of heaven's happiness lies in the blessed society the saints shall have there. For clearing of which, consider these few things:

First, The society of the saints among themselves, will be no small part of heaven's happiness. The communion of saints on earth is highly prized by all those who are travelling through the world unto Zion; and companions in sin can never have such true pleasure and delight in one another, as sometimes the Lord's people have in praying together, and conversing about these things which the world is a stranger to. Here the saints are but few in a company at best: and some of them are so posted, as they seem to themselves to dwell alone, having no access to such as they could freely unbosom themselves to, in the matter of their spiritual case. They sigh and say, "Wo is me, for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruitsthere is no cluster to eat the good man is perished out of the earth," Mic. vii. 1, 2. But in the general assembly of the first born in heaven, none of all the saints who ever were, or will be on the earth, shall be missing. They will be all of them together in one place, all possess one kingdom, and all sit down together to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Here the best of the saints want not their sinful imperfections, making their society less comfortable: but there they shall be perfect "without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing," Eph. v. 27. And all natural, as well as sinful imperfections, are then done away; they shall shine as the brightness of the firmament," Dan. xii. 3.

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There we will see Adam and Eve in the heavenly Paradise, freely eating of the tree of life: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the holy partiarch, no more wandering from land to land, but come to their everlasting rest: all the prophets feeding their eye on the glory of him, of whose coming they prophecied; the twelve Apostles of the Lamb, sitting on their twelve thrones; all the holy martyrs in their long white robes, with their crowns upon their heads: the godly kings advanced to a kingdom which cannot be moved; and them that turn many to righteousness, shining as the stars for ever and ever. There will we see our godly friends, relations, and acquaintances, pillars in the temple of God, to go no more out from us. And it is more than probable, that the saints will know one another in heaven; that at least they will know their friends, relatives, and those they were acquainted with on earth, and such as have been most eminent in the church: howbeit that knowledge will be purged from all earthly thoughts and affections. This seems to be included in that perfection of happiness to which the saints shall

be advanced there. If Adam knew who and what Eve was at first sight, when the Lord God brought her to him (Gen. ii. 23, 24), why should one question but husbands and wives, parents and children, will know each other in glory? If the Thessalonians converted by Paul's ministry, shall be his crown of rejoicing in the presence of out Lord Jesus Christ, at his coming,' (1 Thess. ii. 19,) why may not one conclude, that ministers shall know their people, and people their ministers in heaven? And if the disciples, on the mount of transfiguration, knew Moses and Elias, whom they had never seen before, (Matt. xvii. 4,) we have ground to think, we shall know them too, and such as they, when we come to heaven. The communion of saints shall be most intimate there; "they shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven," Matt. viii. 11. Lazarus was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom, (Luke xvi. 23,) which denotes most intimate and familiar society. And though diversity of tongues shall cease, (1 Cor. xiii. 8.) I make no question, but there will be an use of speech in heaven; and that the saints will glorify God in their bodies there, as well as in their spirits, speaking forth his praise with an audible voice. (As for the language, we shall know what it is, when we come thither.) When Paul was caught up to the third heaven, the seat of the blessed, he heard there unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter, 2. Cor. xii. 4. Moses and Elias, on the mount with Christ talked with him, Matth. xvii. 3, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem, Luke ix. 31.

Secondly, The saints will have the society of all the holy angels there. An innumerable company of angels shall be companions to them in their glorified state. Happy were the shepherds, who heard the song of the heavenly host, when Christ was born! but thrice happy they, who shall join their voices with theirs, in the choir of saints and angels in heaven, when he shall be glorified in all who shall be about him there. Then shall we be brought acquainted with the blessed spirits, who never sinned. How bright will these morning-stars shine in the holy place! they were ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation, loved them for their Lord and Master's sake; encamped round about them, to preserve them from danger: how joyfully will they welcome them to their everlasting habitations; and rejoice to see them come at length to their kingdom, as the tutor doth in the prosperity of his pupils! The saints shall be no more afraid of them, as sometimes they were wont to be: they shall then have put off mortality, and infirmities of the flesh and be themselves, as the angels of God, fit to entertain communion

and fellowship with these shining ones. And both being brought under one head, the Lord Jesus Christ, they shall join in the praises of God, and of the Lamb, saying, with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," &c. Rev. v. 11, 12. Whether the angels shall (as some think) assume airy bodies, that they may be seen by the bodily eyes of the saints, and be in nearer capacity to converse with them, I know not; but as they want not ways of converse amongst themselves, we have reason to think, that conversation betwixt them and the saints. shall not be for ever blocked up.

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Lastly, They shall have society with the Lord himself in heaven, glorious communion with God and Christ, which is the perfection of happiness. I choose to speak of communion with God and the man Christ, together; because as we derive our grace from the Lamb, so we will derive our glory from him too; the Man Christ being (if I may be allowed the expression) the centre of the divine glory in heaven, from whence it is diffused unto all the saints. This seems to be taught us by these scriptures, which express heaven's happiness by being with Christ, Luke xxiii. 43, "This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." John xvii. 34, "Father, I will that these also whom thou hast given me, be with me. (and remarkable to this purpose what follows, that they may behold my glory.") 1 Thess. iv. 17, "So shall we ever be with the Lord," the Lord Christ whom we shall meet in the air. This also seems to be the import of these scriptures, wherein God and the Lamb, the slain Saviour, are jointly spoken of, in the point of the happiness of the saints in heaven. Rev. vii. 17, "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes," chap. xxi. 3. Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them:" to wit, as in a tabernacle, (so the word signifies) that is, in the flesh of Christ, (compare John i. 14. and ver. 22.) "The Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are the temple of it." Here lies the chief happiness of the saints in heaven, that without which they could never be happy, though lodged in that glorious place, and blessed with the society of angels there. What I will venture to say of it, shall be comprised in three things.

First, The saints in heaven shall have the glorious presence of God, and of the Lamb: "God himself shall be with them." Rev. xxi. 4. And they shall ever be with the Lord. God is every where present in respect of his essence; the saints militant have his special gracious presence: but in heaven they have is glorious presence. There they are brought near to the throne

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of the great King, and stand before him, where he shows his inconceivable glory. There they have the tabernacle of God, on which the cloud of glory rests, the all-glorious human nature of Christ, wherein the fulness of the Godhead dwells, not vailed as in the days of humiliation, but shining through that blessed flesh, (that all the saints may behold his glory) and making that body more glorious than a thousand suns; so that the city has no need of the sun, nor of the moon, but "the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof," (properly the candle thereof,) Rev. xxi. 23, i. e. The Lamb is the luminary, or luminous body, which gives light to the city; as the sun and moon now give light to the world, or as a candle lightens a dark room; and the light proceeding from that glorious luminary, for the city is the glory of God. Sometime that candle burnt very dim, it was hid under a bushel, in the time of his humiliation, but that now and then it darted out some rays of his light, which dazzled the eyes of the spectators: but now it is set on high, in the city of God, where it shines, and shall shine for ever, in perfection of glory It was sometimes laid aside as a stone disallowed of the builders: but now it is, and for ever will be, the light or luminary of that city; and that "like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal," ver. 11.

Who can conceive the happiness of the saints in the presence chamber of the great King, where he sits in his chair of state, making his glory eminently to appear in the man Christ? His gracious presence makes a mighty change upon the saints in this world; his glorious presence in heaven then must needs screw up their graces to their perfection, and elevate their capacities. The saints do experience that the presence of God now with them in his grace, can make a little heaven of a sort of hell: how great then must the glory of heaven be by his presence there in his glory! If a candle, in some sort, beautifies a cottage or prison, how will the shining sun beautify a palace or paradise! The gracious presence of God made a wilderness lightsome to Moses, the valley of the shadow of death to David, a fiery furnace to the three children; what a ravishing beauty shall then arise from the Sun of Righteousness, shining in his meridian brightness on the streets of the city laid with pure gold? This glorious presence of God in heaven will put a glory on the saints themselves. The pleasantest garden hath no beauty when the darkness of the night sits down on it; but the shining sun puts a glory on the blackest mountains: so these who are now as bottles in the smoke, when set in the glorious presence of God, will be glorious both in soul and body.

Secondly, The saints in heaven shall have the full enjoyment of God and of the Lamb. This is it that perfectly satisfies the rational creature; and here is the saint's everlasting rest. This will make up all their wants, and fill the desires of their souls, which after all here obtained, still cry, Give, give; not without some anxiety, because though they do enjoy God, yet they do not enjoy him fully. As to the way and manner of this enjoyment, our Lord tells us, John xvii.3, "This is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Now there are two ways, how a desirable object is known most perfectly and satisfyingly; the one is by sight, the other by experience: sight satisfies the understanding, and experience satisfies the will. Accordingly one may say, that the saints enjoy God and the Lamb in heaven, (1.) By an intuitive knowledge. (2.) By an experimental knowledge, both of them perfect; I mean, in respect to the capacity of the creature: for otherwise a creature's perfect knowledge of an infinite Being is impossible. The saints below enjoy God, in that knowledge they have of him by report, from his holy word which they believe; they see him likewise darkly in the glass of ordinances, which do as it were represent the bridegroom's picture or shadow, while he is absent: they have also some experimental knowledge of him, they taste that God is good, and that the Lord is gracious, But the saints above shall not need a good report of the King, they shall see himself; therefore faith ceaseth; they will behold his own face; therefore ordinances are no more: there is no need of a glass: they shall drink, and drink abundantly of that whereof they have tasted; and so hope ceaseth, for they are at the utmost bounds of their desires.

1. The saints in heaven shall enjoy God and the Lamb, by sight, and that in the most perfect manner, 1 Cor. xiii. 12, 'For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face.' Here our sight is but mediate, as by a glass, in which we see not things themselves, but the image of things: but there we shall have an immediate view of God and the Lamb. Here our knowledge is but obscure; there it shall be clear without the least mixture of darkness. The Lord doth now converse with his saints through the lattices of ordinances; but then shall they be in the presence chamber with him. There is a vail now on the glorious face, as to us; but when we come to the upper house, that vail through which some rays of beauty are now darted will be found entirely taken off; and then shall glorious excellencies and perfections, not seen in him by mortals, be clearly discovered, for we shall then see his face, Rev. xxii. 4.