(2.) The second reason. God lifts up the light of his countenance upon his people in ordinances, that he may keep them close to ordinances and constant in ordinances. The soul shall hear good news from heaven when it is waiting at wisdom's door, Prov. viii. 31, 35. God will acquaint the soul with spiritual mysteries, and feed it with the droppings of the honeycomb, that the soul may cleave to them as Ruth did to Naomi, and say of them as she said of her : ' Where these go, I will go; where these lodge, I will lodge,' Ruth i. 15-17; and nothing but death shall make a separation between ordinances and my soul. After Joshua had had a choice presence of God with his spirit in the ser- vice he was put upon, he makes a proclamation, ' Choose you whom you will serve, I and my household will serve the Lord,' John xxiv. 15. Let the issue be what it will, I will cleave to the service of my God ; I will set my soul under God's spout, I will wait for him in his temple, Malachi iii. 1 ; I will look for him in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, Rev. ii. 1 ; I have found him a good master ; I will live and die in his service ; I have found his work to be better than wages ; I have found a reward, not only for keeping, but also ' in keeping his com- mandments,' as the psalmist speaks, Ps. xix. II. The good works, the sweet aspects, the choice hints, the heavenly intercourse that hath been between the Lord Jesus and my soul, in his service, hath put such great
' Num. xiii. 23-25 ; Cyprian, 1. 4 ; Ep. vi. Augustine on John, tract, xxvii. &c. • Ps. Ixiii. 2, 3; Cunt. ii. 3; Ps. xix. 10. Tliis age is full of careless Gallios, Acts xviii. 17, that care not for these things. ' Better that the sun shine not, than that Ghrysostom preach not.
Rom, VIII. 32-34.] heaven on earth. 363
and glorious engagements upon my soul that I cannot but say with the servant in the law, ' I love my master, and I will not quit his service, because it is well with me ; my ear is bored, and I will be his servant for ever,' Exod. xxi. 5 ; Deut. xv. IG, 17.
(3.) The third reason why the Lord causes the beams of his love, and the brightness of his glory to shine forth upon his people in ordi- nances is. To fence and strengtiien their souls against all those tempta- tions that they may meet with from Satan and his instruments, that lie in wait to deceive,^ and by their cunning craftiness endeavour vrith all their might to work men first to have low thoughts of ordi- nances, and then to neglect them, and then to despise them. Now the Lord by the sweet discoveries of himself, by the kisses and love-t(jkens that he gives to his people in ordinances, does so endear and engage their hearts to them, that they are able not only to withstand tempta- tions, but also to triumph over temptations, through him that hath loved them, and in ordinances manifested his presence, and the riches of his grace and goodness, to them. The sweet converse, the blessed turns and walks that the saints have with God in ordinances, makes them strong in resisting, and happy in conquering of those temptations that tend to lead them from the ordinances ; which are Christ's banqueting- house, where he sets before his people all the dainties and sweet- meats of heaven, and bids them eat and drink abundantly, there being no danger of surfeiting in eating or drinking of Christ's delicates. Truly, many a soul hath surfeited of the world's dainties, and died for ever ; but there is not a soul that hath had the honour and happiness to be brought into Christ's banqueting-house, and to eat and drink of his dainties, but they have lived for ever.^
(4.) The fourth reason why the Lord is pleased to give his people some sense of his love, and some taste of heaven in ordinances, is, That he Tnay fit and ripen them for heaven, and make them look and long more after a perfect, complete, and full enjoym.ent of God. Souls at first conversion are but rough-cast, but God, by visiting of them, and manifesting of himself to them in his ways, doth more and more fit those vessels of mercy for glory, Isa. Ixiv. .5. Ah ! Christians, tell me, do not those holy influences, those spiritual breathings, those divine in-comes, that you meet with in ordinances, make your souls cry out with David, * As the hart pauteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, even for the hviug God : When shall I come and appear before the presence of God ? Ps. xlii. 1, 2. So in Ps. Ixiii. 1. 2, ' O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee ; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is : to see thy power and thy gh)rv, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.'"* In these words you liave David s strong,
• Eph. iv. 14. xvCtiet signifies cogging with a die ; such sleights as cheaters and false gamesters use ut dice.
' Chrysostom saith, that by the sacrament of the Lord's supper, we are so armed against Satan's temptatiuns, tliat he fleeth from us as if we were so many leones ignem expuentes, lions that spit fire. Cant. ii. 4, pn 1^2 is damns vin>, the house of wine.
' The Greeks derive their word for desire from a root that signifieth to hunt. Now, if que should heap never so much fuel upon a fire, it would not quench it, but kindle it the more. So nothing can satisfy the desires of a saint but a full celestial enjoyment of God.
364 HEAVEN ON EARTH. [ROM. VIII. 32-34.