[2.] The second caution. A man may at first conversion have such a clear glorious manifestation of God's love to him, and of his interest in God, and his right to glory, that he may not have the like all his days after.^ The fatted calf is not every day slain, the robe of kings is not every day put on, every day must not be a festival day, a marriage day ; the wife is not every day in the bosom, the child is not every day in the arms, the friend is not every day at the table, nor the soul every day under the manifestations of divine love ; Jacob did not every day see the angels ascending and descending ; Stephen did not every day see the heavens open, and Christ standing on the right hand of God ; Paul was not every day caught up to heaven, nor John was not every day rapt up in the Spirit. No saint can every day cry out, I have my Christ, I have my comfort, I have my assurance, as the Persian king* cried out in his dream, ' I have Themistocles, I have Themistocles.' Job had his harp turned into mourning, and his organ into the voice of them that weep. Job xxx. 31. The best of saints are sometimes put to hang their harps upon the willows, and cry out, ' Hath God forgotten to be gracious, and will he be favourable no more? ' Ps. cxxxvii. 2, Ixxvii. 7-9.
1 Pharaoh in his furious and violent pursuing after Israel, when he saw that God would bring them from under his power, was a type of Satan. The Greek word pnfru, signifies to tear and rent as the dog doth.
' A man may enjoy the warmth and heat of the sun when he cannot see the sun, so a man may have grace when he cannot see that he hath grace.
' I have conversed with several precious souls that have found this true by experience, aiad upon this very ground have questioned all, and strongly doubted, whether that they have not taken Satan's delusions for divine manifestations.
Viz., Artaierxes, as in Plutarch and Diodorus, under Themistocles. — G.
350 HEAVEN ON EARTH. [ROM. VIII. S2-34.
II. The[re is a] second special season or time wherein the Lord is pleased to give to his children a sweet assurance of his favour and love, and that is, when he intends to put theini iipon soTne high and hard, soTTie difficult and dangerous service} Oh then he gives them some sweet taste of heaven beforehand ; now he smiles, now he kisses, now he embraces the soul, now he takes a saint by the hand, now he causes his goodness and gloiy to pass before the soul, now he opens his bosom to the soul, now the soul shall be of his court and counsel, now the clouds shall be scattered, now it shall be no longer night with the soul, now the soul shall sit no longer mourning in the valley of darkness, now Christ will carry the soul up into the mount, and there reveal his glory to it, that it may act high and brave, noble and glorious in the face of difficulties and discouragements. Christ did intend to put Peter, James, and John upon hard and difficult service, and therefore brings them up into an high mountain, and there gives them a vision of his beauty and glory ; there they see him transfigured, metamoi-phosed, or transformed ; there they see his face shining as the sun, and his raiment glistering, Mat. xvii. 1-6. In the mount he shews them such beams of his deity, such sparkling glory, as did even amuse* and amaze them, transport them, and astonish them ; and all this grace and glory, this goodness and sweetness Christ shews them, to hearten and encourage them to own him and his truth, to stand by him and tFUth, to make him and his truth known to the world, though hatred, bonds, and contempt did attend them in so doing.
Thus God dealt with Paul before he put him upon that hard and dangerous service that he had cut out for him. Acts ix. 1-23. He takes him up into heaven, and sheds abroad his love into his heart, and tells him that he is a chosen vessel ; he appears to him in the way, and fills him with the Holy Ghost, that is, with the gifts, graces, and comforts of the Holy Ghost, and straightway he falls upon preaching of Christ, upon exalting of Christ, to the amazing and astonishing of all that heard him.' And as he had more clear, full, and glorious manifestations of God's love and favour than others, so he was more frequent, more abundant, and more constant in the work and service of Christ than others, 2 Cor. xi. 21-33.
And this hath been the constant dealing of God with the patriarchs, as with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, &c., and with the prophets, as with Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, &c.* When he hath put them upon weighty services, he hath shed abroad his love into their hearts, he hath set his seal upon their spirits, and made them to know that he hath set them as a seal upon his hand ; he hath assured them of his countenance, and of his presence, and of his assistance; he hath told them, though others should desert them, yet he will stand by them, and strengthen
' 2 Cor. V. 14, i.tnix'1- Divine love hath a compulsive faculty, it is very powerful to put the soul upon acting in the highest and hardest services for Christ.
* ' Set them musing.' Cf. Glossary, sub voce — G.
3 Chrysostom saith, that he was insatiabilis Dei cultor, an insatiable server of God.
* It is sufficient to point at these instances, they are so notoriously known to all that know anything of the scripture in power. As he in Plutarch said of the Scythians, that although they had no music nor vines among them, yet, as better things, they had gods. So the saints, though they may want this and that outward encouragement in the service of God, yet they shall enjoy his presence, that is better than all other things in the world.
Rom. Vni 32-34.] heaven on earth. 351
them, and support them, and uphold them with the right hand of his righteousness ; he hath told them that his power should be theirs to defend them, and his wisdom should be theirs to direct them, and his goodness should be theirs to supply them, and his grace should be theirs to heal them, and his mercy should be theirs to pardon them, and his joy should be theirs to strengthen them, and his promise should be theirs to cheer them, and his Spirit should be theirs to lead them ; and this hath made them as bold as lions, this hath made them stedfast, and stand close to the work of God in the face of all dangers and diffi- culties ; this hath made them, with stout Nehemiah, scorn to desist or fly from the Avork of the Lord ; this hath made their bows to abide in strength, though the archers have shot sore at them. Now there are considerable reasons why God is pleased to give his children some sweet tastes of his love, some assurance of his favour, when he puts them upon some hard and difficult service, and they are these that follow.