CONTEMPLATIONS

- A SERIES OF LETTERS TO A FRIEND

William Huntington (1745-1813)

LETTER XVII.

TO THE REV. J. JENKINS, AT THE NEW VICARAGE, LEWES, SUSSEX.

To my own Son in the faith,

BELOVED, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir up thy pure mind by way of remembrance, that after my decease these things may remain with thee. Meditate upon these weightier matters; give thyself wholly up unto them, that thy profiting may appear to all. "Do the work of an evangelist; make full proof of thy ministry." Bring them off from their old sandy bottom, from all trust in the flesh, and from their sour lees of legal righteousness. Discharge truth in all its naked force and naked simplicity; and observe and watch its operations, its fruits and effects, and thou wilt find it sufficient, in the hand of the Spirit, to subdue the most stubborn, to change the most obdurate, to silence a gainsayer, and to furnish the man of God for every good word and work. But I shall proceed,

16. To treat of the Holy Spirit as an earnest of the inheritance. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit," 2 Cor. v. 4, 5. The apostle here calls our earthly bodies a "tabernacle" which is a portable dwelling, set up, taken down, and removed, just as it pleaseth the owner of it to do. This tabernacle, as it now stands, is not to continue, because of the misery which attends the inhabitants of it in its present state; "We that are in it do groan, being burdened." There is in it the plague of leprosy, and therefore it must be pulled down. There is a body of sin, a body of death in it; and this has made it corruptible, and corruption is the seed of death; "It is appointed unto all men once to die;" God has made it "subject to this vanity, not willingly;" for death, abstractedly considered, is not welcome to us, "but God hath subjected it in hope." Death, disarmed of its sting, which is sin; and of the strength of sin, which is the law; and of the curse of the law, which is wrath and damnation; all which attend death as a penal evil: death, being disarmed of these, it is not death, nor the king of terrors; but the shadow of death, and the gate to life; for all things are ours, "whether life," or death, or things present, or things to come," 1 Cor. iii. 22.

2. The apostle calls these our earthly bodies "clothes," which a man puts on in the morning. So we come into this world with these corruptible bodies; and, as a man puts off his clothes at night and goes to bed, so there is a night coming on (in which no man can work) for the Lord's servants, when they shall be paid they who labour under the cross, in faith and love, and in self-denial, at which time they will put off their clothes, go to rest, or fall asleep in Jesus. But this is not all that hope is conversant about. "Not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." In the resurrection morning, when the marriage of the Lamb is to be consummated, these bodies of ours shall not only be put on again upon our souls, but these corruptible bodies themselves "shall put on incorruption, and these mortal bodies shall put on immortality;" and this is to be done "when he who only hath immortality shall appear." This will be the finishing stroke to the new creation, and is the last transforming view that we are looking for. "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ," Tit. ii. 13. We have already put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and have walked in him; namely, by putting on his righteousness, the garments of salvation, and the covering or the Lord's Spirit. But at this time we shall put him on with a witness, and that for good and all. The Holy Spirit will, quicken our mortal bodies, and infuse divine life throughout every member of them, "when Christ, who is our life, shall appear." The Spirit will purge away, not only all our sins, which is called changing our vile bodies," Phil. iii. 21, but will eradicate all corruptible matter, for incorruption shall be put on. We shall then "know the love of Christ which (in this state) passeth knowledge," and "be filled with the fullness of God," Eph. iii. 19. The church is Christ's body, the fullness of him, all dwelling in him; and he will fill them all, be all fullness to them, and be all in them, Eph. i. 23. Our bodies will not only be purged from all their gross and corruptible matter, which is now a clog and a weight, but they shall be spiritual; "There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." This dead weight shall give place to an "eternal weight of glory," 2 Cor. iv. 17. It shall be raised in power; power to bear this eternal weight of glory, and power to bear the sight of seeing God the Father; for "the pure in heart shall see God," Matt v. 8. "In that day I shall shew you plainly of the Father." In this power the body will be a fit companion for the soul; it will be vigourous, alert, and for its agility, as the angels of God in heaven," Matt. xxii. 30. Hence, in the delightful service of God, there will be no fainting, no weariness, though we shall "sing salvation to God and the Lamb for ever and ever," Rev. v. 13.

We are to be led by the Lamb to the fountain of living waters, Rev. vii. 17; and, the soul and body both being spiritual, we shall "drink of the river of God's pleasure," Psalm xxxvi. 8; which will fill us with divine fullness as fast as we can pour it forth in blessings, praises, and thanksgivings; together with the ascriptions of "power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing," to God and the Lamb, Rev. v. 12.

Our bodies will be raised in glory. I think our bodies will be fiery, or have a fiery appearance. Which may be gathered from the following passages: "Our bodies," says Paul, "are to be fashioned like unto the glorious body of Christ." "We," says John, "shall be like him; we shall awake with his likeness." And the glorified humanity of Christ is thus described: "And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it; from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the fire, and it had brightness round about," Ezek. i.27. Divine light will shine through them with such a radiance of celestial glory as will equal, and in many thing, exceed, all the luminaries of heaven. "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear," Matt. xiii. 43.

At this time also, and at the consummation of the marriage of the Lamb, the spouse will be " perfumed with all the powders of the merchant," Song, iii. 6. "Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead," Isa. xxvi. 19. The odour of the Lord's sacrifice, with which the church will be perfected, the sweet savour of her glorifying grace with which she will be adorned, will be wonderful. All her Lord's "garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces," Psal. xlv. 8. And this divine fragrance will be spread all over her: "We are a sweet savour unto God" now, 2 Cor. ii. 16; but how much more then?

All the priests that attended in the holy place, near the holy of holies, were perfumed, Exod. xxx. 35, 37; much more so in the holy of holies, eternal in the heavens. Sanctifying grace makes the church a "bed of spices" now, Song, vi. 2; then what will glorifying, grace do? Prayers in the hearts of believers are golden vials full of odours," Rev. v. 8; but perfect praises in heaven must exceed them. As perfumed, God accepts us in his dear Son in this life; and in Christ we shall ever remain a sweet savour. "I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries," Ezelc. xx. 41. "Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead," Isaiah, xxvi. 19.

We have reason to believe that Adam was very handsome, as he was "the figure of him that was to come," Rom. v. 14; who is said to be "fairer than the children of men," Psalm xlv. 2. It is said of David, that "he was ruddy, of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to; prudent in matters, and a comely person, and that the Lord was with him," I Sam. xvi. 12, 18. And no doubt but Christ was much like him in person. All defects and deformity came into the world with and by sin; and, when this evil cause is removed, the disagreeable effects will cease: "He that is perfect shall be as his master," Luke, vi, 40.

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish," Eph. v. 27. All superfluity, deformity, or deficiency, rendered a Levite under the law unfit for the priesthood, or service of the sanctuary; nor will it be admitted in the true tabernacle above. There will be no spot of sin, no wrinkle of old age, nor the scar of old wounds, nor any such thing as deformity. Leah will appear without tender eyes, Jacob without halting, and Paul without deformity or temptation, and Timothy without his bilious complaint. The church shall be "perfect in one," John, xvii. 23; and no imperfection can stand before God. Christ was a lamb without blemish and without spot, and "we shall be like him," and "see him as he is."

There will be a perfection of sight. The remains of the old vail hangs heavy upon us in this state; it is a darkness that is often felt; the dismal gloom upon the mind keeps us from looking to the end of things, and from seeing them as they really are: "We look through a glass darkly," 1 Cor. xiii. 12, and see by the mirror of faith. Faith is the visive faculty of the heaven-born soul, which, like the moon, borrows all her light from the sun; for, if the Sun of righteousness shine not, if the Lord's countenance be not lifted up, we are walking in darkness, and have no light; we can only trust in the name of the Lord in the dark, and stay ourselves upon an absent God: "With thee is the fountain of light: in thy light shall we see light," Psalm xxxvi. 9. "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But, when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away," 1 Cor. xiii. 9, 10, 12. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," Matt. v. 8. And this sweet sight in the face of Jesus Christ is the ultimate end of hope, the fullness of expectation, and the superabounding banquet of all holy and heavenly desires, which shall fill them even to satiety. There we shall see face to face, and know as we are known.

We shall see poor Adam and Eve, our first parent, to whom the first promise was revealed; and Abel, the protomartyr, the first victim to satanic rage and cruelty; and Noah, the second stock, the first ship-builder and navigator, who went a twelve-month's voyage in a sea without a shore; and the venerable Abraham and Sarah, our mystic parents, whose bodies for many years were so barren, and their faith so fruitful, as even to conceive and enjoy many nations at once. There we shall see Isaac, the grand type and figure of the mystic birth of all the promised seed; and Jacob the mighty wrestler, who overcame both heaven and earth when he had but one leg to stand upon. There will be poor peevish Jonah, well-pleased, and delighting himself in his God, after maintaining a strong contest with him both by sea and land. There we shall see Melchizedek, who is set before us as an evangelical priest, a worshipper of God in the Spirit, and who, with respect to genealogy, has neither father nor mother, birth nor death. There we shall see Peter, without his sword, among the faithful confessors; Mary Magdalene among the wise virgins, and David among the company that were not defiled with women; Paul, also, that unparalleled champion and indefatigable labourer; John the beloved disciple; Mary, also, who anointed the Lord; the blessed mother of the second Adam; and Lazarus, who, though raised a second time, yet is a sharer in the first resurrection.

Adam knew Eve and her origin as soon as she was brought to him; Peter and John knew Moses and Elias through in a glorified state: but knowledge in heaven will be perfect, and therefore far exceed all attainments in this life.

There will likewise be an end for ever to all grief and sorrow, and to all the causes of them. "What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst no more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any beat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes," Rev. vii. 13-17, These happy creatures came out of great tribulation, all sorts of trials, troubles, temptations, and persecutions; which is the common lot of all God's family. The robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb were their bodies, with which their souls were clothed. Their happiness is, that God dwells among them; that they are before his throne, and engaged in his continual service, being filled with love to him and delight in him.

They hunger no more after righteousness, after life, nor after the word, being perfectly filled. They thirst no more after comfort, after the new wine of the kingdom, nor after the living God, being filled with all his fullness. Neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. The sun of persecution and temptation, which comes because of the word, and which offends and withers so many unsound professors, shall smite them no more, nor any treat. Not the fiery darts of Satan, nor the fire of lust, nor a fiery law, nor the flames of spiritual and carnal jealousy, nor the wrath and rage of cruel men; for the Lamb in the midst of the throne shall feed them with his fullness of glory, and lead them' to living fountains of waters; namely, to God the Father; saying, "Behold me and the children which God hath given me," Heb. ii. 13. And God, Father, Son, and Spirit, are the living fountains of living waters; the fountain of life, love, joy, peace, goodness, glory, and majesty. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, being presented unto the Father by Christ; and, being, cordially accepted, embraced, and blessed by him, all fear, sorrow, and grief, and the causes of them, must be for ever banished, and of course all fears and tears about failing of his grace, common short of the promised rest, and all dread about an eternal separation from him, are for ever wiped away. And so it must be; for "there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads," Rev. xxii. 3, 4. These, my dearly beloved son, are some of the things which we have in view: "Faith is the substance of" these "things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen."

Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit," 2 Cor. v. 5. God hath loved us, chosen us in Christ, ordained us to life by him, pre-adopted us, and predestinated us to future sonship and heirship, and to the enjoyment of this inheritance: "that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory," Rom. ix. 23. He hath also reconciled us and redeemed us by Christ; he hath called us, quickened us, justified us, and sanctified us, regenerated and renewed us, tried and purged us; giving us faith, the substance of these things and the evidence of them, and begotten us to a lively hope and expectation of them; and has given us the seal of secresy, the seal of surety, the seal of ratification and confirmation; and led us to subscribe to the seal with the hand of faith, which has felt them; and to set our hearty amen to these things, and our acquiescence with God in them, and in which we believe and confess that God is true. And, to make things sure to all the seed, he hath given us the earnest of the Spirit.

This earnest of the Spirit is likewise called "the first-fruits of the Spirit," Rom. viii. 23. The end of the world is called the harvest, when the angels will reap the world and gather it, the elect of God, and those who have sown to the Spirit in this life "shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Glory in heaven is the great and grand harvest, when the master and Lord of the harvest will gird himself and come forth and serve the reapers," Luke, xii. 37; when "he that soweth and he that reapeth shall rejoice togther," John, iv. 36.

Now, by the regenerating and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, the first-fruits of this blessed harvest are produced.

Christ is clearly seen by the enlightened understanding and by the eye of faith; and this is an earnest to us that we shall be like him, and see him as he is.

We see "the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ;" and this is an earnest to us, that all that are pure in heart shall see God.

Faith, which the Spirit produces, is the substance of things hoped for. To be found in Christ, and in his righteousness, is what we have in hope, and faith is the substance of this; for Christ, the object of faith, dwells in the heart of all believers.

"Faith is the evidence of things not seen:" it is a clear and perfect proof both of our sonship and heirship. - "We are all (manifestly) the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus: and, if sons, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ."

Faith is an undoubted certainty which silences all misgivings of heart; it is assurance itself, that persuades the mind, and stays it on the object believed in; it discovers future things to the believer, brings them near, and embraces them, and realizes them to the soul.

It believes in divine life, and applies it; it believes in atoning blood, and purifies the heart by it; it believes in an imputed righteousness, and puts it on; it believes in the promised comforts of the Spirit; and "we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

It believes in the love of God, and receives it in the enjoyment of it. and works by it both to God and to his children. And what shall I say more to my son? for time would fail me to tell of half that I have felt.

Heaven is a place of rest; and we that believe do enter into rest.

Heaven is a place of peace; and, "being justfied by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

With joy and rejoicing shall the church be brought to Christ, and shall enter into the king's palace; and God fills us now with joy and peace in believing.

Heaven is a place of endless day; and the path of a just man, who lives by faith, shines more and more till that perfect day takes place.

The gift of God promised in heaven is eternal life; and "he that believeth hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation."

The inheritance above is endless glory; and even this begins in this life: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of God is risen upon thee." This fills the soul with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

All these, my beloved son, are the foretastes of eternal fullness, the streams of grace (which make glad the city) flowing from the river of divine pleasure, the head of which is God, the fountain of life; for "unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again," Eccl. i. 7.

All these worketh the Holy Spirit of God through Christ the mediator, from whose fullness all grace is communicated to us, and through whom all grace flows back again, even to its own proper fountain.

What rich security is this, that the heirs of promise might have a strong consolation! God, with his own finger, writes his laws on the fleshly tables of our hearts, and puts them into our minds. He binds up the testimony in the bond of love to us; then he seals the law among his disciples with a comfortable assurance; yea, more, the Spirit himself is the seal. He is the divine impress of heaven, he stamps the divine image upon us, he affixes the truth and power of it, he makes and maintains a melting impression on the soul, he confirms and establishes the heart, he is the attestation and the ratification of all to us. In his quickening, enlivening, enlarging, and cheering operations, he is the pledge of the first resurrection. In his operations of love, joy, light, and comfort, he is the first-fruits of the glorious harvest; and in all these the earnest of the future inheritance. Well may Paul say, "It is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed."

Matters thus settled between Father, Son, and Spirit; revealed and made known, ratified and confirmed, by the triune God to his chosen and beloved family; testified by God's hand-writing upon our hearts, sealed with the broad seal of heaven, and a pledge and earnest given: O this stands faster than mountains of brass! O the immutability of his counsel, the stability of his covenant, the security and safety of the blessed inheritance!

An earnest differs nothing from the whole lump in quality, only in quantity. The first-fruits are the same as all the rest of the harvest, only they are a very small part of an abundant crop: whether, therefore, we glean a handful (like Ruth) or reap a sheaf (like Joseph in his dream), it will at last terminate in a barnful. "Gather the wheat into my barn," Matt. xiii. 30. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be all glory, might, majesty, dominion, and power, both now and for ever." So be it, so be it; says

The chiefest of all sinners,

W. HUNTINGTON.