Secondly, It implies man's revolt and apostasy from God, Eph. ii. 12. " But now in Christ Jesus, ye who were some time afar off, " are made nigh by the blood of Christ.11 Those whom Christ bringeth unto God were before afar off from him, both in state and condition, and in temper and disposition : we were lost crea- tures, and had no desire to return to God *. The prodigal was said to go into a far country, Luke xv. 30.
Thirdly, Christ's bringing us to God, implies our inability to re- turn to God of ourselves ; we must be brought back by Christ, or perish for ever in a state of separation from God : the lost sheep is made the emblem of the lost sinner, Luke xv. 5. The sheep re- turns not to the fold of itself, but the shepherd seeks it, finds it, and carries it back upon his shoulders. And the apostle plainly tells us, Rom. v. 6. That when we zvere without strength, i. e. any
* Although the faculties of the soul were not extinguished by the fall, yet their inclination to spiritual objects was wholly lost. Zccem on the image of God.
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ability to recover, help, or save ourselves, in due time Christ died Jbr the ungodly.
Fourthly, Christ bringing us to God evidently implies this, that God's unsatisfied justice was once the great bar betwixt him and man. Man can have no access to God but by Christ : Christ, brings us to God by no other way but the way of satisfaction by his blood : " He hath suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that. " he might bring us to God." Better ten thousand worlds should perish for ever, than that God should lose the honour of his justice. This great obex, or bar to our enjoyment of God, is ef- fectually removed by the death of Christ, whereby God's justice is not only fully satisfied, but highly honoured and glorified, Rom. iii. 24. And so the way by which we are brought to God is again opened (to the wonder and joy of all believers) by the blood and sufferings of Christ.
Fifthly, and lastly, It shews us the peculiar happiness and privi- lege of believers above all people in the world : these only are they which shall be brought to God by Jesus Christ in a reconciled state : others, indeed, shall be brought to God as a Judge, to be con- demned by him : believers only are brought to God in the Media- tor's hand, as a reconciled Father, to be made blessed for ever in the enjoyment of him : every believer is brought singly to God at his death, Luke xvi. 22. And all believers shall be jointly and solemnly presented to God in the great day, Col. i. 22. Jude, ver. 24. They shall be all presented faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Now the privilege of believers in that day will lie in divers things.
First, That they shall be all brought to God together. This will be the general assembly mentioned, Heb. xii. 22. There shall be a collection of all believers, in all ages of the world, into one blessed assembly ; they shall come from the east, and zvest, and north, and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God, Luke xiii. 29. O what a glorious train will be seen following the Re- deemer in that day !
Secondly, As all the saints shall be collected into one body ; so they shall be all brought or presented unto God, faultless and with- out blemish, Jude, ver. 24. " A glorious church, without spot or " wrinkle, or any such thing," Eph. v. 27. For this is the general assembly of the spirits of just men that are made perfect, Heb. xii. 23. All sin was perfectly separated from them when death had se- parated their souls and bodies.
Thirdly, In this lies the privilege of believers, that as they shall be all brought together, and that in a state of absolute purity, and perfection, so they shall be all brought to God : they shall see his face, in the vision whereof is " fulness of joy, and at whose right-
282 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. XIX.
" liand are pleasures for evermore,'" Psal. xvi. 11. The objective blessedness of the saints consisteth in their fruition of God, Psal. Ixxil 25. To see God in his word and works, is the happiness of the saints on earth ; but to see him face to face, will be the fulness of their blessedness in heaven, 1 John iii. 2. This is that intuitive, transforming, and sanctifying vision, of which the scriptures fre- quently speaks, Psal. xvii. 15. 1 Cor. xv. 28. Rev. vii. 17.
Fourthly , To be brought unto God, must needs imply a state of perfect joy and highest delight. So speaks the apostle, Jude 14. Christ shall present, or bring them to God with exceeding joy. And more fully the joy of this day is expressed, Psal. xlv. 15. " With joy and rejoicing shall they be brought ; they shall enter " into the king's palace." It will be a day of universal joy, when all the saints are brought home to God in a perfected state. For,
1. God the Father will rejoice when Christ brings home that pre- cious number of his elect, whom he redeemed by his blood : he rejoiceth in them now, though imperfect, and under many distaste- ful corruptions and weaknesses, Zeph. iii. 17. How much more will he rejoice in them when Christ presents them without spot or wrinkle to him, Eph. v. 27.
2. Jesus Christ will exceedingly rejoice ; it will be the day of the gladness and satisfaction of his heart ; for now, and not till now, he receives his mystical fulness, Col. i. 24. beholds all the blessed issues of his death, which cannot but give him unspeakable con- tentment, Isa. liii. 11. " He shall see of the travail of his soul, and * shall be satisfied."
3. The day in which believers are brought home to God, will be a day of unspeakable joy to the Holy Spirit of God himself. For unto this all his sanctifying designs in this world had respect : to this day he sealed them : towards this day he stirred up desires, and groanings in their hearts that cannot be uttered, Eph. iv. 30. Rom. viii. 26. Thus the great and blessed persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, will rejoice in the bringing home of the elect to God. For as it is the greatest joy to a man to see the designs which his heart hath been long projecting, and intently set upon, by an or- derly conduct, at last brought to the happy issue he first aimed at ; much more will it be so here ; the counsel and hand of each person being deeply concerned in this blessed design.
4. The angels of God will rejoice at the bringing home of belie- vers to him : the spirits of just men made perfect, will be united in one general assembly, with an innumerable company of angels, Heb. ii. 22. Great is the affection and love of angels to redeemed ones ; they greatly rejoiced at the incarnation of Christ for them, Luke ii. 13. They greatly delighted to pry into the mystery of their redemption, 1 Pet. i. 12. They were marvellously delighted at
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