0A.21. Chapter IV.
Chapter IV. The Blessed Effect of the Vision of God in the Saints It is productive of his glorious likeness in us.
It affects them with the most humble veneration of God’s excellencies.
It inflames then with the most ardent love of God, and of our Savior.
I will consider the blessed effects of the vision of God in Heaven upon the saints. Our Savior tells us, "this is life eternal, to know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." The beginning and introduction of our felicity, is by a lively faith here, the consummation of it is by present sight in Heaven.
1. The vision of his glory, will result in his likeness being impressed upon us. "We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." All the perfection and happiness of the saints is comprised in that promise. The sun, when the sky is clear and serene, forms its image on a cloud tempered to receive it, with that orient brightness, that the eye cannot distinguish between the copy and the original. Thus the uncreated sun by powerful emanations transforms the soul into its likeness, in that divine degree of holiness and felicity, as gloriously resembles God. Moses by conversing with God in the mount, and seeing his back-parts, returned to the Israelites with such a radiance in his face, that they could not look on it without a veil. What an impression of glory is in the saints, who see his perfections in their infinite luster! It is the privilege of Christians in this life, "they behold in the gospel as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, and are changed into the same image, from glory to glory"—they become more holy and heavenly, more purified and adorned with his virtues and graces. Now if the vision of Christ here in a glass, an eclipsing medium, is so transforming upon believers—then what an illustrious and infallible efficacy has the immediate, clear, and permanent view of his glory upon the saints in Heaven! That sight is productive of his image in its purity and perfection forever.
2. The divine presence affects the saints with the most humble reverence and solemn veneration of God. This is an eternal respect due from the glorified saints to the Creator, upon the account of his infinite and incommunicable excellencies. He is distinguished not only from idols, but from creatures of the highest order, by his essential, supreme and singular name, "I AM." Every kind of being, every spark of life, every, degree of perfection is from his efficiency, and depends entirely upon his supporting power. The most eminent qualities of the creatures are but in appearance compared with the reality and stability of his glorious nature. In the Scripture, wisdom, holiness, goodness, power, truth, immortality, are attributed to God, with the exclusion of all creatures from those prerogatives; they being his essential, infinite and incomparable perfections in God. They are separable qualities in the creatures, like the gilding and enameling of baser metal; but in the Deity, they are like substantial massy gold. There is a vast distance between created beings; but the distance between a fly or a worm, and an angel—is nothing to the distance between an archangel and God, there being no comparison between finite and infinite. All creatures equally vanish and disappear as nothing, compared to the glorious Creator. As if one from the region of the stars should look down upon the earth, the mountains and hills with the valleys would appear one flat surface, an equal plain, the height and the lowness of the several parts being indiscernible at that immense distance.
Now in Heaven the divine majesty is most visible, and most solemn and adorable. The sublimest spirits "cover their faces" before his glorious brightness. The prophet Isaiah had a representation of Heaven, "I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." Isa 6:1-3.
They highly honor him, by the reflection of his separate and peerless excellencies, his almighty power, his infinite supremacy and eternal empire, in their concert of praises.
3. In Heaven the saints as perfectly love God, as they know him. This is the principal duty of angels and men to the blessed Creator for his admirable perfections, and his excellent benefits. The evidence of it is so entire, that the reasonable mind cannot suspend its assent; for goodness and beauty, the fruit and the flower of amiable things, do so recommend them to the understanding and will, that they powerfully allure and engage the affections. Now these are in God in unspeakable degrees of eminence. The prophet breaks out in a rapture, "How great is his goodness, how great is his beauty!"
It was a precept of the ceremonial law, that the firstlings of the flock, and the first and best fruits of the earth should be offered to God; not as if the first that opened the belly was more valuable in his account than the last, or the most early fruits in the spring more pleasing to him than the later in the autumn; but it was instructive, that our love, the "first-born of the soul, and the beginning of its strength," should be consecrated to God.
Love to God is the essential character of a saint, that distinguishes him from the unregenerate. Indeed, it is strange that God, who is infinitely lovely, and infinitely liberal and beneficent, should not prevail on the hearts of all men; but if we consider the degeneracy of mankind, how their minds are depraved and deceived, and their affections are vitiated, the wonder will cease. Carnal men have not due conceptions of God, and will not attentively observe his amiable perfections. John tells us, "he who loves not, does not know God."
Knowledge is the leading principle in the operations of the soul. There must be a heavenly eye to discover the heavenly beauty, before there can be love of it. Now men are in ignorant darkness, and are defiled in flesh and spirit, and therefore cannot love God who is glorious in holiness. Without resemblance there can be no affectionate union which is the essence of love. The contrariety of dispositions infers a contrariety of affections. The Scripture expresses this in dreadful colors, "the carnal mind is enmity against God; the friendship of the world is enmity with God;" that is, pride, and covetousness, and sensuality, which are the lusts of the carnal mind, and are terminated upon worldly things, are inconsistent with the love of God. The justice of God is terrible to the consciences, and his holiness odious to the affections of the unrenewed. Until by divine grace the understanding is enlightened and purified to have right apprehensions of God; until the will and affections are cleansed and changed; until there is a resemblance of God’s holy nature, and a conformity to his holy laws, they are not capable of delightful adhering to him, which is the internal essential property of love. But those who are partakers of the divine nature, the holy and heavenly, "taste and see how good the Lord is:" and according to the tastes of the mind, such are the impressions upon the heart. The love of God in their breasts here is like smoking flax, but in Heaven it is a brilliant flame. God is the original of all amiable excellencies, in whom they shine in their unstained luster and perfection. When he fully reveals himself, and displays the richest beams of his love and glory, how transporting and endearing is that sight! Our affections that are now scattered on many things, wherein some faint reflections of his goodness appear, shall then be united in one full current to him "who is all in all." In Heaven the immense treasures of his grace are revealed. That when man for his rebellious sin was justly expelled from paradise, and under the sentence of eternal death, God should not only pardon, but promote us to the dignity of his children, and prepare such a glory for us, and us for such a glory—this will inspire the saints with such ardent affections, that will make them equal to the angels, those pure and everlasting flames of love to God. In Heaven we shall be with "Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, who is seated at the right hand of God." And how admirable will he appear to the sense and soul of every glorified saint? for "we shall see the King in his beauty!" When our Savior was upon the holy mount, and one vanishing beam of glory appeared in his transfiguration, Peter was so transported at the sight, that he forgot the world and himself; how ravishing then will the sight of him in his triumphant majesty be, when we shall be transfigured ourselves!
Now while believers are in the shadows of the earthly state, they "love their unseen Savior" with such intense degrees of affection, as deface all the flashy vanities, all the vain loves of things in this world; but when they are admitted into his shining presence, and see him in the day of celestial glory, with what an ecstacy of affection will they be transported!
We shall then feel the endearing obligations our Savior has laid upon us, who ransomed us with so rich a price, and purchased for us such an invaluable inheritance. For in proportion as we shall understand his greatness in himself, we shall appreciate his goodness to us. The eternal Son of God descended from the Heaven of heavens to our lowly earth; and, which is more, from the majesty wherein he there reigned, and was adored by the angels; he became man that he might die, to redeem us from the most woeful captivity, from "death, and the sting of death, sin, and the strength of sin, the law," and obtain a blessed life and immortality for us—O unexampled love! "Greater love has no man than this, to lay down his life for his friend;" and what is the life of a sinful man, a vanishing vapor, a life mixed with troubles and vexation? and to lay down this for a friend deservedly dear, is the highest expression of human love. But for the Son of God to lay down his life, a life without sin, and without end, for immortality was a privilege due to his innocence; and for enemies, for the worst enemies, rebels by revolt from obedience to their Creator and King—is a love truly divine, and infinitely surpassing, not only the affections, but the "understanding and knowledge of all creatures." Briefly, he gave his life for us, and gives himself to us, the most excellent testimonies of love that we can receive from love itself; and we shall love him with all the strength of our glorified spirits.