Keep those grounds and evidences that God hath given you of your
call to be partakers of this love of Christ, with all clearness upon
your hearts and in your minds. For he that lacks that sight of them,
or a proof that they are true and good, can take but little comfort
in this love. There is a great mystery in the way of God with his
people. He will justify them without their works, he will pardon
them for his Son's sake. But they that are careless, carnal, and not
holy in their lives, shall have but little comfort of what he hath
done, doth, and will do for them.
Nor shall they have their evidences for heaven at hand, nor out of
doubt with them; yea, they shall walk without the sun, and have
their comforts by bits and knocks; while others sit at their
Father's table, have liberty to go into the wine-cellar, rejoice at
the sweet and pleasant face of their heavenly Father towards them,
and know it shall go well with them at the end.
Those that make conscience of walking in the commandments of God,
they shall be blessed with the bread of life, when others shall be
hunger-bit.
The greatest part of professors nowadays take up their time in
contracting guilt and asking for pardon, and yet are not much the
better. Whereas, if they had but the grace to add to their faith,
virtue, etc., they might have more peace, live better lives, and not
have their heads so often in a bag, as they have. "To him that
ordereth his conversation aright, will I show the salvation of God."
"And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years.
And Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him." Enoch
therefore lived here but a while: he was too good to live long in
this world; the world was not worthy of him; neither could he be
spared so long out of heaven, for God took him.
The end of walking with God, or the pathway thereof, leads men to
heaven, to the enjoyment of the glory of God. Thus also it was with
blessed Elijah; he followed God from place to place, till at length
he was caught up into heaven.
Those that shall be found, in the day of their resurrection, the
people of God most laborious for God while here, they shall at that
day enjoy the greatest portion of God, or shall be possessed of most
of the glory of the Godhead then. For that is the portion of the
saints in general. And why shall he that doeth most for God in this
world, enjoy most of him in that which is to come, but because by
doing and acting, the heart and every faculty of the soul are
enlarged and more capacitated, whereby more room is made for glory?
Every vessel of glory shall at that day be made full of it: but
every one will not be capable to contain a like measure; and so if
they should have it communicated to them, would not be able to stand
under it; for there is an eternal weight in the glory that saints
shall then enjoy; and every vessel must be at that day filled, that
is, have its heavenly load of it.