0A.23. Chapter VI.

Chapter VI. The Communion of the Angels and Saints in Heaven Affords the Purest Pleasure.

Love unites them. The hindrances of love cease there. As love is enlarged in its object and degrees, such is the delight that results from it. The joy of Heaven is without defect or end. The face of God always shines there, and the contemplation of it is fixed. The constant enjoyment of God in Heaven does not lessen the delight of the saints. The reasons why the fruition of sensible things without change is tedious.

All causes of dissatisfaction cease in Heaven. The saints have as lively a perception of their happiness for over as in the beginning of it. In Heaven "the innumerable company of angels, and the general assembly of the church of the first-born," as they receive happiness from the sight of God, so they communicate the purest pleasure to one another. A sincere ardent affection unites that pure society. Our love is now kindled, either from a relation in nature, or a civil account, or some visible excellencies that render a person worthy of our choice and friendship; but in Heaven the reasons are greater, and the degrees of love are incomparably more fervent. All carnal alliances and respects cease in that supernatural state. The apostle tells us, "If I have known Christ after the flesh, I know him so no more." By the resurrection and ascension of Christ Paul was transported into the eternal world, and had communion with him as a heavenly king. The spiritual relation is more near and permanent than the strictest ties of nature. The saints have all relation to the same heavenly Father, and to Jesus Christ the Prince of peace, and head of that happy fraternity. The principal motives of love here, are the inherent excellencies of a person. Wisdom, holiness, goodness, fidelity are mighty attractives, and produce a more worthy affection, a more intimate confederacy of souls, than any carnal respects. Virtue is amiable in an old person, though wrinkled and deformed; vice is hateful in a young person, though beautiful. There are clearer eyes than those of flesh, a purer light than what is sensible, a diviner beauty than what is corporeal, and a nobler love than what is sensual. David declares that "all his delight was in the excellent." But there are hindrances of this spiritual love here. For,

1. There are relics of sin in the best men on earth; there are some blemishes that render them less amiable when discovered. Here their graces are mixed with infirmities, but ascending to glory. Accordingly our love to them must be regular, and serene, not clouded with error, mistaking defects for amiable qualities. But in Heaven, the image of God is complete by the union of all the glorious virtues requisite to its perfection. Every saint there exactly agrees with the first exemplar, a divine beauty shines in them ever durable, a beauty that is inviolable and can suffer no injury. The apostle tells us, "The church shall be glorious in holiness, without spot or wrinkle," or anything that may cast an aspect of deformity upon it.

2. In the present state the least part of the saints’ worth is visible. As the earth is fruitful in plants and flowers, but its riches are in mines of precious metals, and the veins of marble hidden in its bosom. True grace appears in sensible actions, "but its glory is within." The sincerity of aims, the purity of affections, the impresses of the Spirit on the heart, the interior beauties of holiness—are only seen by God. Besides, such is the humility of eminent saints, that the more they abound in spiritual treasures, the less they show. As the heavenly bodies when in nearest conjunction with the sun, and fullest of light, make the least appearance to our sight. But all their exellencies shall then be in view, "The glory of God shall be revealed in them." And how attractive is the divine likeness to a holy eye? How will it ravish the saints to behold an immortal loveliness shining in one another? Their love is reciprocal, proportionable to the cause of it. An equal, constant flame is preserved by pure materials. Every one is perfectly amiable, and perfectly enamored with all. How happy is that state of love? The psalmist breaks out in a rapture, "Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Love is the beauty and strength of societies, the pleasure of life. How excellent is the joy of the blessed, when the prayer of Christ shall be accomplished, that they all may be one, "as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us." God is absolutely one in his glorious nature and will, and therefore unalterably happy; and their inviolable union of love is a ray of the essential unity between the sacred persons.

There are no divisions of heart and tongues, as in this Babel world; but the most perfect and sweetest concord, an eternal agreement in tempers and inclinations. There are no envious comparisons; for love that affectively transforms one into another, causes the glory of every saint to redound to the joy of all. Every one takes his share in the felicity of all, and adds of it.

Such is the power of that celestial fire wherein they all burn, that it melts and mixes souls in such an entire union, that by delight and an intimate joy, the blessedness of all is, as it were, proper to every one; as if every one were placed in the hearts of all, and all in the heart of every one. If in the church of the firstborn Christians in the earthly Jerusalem, the hand of charity was so strict, that it is said, the "Multitude of believers were of one heart, and one soul;" how much more intimate and inseparable is the union of the saints in Jerusalem above, where every one loves another as himself? In that blessed society there is a constant receiving and returning of love and joy. O how do they rejoice and triumph in the happiness of one another. With what an unimaginable tenderness do they embrace. What reciprocations of endearments are between them. O their ravishing conversation, and sweet fellowship!

Now in Heaven whatever is pleasant in friendship is in perfection; and whatever is distasteful by men’s folly and weakness is abolished. With what excellent discourses do they entertain one another? If David fell such inward pleasure from the sense of God’s favors, that he could not restrain the expression of it, but invites the saints, "Come and hear, all you who fear the Lord, and I will tell you what he has done for my soul." Certainly in Heaven, the blessed with overflowing affections recount the divine benefits: the admirable methods whereby the life of grace was begun, preserved and carried on in the midst of temptations. How joyfully do they concur in their thanksgivings to God . . . for the goodness of creation; in making them reasonable creatures, capable to know, love and enjoy him, when they might have been of the lowest order of beings; for his compassionate care and providence over them in this world: but especially for his sovereign and singular mercy in electing them to be vessels of honor; for his powerful grace, in rescuing them from the cruel and ignominious bondage of sin; for his most free love, that justified them from all their guilt by the death of his only Son, and glorified them with himself.

They are never weary in this delightful exercise, but continually bless him for his "Mercy that endures forever!"

We may judge by the saints here, when they are in a fit disposition to praise God, what fervors they feel in their united praises of him in Heaven. The psalmist in an ecstasy calls to all the parts of the world to join with him, "The Lord reigns, let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be glad; let the sea roar, let the fields be joyful and all that dwell therein." He desires that nature should be elevated above itself, that the dead parts be inspired with life, the insensible feel motions of joy, and those that lack a voice break forth in praises, to adorn the divine triumph. With what life and alacrity will the saints in their blessed communion celebrate the object of their love and praises! The seraphim about the throne "cried to one another," to express their zeal and joy, in celebrating his eternal purity and power, and the glory of his goodness. O the unspeakable pleasure of this concert! when every soul is harmonious, and contributes his part to the full music of Heaven. O could we hear but some echo of those songs with which the Heaven of heavens resounds, some remains of those voices with which the saints above "triumph in the praises," in the solemn adoration of the King of spirits—how would it inflame our desires to be joined with them! "Blessed are those who are in your house, they always praise you."

III. The fullness of joy in Heaven is EVERLASTING, without defect, and without end.

1. Their contemplation of God is undecaying. While we are here below, the Sun of Righteousness, as to our perception and sense, has ascensions and declinations, accesses and recesses. And our earth is not so purified, but some vapors arise that intercept his cheerful refreshing light. From hence there are alternate successions of spiritual comforts and sorrows, of doubts and filial confidence in the saints. And what a torment the "hiding of God’s face" is to a deserted soul, only they know who feel it. To love God with a transcendent affection, and to fear he is our enemy, no punishment exceeds, or is equal to it. As his loving-kindness in their esteem is better than life, so his displeasure is worse than death. How do they wrestle with God by prayers and tears, and offer, as it were, a holy violence to the King of Heaven, to recover their first serenity of mind, the lost peace of heart. How passionately do they cry out with Job in the book of his patience, "How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness! Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, when the Almighty was still with me." Job 29:2-5 And sometimes God delays the revealing himself even to his dearest children; not that he does not see their necessities, and hear their prayers, or is so hard that until their extremities he is not moved with compassion, but for wise and holy reasons; either "that they may not return to folly," if by any presumptuous sin they forfeited their peace; or if they have been careful to please him—yet he may deprive them of spiritual comforts for a time, to keep them humble, and that with an obedient resignation to his sovereign pleasure they may wait for his reviving presence. And then joy returns greater than before; for thus God usually renders with interest what he suspended only for trial. But the saints above are forever enlightened with the vital splendor, and dear regards of his countenance, always enjoy his beamy smiles. A continual effusion of glory illustrates Heaven and all its blessed inhabitants.

Also, their contemplation of God is fixed. If the object, though extraordinarily glorious, were transient, or the eye so weak that it could only see it but by glances—the height of joy would not be perpetual. But the mind is prepared with supernatural vigor to see the brightness of God’s face, and by the most attentive application always converses with that blessed object; so that the joy of Heaven is never intermitted for a moment. They always see, and love, and rejoice, and praise him.

It is possible a carnal suspicion may arise in some, as if the uniform perpetual vision of the same glory might lose its perfect delightfulness. For those who seek for happiness in the vanity of the creatures, are always desirous of change, and have their judgments so corrupted, that while they languish with a secret desire after an unchangeable good—yet they conceive no good as desirable, which is not changed. But to correct this gross error of imagination, let us a little inquire into the causes of dissatisfaction which make the constant fruition of the same thing here to be tedious.

(1.) Sensible things are of such a limited goodness, that none of them can supply all our present needs, so that it is necessary to leave one for another. And the most of them are remedies of our diseased appetites, and if not temperately used, are destructive evils. Eating and drinking are to extinguish hunger and thirst, but continued beyond just measure, become nauseous.

Besides the insufficiency of their objects, the senses themselves cannot be satisfied all at once. The ear cannot attend to delightful sounds, and the eye cannot be intent on beautiful colors at the same time. The satisfaction of one sense defeats another of enjoying its proper good; therefore the same object is not constantly pleasant, but the heart is distempered from as many causes, as there are desires unaccomplished.

Further, all things under the sun afford only a superficial delight, and miserably deceive the expectations raised of them. Many times there is a mixture of some evil in them, that is more offensive than the good is delightful. The honey is attended with a sting, so that often those very things we sigh after through vehement desire, when they are obtained, we sigh for grief.

Now all these causes of dissatisfaction cease in Heaven; for there is an infinite variety in God, and whatever is truly desirable, is eminently enjoyed in him. And in his presence all the powers of the soul are drawn out in their most pleasant exercise, and always enjoy their entire happiness. The fruition of him exceeds our most raised hopes, as much as he is more glorious in himself than in any borrowed representations. God will be to us incomparably "above what we can ask or think." The compass of our thoughts and the depth of our desires, are imperfect measures of his perfections. And as he is a pure good in himself, so he is prevalent over all evil. It is evident therefore, that nothing can allay the joys of saints, when they are in God’s presence.

(2.) Novelty is not requisite to ingratiate every good, and make it perfectly delightful. God is infinitely happy, to whom no good was ever new. Novelty is indeed the sauce that gives a delicious taste to inferior things. For men relish only what is different. But an infinite good produces always the same pure equal complete joy, because it arises from its intrinsic perfection, which needs no foil to commend it. The psalmist breaks forth, "Whom have I in Heaven but you?" This is no vanishing rapture, but a constant joyful height of affection. God, the essential happiness of the saints, is always perfectly lovely and delightful to them.

(3.) The glorified saints in every period of their happy state, have as lively a perception of it as in the beginning. To make this evident, we must consider that the pleasure of novelty springs from a quick sense of the opposite terms, between our condition in the lack of some desired good, and after our obtaining it. One newly freed from the torments of a sharp disease, feels a greater pleasure than from a constant tenor of health. Those who are raised from a low state to eminent dignity, are transported with their first change, but in time the remembrance of their mean condition is so weakened and spent, that it is like the shadow of a dream, and proportion ably their joy is lessened. Honors, like perfumes, by custom, are less sensible to those that carry them. But the saints above always consider and feel the excellent difference between their suffering and triumphant state. They never lose that ravishing part of felicity, the vivid sense of past evils. Their reflections are always as strong on the misery from whence they were raised to the pitch of happiness, as in their first glorious translation. In what an ecstacy of wonder and pleasure will they be, from the fresh memory of what they were, and the joyful sense what they are!

"I was (says the admiring soul) poor, blind, and naked;" but O miraculous and happy alteration! I am full of light, enriched with the treasures of Heaven, adorned with divine glory. I was under the tyrannous power of Satan, "but he is bruised under my feet." I was sentenced to an everlasting separation from the presence of God, my only life and joy; but now am possessed of my supreme good. O how transporting is the comparison of these wide and contrary extremes! How beautiful and pleasant is the day of eternity, after such a dark tempestuous night! How does the remembrance of such evils produce a more lively and feeling fruition of such happiness! How mightily does "Salvation with eternal glory affect the soul!" This gives a sprightly accent to their everlasting hallelujahs; this preserves an affectionate heat in their thanksgivings to their victorious deliverer. And thus their happiness is always the same, and always new. Their pleasure is continued in its perfection.