BOOK 10. THE JUDGEMENT.
CHAPTER 1.
10.1.9. Of Christ's subjection to the Father, that God may be all in all.
Of Christ's subjection to the Father, that God may be all in all.
For the end of Christ's subjection to his Father, " That God may be all in all," 1 Cor. xv. 28. Surely this is the meaning, Christ therefore subjects himself unto his Father, that God himself may be all in all; that God may no more reign by a deputy, or by a Christ, but that immediately and perfectly he may reign for himself, so that every one may see him face to face. Here we enjoy God (as it were) by means, as in the use of the word, and sacraments, and the like; but when that kingdom, (where these administrations are made use of) shall be delivered up, then shall God himself be all in all, without means, without defect, without end.
It is observable, that Christ in his mediatory kingdom hath some such things, as bear an analogy to the means and instruments of governing in the kingdoms of men. As, --
- He hath his militia and his laws, with threatenings and promises, in the ordinances of his word.
- He hath his grants and seals, with many privileges to confirm his people in the ordinances of his sacraments.
- He hath his officers and ambassadors, for the management of spiritual affairs in the ordinances of his ministry; but the ceasing of Christ's kingdom, is the ceasing of all these; and he therefore ceaseth his kingdom, that God may immediately succeed all these, without any means, or without any mediator at all, he himself may be instead of all, or all in all.
In prosecution of this, I shall discuss, 1. The meaning, What is it for God to be all in all? 2. The particulars, wherein more especially is God all in all?
1. For the meaning; it is a paraphrasis of our complete enjoyment of God. That God may be all in all, is as much as to say, that we may enjoy God alone to all purposes, neither wanting nor willing anything besides himself; for a person to be all in all to me, it is to have an enjoyment of that person to all purposes, so that I neither do, nor need I to enjoy anything besides himself: thus God is to the saints in glory, he is their exceeding great reward; they need nothing else besides himself, their very draughts of happiness are taken in immediately from the fountain, and they have as much of the fountain as their souls in their widest capacity can possibly hold.
2. For the particulars, wherein more especially is "God our all in all?" I answer, --
(a). In our enjoying God immediately. Here we enjoy God by means: either he communicates himself unto us through his creatures, or through his ordinances; and hence it is that we know him but in part, we see him but in a glass darkly; but when he shall be our all in all, "we shall see him face to face," 1 Cor. xiii, 12, we shall then "see God as he is," 1 John iii. 2, clearly and immediately. Oh! how excellent is this enjoyment above all present enjoyments here below! As the enjoyment of a friend in his picture, letters, tokens, in short of what we enjoy when we have his personal presence; or as the heat and light of the sun through a cloud, is beneath that heat and light when the glorious body of it is open to us without any interposition; even so all the enjoyments of God in the use of means, graces, blessings, and ordinances, are infinitely inferior to that enjoyment of God which shall be without all means; all the ravishments of our spirit in prayer, hearing, reading, and meditating, is but a sip of those rivers which we shall have in heaven. I know the remembrance of God in a private meditation is sweet, Psal. civ. 34. and communion with God in any ordinance, "is a feast of sweetness, and marrow, and fatness," Psal. Ixiii. 5, 6. But when the soul shall immediately possess God, when this kingdom of grace shall expire, and all the administrations of it shall vanish away, will not the fountain be much more sweet than all the streams? Surely "feasts, and sweetness, marrow, and fatness," are terms exceedingly too diminutive to give us any more than a small hint of that incomprehensible satisfaction by immediate communion. O the wonders of heaven! there shall be light without a candle, and a perpetual day without a sun; there shall be health without physic, and strength of body without use of food; there shall be knowledge without scripture, and settled government without a written law; there shall be communion without sacraments, and joy without promises to be its fuel; the soul in glory shall go straight unto God, and immediately participate his glory and happiness. It is the comparison of a learned divine, "Suppose you saw a company of crystal globes placed in a parallel line, because their positure will not admit the sun's immediate beams: we will suppose another single, set by the middle of them, to transmit the sun beams unto all these globes, by this means they all shine, though it be only by reflection: but when the sun shall so come about, as that they may immediately receive its beams, there is no farther use of the single globe then; so here, while we, through our distance from God, are incapable of immediate enjoyment, there is a necessity of Christ's mediation; but when all things that cause that distance are removed, and we brought into the presence-chamber of God himself, there is no such need of a mediator then." Now, here is one thing, wherein he is our all in all, we shall enjoy him immediately.
(b). It consists in our enjoying God fully, "Now I know in part, (saith the apostle) but then shall I know, even as I am known." 1 Cor. xiii. 12. Our enjoyment of God is but here in its infancy, there it will be in its full age; here it is in drops, there it will be in the ocean: here we see God's back parts, and we can see no more; but there we shall see his face not his second face, (as some distinguish) which is his grace and favour enjoyed by faith: but his first face which is his divine essence, enjoyed by sight. Yet I mean not so, as if the soul which is a creature, could take in the whole essence of God, which is incomprehensible: but the soul shall, and must be so full of God, as that it shall not be able to receive or desire one jot more. And, Oh! how excellent is this enjoyment above all present enjoyments! It is now our highest happiness to have some glimpses of his glory shining on us, and some drops of his favour distilled into us: oh! but when God shall be our all in all, we shall have as much of God as our souls can hold, we shall have the glory of God so poured in, till we can be able to receive no more. And here is that which gives the soul a full satisfaction: never would it be satisfied till it came to this. Suppose that God should draw out all the beauty, sweetness and goodness that he hath communicated to all creatures in the world, and bring the quintessence of all, and communicate that unto the soul of one poor saint, certainly it would not serve the turn, there must be a greater communication before the soul be fully satisfied and rest content: only once admit it into the glorious presence of him, who is "all in all," and presently it expires its infinite desire into the bosom of that God: for there is enough to fill his spirit, he cannot desire so much, but there is more, and yet infinitely more. If there be enough in God for the spirits of all just men made perfect with God; if there be enough in God for angels, whose capacities are greater than the saints; if there be enough in God for Jesus Christ, whose capacity is yet far wider than the angels; if there be enough in God for God himself, whose capacity is infinitely greater than them all; then there must needs be satisfaction enough in God to any one poor soul. Here is another thing wherein God is our "all in all," we shall enjoy him fully.
(c). It consists in our enjoying God solely. Not as if there were nothing else in heaven but only God, but that God in heaven shall be "all in all," or instead of all; it is God in heaven that makes heaven to be heaven; the saints blessedness and God's own blessedness, doth consist in the enjoyment of God himself. The schoolmen tell us, That we shall not properly enjoy anything else but only God: we may have some use of the creatures, but no fruition: and therefore is God said to be all, or as good as all. And, indeed what can we imagine to be in heaven, which is not eminently in God himself? If it be greatness, and power, and glory, and victory, and majesty, all these are his: if it be joy, or love, or peace, or beauty, or anything amiable or desirable, all these are in him. Hence some take it to be David's meaning, when he said "He had none in heaven but God," Psal. lxxiii. 25. That the sole enjoyment of God, (and of nothing else but God) is the soul's true happiness, when it is at highest; "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" Whom? Why, there are angels, there are saints, there are the spirits of just and perfect men: Are these nothing with David? O yes! all these are good, but they are not able to satisfy a soul without God himself. Whether God will make use of any creatures for our service then, or, if any, of what creatures, and what use, is more than I yet know: but to make up a full enjoyment there is required a gracious, glorious presence, a sweet effusion or communication of that presence, a just comprehension of the excellency of that communication, a perfect love, and a perfect rest in the love of whatsoever it is we comprehend: now, this is proper only to God, it is he only that fills the whole capacity of the soul, it is he that so fills it that it can hold no more, it is he only that is the object of love intended to the uttermost; and therefore he only is properly enjoyed, he only is possessed with a full contentment, as portion enough, and as reward enough for the soul forever.
But shall not the saints have to do with something else in heaven, but only with God? O yes! I believe there shall be in heaven a communion of the blessed spirits of God, an association of the saints and angels of God: yet this shall not take away the sole enjoyment of God, that he should not be their "all in all;" for they shall not mind themselves, or their own good, as created things, but altogether God; they shall not love them, or one another as for themselves, but only for God; here we love God for himself, and it is a gracious love; but there we shall love ourselves for God, and it is a glorious love. Why, this is to enjoy God solely, in this respect, he is "all and in all; whom have I in heaven but thee?"
Use. Here is a point enough to wean us from this world, Alas! the time is coming on apace, that all this world shall be dissolved, and then "God shall be all in all." Here lies the saints happiness to have God immediately, God fully, and God solely: and will not saints prepare themselves for such a condition as this? You that have the world, "Use it as if not, for the fashion of this world passeth away," 1 Cor. vii. 51. And you that have but a little to do with this world, improve that condition; surely it is your own fault if you have not more to do with God, for you have little else to take up your hearts; God may dwell and walk in your hearts without disturbance; "Give me neither poverty nor riches," (saith the wise man upon that account) a mean condition is more capable of happiness, than that which overloads us with outward things; whilst others are casting up their accounts, you may say with David, "How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God? How great is the sum of them?" Psal. cxxxix. 17. Whilst others are following their suits at courts of justice, you may follow all you have at a throne of grace, whilst others are numbering their flocks and herds, all your arithmetic may be employed to number your days, whilst others cannot get out of the clutches of the world, you may get into the embraces of your God; why, this is to "prepare yourselves for fuller and fuller enjoyments of God," it is God will be "all in all," and this is the very top of heaven's happiness; surely the less you have of the world now, if you can but improve it, the more you may have of heaven's happiness even upon earth. For what is the happiness of heaven but the sole enjoyment of God? Christians! If you feel any inclinations, pantings, breathings after this world, give me leave to tell you, that you will never be happy till you have lost all, till you have no friends nor estates, no enjoyment but God alone; when all is done, when this world is nothing, when means shall cease both for bodies and souls, and when Christ shall cease his Mediator's office, and the Son of man be subject to his Father, then God shall be "all in all."