Infer. 3. Hence it follows, that nc 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 har- vest before a seed-time. I do confess there are two sorts of com- forts found in the World without Christ. (1.) Men may have sen.^ sitive 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 plea- sures, James v. 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 them- selves ; but this is a vanishing shadow : They take comfort from their groundless hope of heaven, wliither they shall never come ; it is a feast in a dream, Isa. xliv. 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 l^efore Christ come into it.
Infer. 4. Guess from hence what heaven is, if there be such a feast to the soul in the very for etahies of it.
If a relish, a taste of heaven, in the earnest thereof, be so tran- sporting 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 behever in this world may be, yet heaven will be a surprize to him when he comes thither. The joys of God's presence ai'e other maniier 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 behevers on earth, and the joys that are «bove. They differ,
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. xiii. 9, 10. When the scripture speaks of the comforts communicated to saints on earth, it usually ex- presses 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. xxv. 21. It is too great to enter into us, therefore we enter into, and are swallowed up in it.
S. 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 cum-
bence and affiance of faitli ; as for assurance and joy, those come but now and then.
5. 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 aD. Yea, many times, the Lord suffers Satan to mingle his temptations and injections with them, lest we should be exalted, 2 Cor. xii. 7., But above, the comforts of the saints are as the pure water of iii'e, clear as chrystal, Hev. xxii. 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 iii. 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. viii. 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. ii. 16. It is everlasting consolation ; We shall he ever with the Lord.
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 per- suaded 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 de- luded 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 beKhlf 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 entertain- ment in thy soul. And,