Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

immediate fellowship, but folly to desire it within the tents of mortality: all I could then have of thee, was thy portraiture set down in thy testament. Thou didst tell me in earth's dialect of kingdoms and cities, diadems and honours, riches and pleasures; of thy greatness, and majesty, and loveliness; all which were things of the lower world much esteemed: but here are neither kingdoms nor diadems, but things transcendently above all such trifles. How ignorant have I been of my happiness! Wonderful! that the hope of this made me not overjoyed to the death. Oh silly, hungry wilderness! when I cast back mine eyes upon thee, I smile at the childish folly of worldlings, who only desired, endeavoured, contended for portions and inheritances out of thee: they that purchased most, have acquired nothing; and they who purchased least, can be in no poorer case. What have you gained, base worldlings? Enjoy the fruit of your expectation and labour; now, when the end of all things is come, gather together your purchase, and rejoice for ever in it. What! have you provided nothing for the last days? laid you up no treasures for this time? were you not thinking on this endless day of eternity? have you been all such brutish fools, as to provide nothing for the last day? Strange folly and madness! had none of you so much consideration, as to think, possibly there might be a life after an inch of time? Were you wise, or were you fools, who consumed all your time, in providing for time? Base fools! did God create you for an inch of time? thought you his wisdom made you only to eat and drink, and mind your

base selves; to provide only for your sensual decaying life, and never to aim at his glory, to whom, and through whom, and for whom are all things? Rom. xi. 36. Did you imagine it just, that the lower creatures should serve you, and yet neglect the Creator? Did you forget him? and should he have minded you, and given you rain and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness? Acts xiv. 17. Oh ungrateful wretches! Oh abominable fools! shall we not tread you eternally under our feet, as the dross and offscourings of all things? Dross you have coveted and desired as your portion; dross you have loved, feared, and served; and therefore baser you are than the basest dross. Did you not consider what lay beyond time? and was earth your only desire? then have you judged yourselves unworthy of any more. Did you seek for no higher life, than the dying, vanishing, natural life? and have you not excluded yourselves from this sublime, excellent, and immortal life? Would you not believe "the faithful and true Witness," who testified unto you of what excellent things were laid up in store for these who feared, loved, obeyed, and walked with God, in their generation? Would you not rely upon him for time and eternity, but laid hold on a present vain world? yea, and in such a base and brutish manner, as you did not acknowledge him, and depend upon him, in your earthly enjoyments, but trusted to your wisdom, your labours, and a thousand vanities? Reap the fruit of your own sowing: you have received your choice, and what would you have more? Had you chosen

this endless happiness, you had gotten it; and immortal life would have been by ten thousand times more sweet than it was. And did you mock, in your hearts, at our folly, who overlooked all visible things, and placed our hope, our joy, our portion, our blessedness on things that neither eye could see, nor heart conceive? And shall we not for ever triumph over you now, when your folly is manifest even to yourselves? Our hope hath not made us ashamed: but what hath come of all your aims and hopes? Oh death and hell! we have vanquished you for ever; never shall you be able to rise again. O grave! O death! show the trophies of your victory. Through God we have done valiantly; for he it is that hath beat down our enemies. You seemed to overcome us, and hold us in prison; but, through his strength, we have broken all your bands, and ruined you utterly. The victory was ever ours: but all now is fully accomplished; not one enemy is able to shake a weapon any more. Everlasting halleluiahs to our God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Oh what an endless triumph! wicked men and devils, you were ordained for the " pomp and glory" of this day. Our Wellbeloved has made our state every way excellent and glorious; therefore has he ordained enemies for us to combat with, vanquish, and triumph over, for ever and ever. That our state might want nothing of the top, and flower, and perfection of glory and exaltation, we have you, as a footstool, for ever to trample upon: all things are ours, and for our honour and glory. Now it is evident who were the really great

we are.

ones. Now doth appear what manner of persons Who but the Lamb, and his followers? who but the First-born, and his brethren? Oh the height, and glorious dignity of a saint! Sirs, what think you? are we not made great persons? knew we our dignity when we were on earth? Surely not, in the ten thousand thousandth part : mortality could not have borne it. Have we not been like young minors, who considered not the glory and majesty of our vast inheritance we were coming to? and therefore we sometimes degraded ourselves with the familiar converse of base worldlings, and crouched so creepingly, as if such beasts had been fit companions for us: but in our childhood we could not conceive these superexcellent royalties. Indeed I ever looked upon all the saints, as the only "excellent of the earth;" and was ofttimes struck with reverence and admiration, at the sight of the least of them: yet then I knew them not; mortality could conceive little. Worldlings, know you not now whom you have despised? Time was when a saint, as a saint, was a despicable nothing in your eyes; pelf, worldly grandeur, and applause rendered persons only excellent in your esteem. What was a man's holiness to you, but some imaginary fancies and opinions he had learned by education and teaching, and entertained through conceitedness and fancy? some precise tenets, which were needless and superfluous: for religion, in your judgment, was an easy and trivial matter; the generality were saints: a large and wide charity had you for every one, not transgressing the limits of common humanity; civilians,

moralists, formalists illuminated, were all, in your opinion, fit for this glorious and majestic kingdom; fit for entering this golden city, and conversing familiarly with JEHOVAH and the Lamb, in this royal hall of glory: us you reproached, as censorious and uncharitable, because we looked upon holiness as a difficult, rare, and excellent thing; because we counted the way to this unspeakable glory strait, and travelled by few; because we looked upon the saints as so many miraculous signs and wonders. Who have judged right, is now made manifest to the whole creation. "We have fought, we have vanquished!" Glory, glory, immortal glory to the Captain, “the Author and Finisher," for evermore.

63. What appeared excellent on earth, is

there are really all

things.

Oh pleasant and melodious world! really in heaven; for the former was jarring, every part in opposition to another: all things were full of labour, groaning and travailing until this glorious birth was brought forth. It could not stand, being divided against itself; being full of intestine wars and desolations, it could not but come to nought, and this fair fabric arise in its place. Behold, nothing now but peace and eternal friendship: nothing is out of order; every part agrees with the whole, for sounding forth an eternal “halleluiah" to the great Former. All contention and violence are banished out of this blessed world, into utter darkness: nothing but deep peace and serenity; all things seem to kiss and embrace one another; these eternal gales have no flux or change, though they are for ever blowing. Sirs, is not this gentle breathing, surpassingly delightsome, after so sore and hot a battle?

« VorigeDoorgaan »