The disciples of Jesus experience His friendly comfort every day and hour: even if there were no other world than this, they feel themselves abundantly blessed in their connexion with Him, by His present affection and grace; but there _is_ another world; where their joy and love will be continued, and their union with Him perfected in glory. He is called, in gracious condescension, “the first-born among many brethren;” { 374a} He has suffered and died and triumphed and risen again, risen “as the first fruits of them that sleep;” { 374b} and His brethren, “who endure unto the end,” shall also rise from the sleep of death, and “see Him as He is, and be like Him:” { 374c} they shall “be the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” { 374d}
And “do not our hearts burn within us” at the representation of this blessedness? Do we not desire the honour, the privilege, the advantage, the excellency of being thus united, in a bond of holy endearment, to the glorious Son of God, to the Saviour of our souls? Undoubtedly we do: unless our understandings be so darkened and our affections so depraved and debased, that we are incapable of choosing between good and evil, that we “put darkness for light and light for darkness.” There cannot be one amongst us, who does not profess to set a value upon the favour and friendship of his Lord; upon the relationship which, as christians, we are graciously permitted to bear to Him. Not one of us would go to rest, content and happy, with the prospect of being deprived of this distinguished and heavenly blessing. Let us know and remember then, that our relationship to Him is not like that of earthly families, a mere name which we have inherited from infancy; and which will necessarily continue without our care or concern. We became related to Him by our baptismal covenant; but there must be something more than baptism; something more is required than a mere profession, than an outward belonging to His visible church, in order to our being acknowledged as His brethren. Brethren by name all of us are; nay, we have been spiritually admitted into holy connexion with Him: but Jesus regards those only, as accepted members of His family, who believe in Him with all their heart and soul; who look to Him, with a single, entire, and constant dependence, for life and salvation; those, who “are daily renewed in the spirit of their minds;” and desire and strive to bring all their affections into a righteous subjection to Him and His holy law; those, in a word, “who do the will of God.”