfort you have from Christ unto greater cheerfulness in the paths of obedience to Christ.
This is another end for which God communicates them, that our souls being refreshed by them, we might pluck up our feet the more nimbly in the paths of duty. Psal. 119:32. "Then will I run the ways of thy commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart." Now God expects that you pray more frequently, meditate more delightfully, and perform every duty more cheerfully; and this is the way to perpetuate your comforts. How many Christians go on droopingly in the ways of duty for want of those encouragements you enjoy?