Twenty-One Sermons on Hebrews 10:20-24 - Traill - XI - Sermon XI

Required reading
Twenty-One Sermons on Hebrews 10:20-24 in Volume III of the Works of Robert Traill (Available from Reformation Heritage Books or free here) -  Read Sermon XI.

My summary
Today Traill continues exhorting us to answer the divine faithfulness by our faith.

This week he tells us we should answer the divine faithfulness by believing the prize and hope of our calling, as the apostle calls it.

Traill introduces the first of his three points on this subject: What is to be believed, or how it is that a Christian in the way of duty must answer the faithfulness of God, in the promise of eternal life.

We are told we should believe:
(i) that as soon as the soul departs from the body it is immediately received by Christ;
(ii) that the bodies we leave shall be raised up again glorious bodies at the appearing of Christ;
(iii) that the departed soul and the raised body shall be eternally united together;
(iv) that this united soul and body shall be unspeakably blessed in the highest heavens with that that is called the reward of eternal life.

Then Traill explains that we find this great prize of our calling spoken of to us in the word three ways.  It is spoken of:
(i) negatively, by removing all the known evils from that state;
(ii) comparatively by comparing it with other things;
(iii) positively.

What grabbed me
I enjoyed this description of the joy we will have in heaven: ' There is inexpressible satisfaction and contentment in this blessed state. It is properly called happiness. Whatever there be of goodness, the relish of that goodness stands in the soul's contentment : John xvi. 22. And ye now therefore have sorrow, says our Lord, when about to depart, to his disciples : but I, says he, will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. Your heart shall rejoice. A heart full of joy is not to be expected by believers till this great day come; but then the heart shall be so full of joy, that there shall be no room for any thing else. I know there are some sudden floods of joy that the Lord gives even here, and such as there seems to be no room left for any thing else, but though this joy fill the whole heart, yet stay a little while, and the flood will dry, the flood will grow smaller and smaller, and the old darkness will enter again. This joy will be taken away, one way or other; but in the state above, our joy shall have no end. '

I'm hardly content to wait for my inexpressible contentment! 

Next week's reading
Read Sermon XII.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.