*24 A STRING OF PEARLS. [1 PETER I. 4.
saints. It was a great mercy for Christ to be with Paul on earth, but it was a greater mercy, and a more satisfying mercy, for Paul to be with Christ in heaven, Philip, i. 23. They enjoy much who enjoy the presence of God on earth, but they enjoy more who enjoy the presence of God in heaven; and no presence helow t his presence cau satisfy a believing soul. But,
(3.) Thirdly, As they shall enjoy a satisfying presence of God in heaven, so they shall enjoy a constant, a permanent presence of God in heaven. Here God comes and goes, he is often a removing court, but in heaven the King of glory will be always present: 1 Thes. iv. 17, 18, 'Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we be ever with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words/ It is the constant presence of God in heaven, that makes a heaven of com- fort to blessed souls. Should this sun ever set, should this presence ever fail, heaven would be as dark as hell, yea, heaven would be another hell. Here Jonah complains that he was cast out of God's presence, and the church complains, that he that should comfort her soul, stands afar off.1 No saint enjoys the gracious presence of God at all times alike. They that enjoy most of this presence may say of it, as Jacob spake of Laban's countenance, I see, said he, your Father's countenance is not towards me as before, Gen. xxxi. 5 ; so may they say, Oh we see, Oh we feel, that the presence of God is not with us as before ! Oh what a warming, what a cheering, what a quickening, what an enliven- ing, what a comforting, what a melting, what an encouraging, what an assisting presence of God had we once ! Oh but it is not so now with us ! we that used always to be upon Christ's knee, or in his arms, are now at a distance from him ; he that used to lie day and night as a bundle of myrrh betwixt our breasts, hath now covered himself with a cloud, Cant. i. 13. Oh we cannot see his face, we cannot hear his voice, as in the days of old ! &c. But now in heaven saints shall enjoy a constant presence of God ; there shall not be one moment to all eternity, wherein they shall not enjoy the glorious presence of God ; and, indeed, it is this constant presence of God in heaven, that puts a glory upon all the saints' glory. Heaven, without this constant presence of God, would be but as a court without a king, or as the firmament without the sun. And thus you see that the best and choicest presence of God and Christ is reserved for heaven. But,
V. Fifthly, The perfection of grace is reserved for glory.2 Though our graces be our best jewels, yet they are imperfect, and do not give out their full lustre ; they are like the moon, which Avhen it shineth brightest, hath a dark spot : 1 Cor. xiii. 9, 10, ' For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.' Here ' we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,' Isa. lxiv. 6. Oh the stains, the spots, the blots, the blemishes that attend our choicest graces and services ! Our best personal righteousness is stained with much unrighteousness, perfection of grace and holiness is
1 Jonah ii. 4 ; Lam. i. 16 ; Ps. xxx. 6, 7 ; Isa. viii. 17 ; Micali vii. 7-9.
2 Per/ectum id est cui nihil deest.
1 Peter I. 4.] a string of pearls. 425
reserved for heaven, Eph. v. 25-27 ; Jude 24 ; Eph. iv. 13. In the work of conversion, God lays the foundation of grace in the souls of his people, but the putting on the top-stone is reserved for heaven. Grace here is but a king in the cradle, but in heaven it will be a king upon its throne.
For the making this truth more fully out, I will only instance in the joy of the saints, and that thus :
[1.] First, The joy of the saints in heaven shall be pure joy. Here our joy is mixed with sorrow, our rejoicing with trembling, Ps. ii. 11 : Mat. xxviii. 8, ' The women departed from the sepulchre with fear and great joy.' This composition of two contrary passions is frequently found in the best hearts. Here the best have sorrow with their joy, water with their wine, vinegar with their oil, pain with their ease, winter with their summer, and autumn with their spring, &c. But in heaven, Rev. vii. 17, they shall have joy without sorrow, light without darkness, sweetness without bitterness, summer without winter, health without sickness, honour without disgrace, glory without shame, and life without death : Rev. xxi. 4, ' And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain : for the former things are passed away/ But,
[2.] Secondly, As they shall have in heaven pure joy, so they shall have in heaven plenitudAnem gaudii, fulness of joy. Here all joy is at an ebb, but there is the flood of joy, there is fulness of joy : Ps. xvi. 11, 'In his presence is fulness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore.' Here shall be gaudium super gaudium, joy above joy, joy surmounting all joy. Here shall be such great joys, as no geometrician can measure ; so many joys, as no arithmetician can number ; and so wonderful, as no rhetorician can utter, had he the tongue of men and angels.1 Here shall be joy within thee, and joy without thee, and joy above thee, and joy beneath thee, and joy about thee. Joy shall spread itself over all the members of your bodies, and over all the faculties of your souls. In heaven, your knowledge shall be full, your love full, your visions of God full, your communion with God full, your fruition of God full, and your conformity to God full, and from thence will arise fulness of joy. If all the earth were paper, and all the plants of the earth were pens, and all the sea were ink, and if every man, woman, and child, had the pen of a ready writer, yet were they not. able to express the thousandth part of those joys that saints shall have in heaven.2 All the joy we have here in this world, is but pensiveness to that we shall have in heaven ; all pleasure here to that but heaviness, all sweetness here to that but bitterness. But,
[3.] Thirdly, The joy of the saints in heaven shall be a lasting joy, an uninterrupted joy. Here their joy is quickly turned into sorrow, their singing into sighing, their dancing into mourning. Our joy here is like the husbandman's joy in harvest, which is soon over, and then we must sow again in tears, before we can reap in joy. David's joy was
1 If one drop of the joys of heaven should fall into hell, it would swallow up all the bitterness of hell. — Augustine.
2 A reminiscence of the old poem commencing 'Could we with ink the ocean fill,' on which see various curious articles in ' Notes and Queries,' First Series. — G.
426 A STRING OF PEARLS. [1 PETEB I. 4.