5. Believers at death shall gain the sweet society of glorified saints and angels : this will add something to the felicity of heaven, as every star adds some lustre to the firma- ment. \st, The society of the glorified saints; we shall see them in their souls, as well as in their bodies ; their bodies shall be so clear and bright, that we shall see their souls shining through their bodies, as the wine through the glass ; and believers at death shall have converse with the saints glorified. And how delightful will that be, when they shall be freed from all their sin- ful corruptions, pride, envy, passion, cen- soriousness, which are scars upon them here to disfigure them? In heaven there shall be perfect love among the saints ; they shall, as the olive and myrtle, sweetly embrace each other ; the saints shall know one another, as Luther speaks. If in the transfiguration Peter knew Moses and Elias, whom he never saw before, Mat. xvii. 3., then much more, in the glorified state, the saints shall perfectly know one another, though they never saw them before. 2d/t/, The saints at death shall behold the angels with the glorified eye of their understand- ing. The wings of the cherubim (repre- senting the angels) were made of fine gold to denote both their sanctity and splen- dour ; the angels are compared to lightning. Mat. xxviii. 3., because of those sjiarkling beams of majesty, which as lightning shoot from them. And when saints and angels shall meet and sing together in concert in the heavenly choir, what divine harmo- ny, what joyful triumphs will it create !
A BELIEVER'S PRIVILEGE AT DEATH.
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' 6. Believers at death shall gain perfec- tion of holiness. Here grace was but in cunabitli, — in its cradle, very imperfect ; we cannot write a copy of holiness without blotting ; believers are said to receive but primitias Spiriius, — ' the first-fruits of the Spirit,' Rom. viii. 22. But at death the saints shall arrive at perfection,— their know- ledge clear, — their sanctity perfect,— their sun shall be in its full meridian splendour. They need not then pray for increase of grace ; they shall love God as much as they would love him, and as much as he desires to have them love him; they shall be then, in respect of holiness, as the angels of God.
7. At death the saints shall gain a royal magnificent feast. I told you before what a glorious palace they shall have; but a man may starve in a house, if there be no cheer. The saints at death shall have a royal banquet, shadowed out in scripture by a marriage-supper. Rev. xix. 9. Bul- linger and Gregory the Great understand by that marriage-supper of the Lamb, the stately, magnificent festival the saints shall have in heaven ; they shall feed on the tree of life. Rev. xxii. They shall have the heavenly nectar and ambrosia, — " the spic- ed wine, and the juice of the pomegranate," Cant. viii. 2. This royal supper of the Lamb will not only satisfy hunger but pre- vent it, Rev. vii. 16., " They shall hunger no more." Nor can there be any surfeit at this feast, because a fresh course will be continually serving ; new and fresh delights will spring from God; tlierefore the tree of life in paradise is said to bear twelve sorts of fruit, Rev. xxii. 2.
8. Believers at death shall gain honour and dignity, they shall reign as kings; therefore we read of the ensigns of their royalty, their white robes and crowns ce- lestial* 1 Tim. iv. 7. We read that the doors of the holy of holies were made " of palm-trees and open flowers, covered with gold," 1 Kings vi. 35. : an emblem of that victory and triumph, and that golden gar- land of honour wherewith God hath invest- ed the saints glorified. When all worldly honour shall lie in the dust, — the mace, the star, the robe of ermine, the imperial dia- dem,— then shall the saints' honour remain ;
not one jewel shall be plucked out of their crown ; they shall gain at death a blessed eternity. If the saints could have the least suspicion or fear of losing their glory, it would much cool and imbitter their joy; but their crown fadeth not away, I Pet. V. 4". As the wicked have a worm that ne- ver dies, so the elect have a crown that never fades. Ever, is a short word, but hath no ending. Jnfiue erit gaudium sine fine^ Bern. 2 Cor. iv. 18., " The things which are not seen are eternal." Ps. xvi. 11., " At thy right hand, are pleasures for evermore." Who can span eternity ? Mil- lions of ages stand but for cyphers in eter- nity. This is the dah^ or highest strain of the saint's glory; ever in Christ's bo- som.
Quest. How come the saints to have all this gain ?
Ans. Believers have a right to all this gain at death upon divers accounts : by vir- tue of the Father's donation, — the Son's purchase, — the Holy Ghost's earnest, — and faith's acceptance. Therefore the state of future glory is called the saint's proper in- heritance, Col. i. 12. They are heirs of God, and have a right to inherit.