March 24

That God may be all in all.—1 Corinthians 15:28.

CHRIST will never cease to be the immediate head of the whole glorified creation. God having gathered all the elect, both angels and men, unto a head in him, and he being the bond and centre of that collective body, the whole frame of the glorified church would be dissolved, should he lose his relation of a head to it. Yea, I doubt not but he will for ever continue to be the medium of communion between God and his glorified church: God will still communicate himself to us through Christ, and our adherence, love, and delight, will still be through Christ. In a word, whatever change shall be made, the person of Christ shall still continue to be the eternal object of divine worship, glory, and praise.

But when he shall have gathered home all his elect to glory, he will resign his present dispensatory kingdom, and become subject—as man, and as head of that body which he purchased—to his Father himself, "that God may be all in all."

1. All in all, that is, all the saints shall be filled, and abundantly satisfied, in and from God alone; there shall be no emptiness, no want, no complaint: For as there is water enough in one sea for all rivers, light enough in one sun to illuminate all the world; so all souls shall be eternally filled, satisfied, and blessed in one God. Surely, there is enough in God for millions of souls. For if there be enough in God for all the angels, Matthew 18:10, yea, enough in God for Jesus Christ, Colossians 1:19, there must be enough for all souls. The capacity of angels is larger than ours; the capacity of Christ larger than that of angels: he that fills them, can and will therefore fill us, or be all in all to us.

2. All in all, that is, complete satisfaction to all the saints, in the absence of all other things, out of which they were wont to draw some comfort and delight in this world. He will now be instead of all; eminently all without them. We shall derive no more sweetness from food, and sleep, relations, ordinances, and such like things, there will be no more need or use of them, than there is of candles in the sunshine.

3. All in all, that is, God only shall be loved, praised, and admired by all the saints; they shall love no creature out of God, but all in God, or rather God in them all. This is that blessed state to which all things tend, for which the angels and glorified souls in heaven long. Hence it is that there is joy in heaven upon the conversion of any poor sinner upon earth; because thereby the body of Christ mystically advanceth towards its fullness and completeness. No sooner is a poor soul struck by the word to the heart, and sent home crying, O sick! sick! sick of sin and sick for Christ! but the news of it is quickly in heaven, and is matter of great joy there, because they wait as well as Christ for the time of consummation. To conclude, those that went first to heaven before Christ's ascension, were fully at rest with God, and blessed in his enjoyment, and yet upon Christ's ascension thither, their happiness was advanced: It is a new heaven, as it were, to feed their eyes upon the man Christ Jesus there. Those that now stand before the throne, ravished with the face of Christ, and ascribing glory to him for ever, are also in a most blessed state, and are filled with the joy of the Lord. And yet, two things remain to be farther done, before they arrive at their consummation, namely, the restitution of their bodies, which yet lie in the dust, and the delivering up of the dispensatory kingdom, upon the coming in of the fullness of all their fellow-saints; and after that no more alteration for ever, but they shall be both in soul and body for ever with the Lord. What tongue of man or angel can give us the complete emphasis of that word, ever with the Lord? or that of God's being all in all? O what hath God prepared for them that love him!

"Meanwhile

The world shall burn, and from her ashes spring New Heaven and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell, And after all their tribulations long See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds, With joy and love triumphing, and fair truth. Then Thou thy regal sceptre shalt lay by, For regal sceptre thee no more shalt need, God shall be All in All."