Love and Joy in the Saints' Rest

But oh! the full, the near, the sweet enjoyment, is that of love. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Now the poor soul complains, "Oh that I could love Christ more!" then, thou canst not choose but love him. Now thou knowest little of his amiableness, and therefore lovest little: Then, thine eye will affect thy heart, and the continual viewing of that perfect beauty will keep thee in continual transports of love. Christians, doth it not now stir up your love to remember all the experiences of his love! Doth not kindness melt you, and the sunshine of Divine goodness warm your frozen hearts? What will it do then, when you shall live in love, and have all in him, who is all? Surely love is both work and wages.

What a high favor, that God will give us leave to love him? That he will be embraced by those, who have embraced lust and sin before him! But more than this, he returneth love for love; nay, a thousand times more. Christian, thou wilt be then brimfull of love; yet, love as much as thou canst, thou shalt be ten thousand times more beloved. Were the arms of the Son of God open upon the cross, and an open passage made to his heart by the spear, and will not arms and heart be open to thee in glory? Did he begin to love before thou lovedst, and will not he continue now? Did he love thee, an enemy? thee, a sinner? thee, who even loathedst thyself; and own thee, when thou didst disclaim thyself?

And will he not now immeasurably love thee, a son? thee, a perfect saint? thee, who returnest some love for love? He that in love wept over the old Jerusalem when near its ruin, with what love will he rejoice over the new Jerusalem in her glory? Christian, believe this, and think on it; thou shalt be eternally embraced in the arms of that love, which was from everlasting, and will extend to everlasting;—of that love which brought the Son of God's love from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to glory; that love, which was weary, hungry, tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, spit upon, crucified, pierced; which did fast, pray, teach, heal, weep, sweat, bleed, die;—that love will eternally embrace thee.

When perfect created love, and most perfect uncreated love, meet together, it will not be like Joseph and his brethren, who lay upon one another's necks weeping; it will be loving and rejoicing, not loving and sorrowing: Yet it will make Satan's court ring with the news, that Joseph's brethren are come, that the saints are arrived safe at the bosom of Christ, out of the reach of hell for ever: nor is there any such love as David's and Jonathan's, breathing out its last into sad lamentations for a forced separation. Know this, believer, to thy everlasting comfort, if those arms have once embraced thee, neither sin, nor hell, can get thee thence for ever. Thou hast not to deal with an inconstant creature but with him with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.

His love to thee will not be as thine was on earth to him; seldom, and cold, up and down. He that would not cease nor abate his love, for all thine enmity, unkind neglects, and churlish resistances, can he cease to love thee, when he hath made thee truly lovely? He that keepeth thee so constant in thy love to him, that thou canst challenge tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword, to separate thy love from Christ, how much more will himself be constant? Indeed thou mayest be persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And now are we not left in the apostle's admiration. What shall we say to these things? Infinite love must needs be a mystery to a finite capacity. No wonder angels desire to look into this mystery. And if it be the study of saints here, to know the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge; the saint's everlasting rest must consist in the enjoyment of God by love.

Nor hath joy the least share in this fruition. 'Tis that, which all the former lead to, and conclude in; even the inconceivable complacency which the blessed feel in their seeing, knowing, loving, and being beloved of God. This is the white stone which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. Surely this is the joy which a stranger doth not intermeddle with. All Christ's ways of mercy tend to, and end in, the saint's joys. He wept, sorrowed, suffered, that they might rejoice; he sendeth the Spirit to be their Comforter; he multiplies promises; he discovers their future happiness, that their joy may be full. He opens to them the fountain of living waters, that they may thirst no more, and that it may spring up in them to everlasting life.

He chastens them, that he may give them rest. He makes it their duty to rejoice in him alway, and again commands them to rejoice. He never brings them into so low a condition, wherein he does not leave them more cause of joy than sorrow. And hath the Lord such a care of our comfort here? O what will that joy be, where the soul being perfectly prepared for joy, and joy prepared by Christ for the soul, it shall be our work, our business, eternally to rejoice! It seems the saint's joy shall be greater than the damned's torment; for their torment is the torment of creatures, prepared for the devil and his angels; but our joy is the joy of our Lord. The same glory which the Father gave the Son, the Son hath given them, to sit with him in his throne, even as he is set down with his Father in his throne.

Thou, poor soul, who prayest for joy, waitest for joy, complainest for want of joy, longest for joy; thou then shalt have full joy, as much as thou canst hold, and more than ever thou thoughtest on, or thy heart desired. In the mean time walk carefully, watch constantly, and then let God measure out to thee thy times and degrees of joy. It may be he keeps them till thou hast more need. Thou hadst better lose thy comfort than thy safety. If thou shouldst die full of fears and sorrows, it will be but a moment, and they are all gone, and concluded in joy inconceivable. As the joy of the hypocrite, so the fears of the upright are but for a moment. God's anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. O blessed morning! Poor, humble drooping soul, how would it fill thee with joy now, if a voice from heaven should tell thee of the love of God, the pardon of thy sins, and assure thee of thy part in these joys? What then will thy joy be, when thy actual possession shall convince thee of thy title, and thou shalt be in heaven before thou art well aware?

And it is not the joy only; it is a mutual joy as well as mutual love. Is there joy in heaven at thy conversion, and will there be none at thy glorification? Will not the angels welcome thee thither, and congratulate thy safe arrival?—Yea, it is the joy of Jesus Christ, for now he hath the end of his undertaking, labor, suffering, dying, when we have our joys; when he is glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe; when he sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied. This is Christ's harvest, when he shall reap the fruit of his labors, and it will not repent him concerning his sufferings, but he will rejoice over his purchased inheritance, and his people will rejoice in him.—Yea, the Father himself puts on joy too, in our joy.

As we grieve his Spirit, and weary him with our iniquities: so is he rejoiced in our good. O how quickly does he now spy a returning prodigal, even afar off? How does he run and meet him? And with what compassion does he fall on his neck, and kiss him, and put on him the best robe, and a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and kills the fatted calf to eat and be merry. This is indeed a happy meeting; but nothing to the embracing and joy of that last and great meeting.——Yea more; as God doth mutually love and joy, so He makes this His rest, as it is our rest. What an eternal Sabbatism, when the work of redemption, sanctification, preservation, glorification, is all finished, and perfected for ever! The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in his love, He will joy over thee with singing. Well may we then rejoice in our God with joy, and rest in our love, and joy in him with singing.

Alas! my fearful heart scarce dares proceed. Methinks I hear the Almighty's voice saying to me, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? But pardon thy Servant, O Lord. I have not pried into unrevealed things. I bewail that my apprehensions are so dull, my thoughts so mean, my affections so stupid, and my expressions so low, and unbeseeming such a glory. I have only heard by the hearing of the ear: oh, let thy servant see thee and possess these joys; and then shall I have more suitable conceptions, and shall give thee fuller glory; I shall abhor my present self, and disclaim and renounce all these imperfections, I have uttered that I understood not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Yet I believed, and therefore have I spoken. What, Lord, canst thou expect from dust but levity? or from corruption, but defilement? Though the weakness and irreverence be the fruit of my own corruption, yet the fire is from thine altar, and the work of thy commanding. I looked not into thy ark, nor put forth my hand unto it, without thee. Wash away these stains also in the blood of the Lamb. Imperfect, or none, must be thy service here. O take thy Son's excuse, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.