PROPOSITION I.

The Saints of God shall enjoy Happiness in Heaven. The Inheritance which the Text speaks of, belongs to his Saints. And it is an▪ heavenly Inheritance; an Inheri­tance not to be enjoyed on earth, but in heaven.

1. There is and ever has been an holy pur­pose in the heart of God to have his Saints with him in heaven; there to enjoy happi­ness. What ever God has purposed, shall infallibly be accomplished: His Decrees are unalterable: Job 23.13. He is of one mind, & who can turn him? Men oft times pur­pose, and change their minds upon second thoughts: They are subject to mistakes [Page 5] and do not see at first so far [...]s afterwards. But it is not so with God only wise. Psal. 33.11. The counsel of the Lord stands for ever; the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Now there has been from eternity a gra­cious purpose in the heart of God, con­cerning the salvation of his Saints; and their being made partakers of the heaven­ly Inheritance: 2 Tim. 1.9. Who has saved us according to his own purpose & grace, i. e. his gracious purpose, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. He has Predestinated them thereunto: Rom. 8.30. Whom he did Predestinate, them he Called; whom he Called, them he Justified; whom he Justified, them he Glorified Heaven and Happiness was designed for them at the Foundation of the world. When God Created the world, the first thing that he made, was an heaven for his Saints to dwell with him there to Eternity. In the begin­ning God made heaven; that heaven which is the Saints Inheritance. Therefore it will be said to them at the last day, Come you blessed, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the world Mat. 25.34.

[Page 6]2. God has promised this Inheritance to his Saints. He has not only purposed to give it, but has made known his Purpose by his Promise. They are heirs of the King­dom, which he has promised to them that love him, Jam. 2.5. Wherefore Heaven is called the Promise: Heb. 10.36. That you may inherit the Promise. They that in­herit Heaven, inherit the Promise. God promised Adam an happy life in Paradise, in case of his continuing in his Obedience. But he has promised that which is better than an earthly life in Paradise to the true Believer, viz. Eternal Life in heaven: 1 Joh. 2.25. And this is the promise that he has promised, even Eternal Life. The Cove­nant of Grace is better than the Covenant of Works: It is a better Covenant; esta­blished upon better Promises. Hence the Promises of the Covenant are said to be exceeding great & precious, 2 Pet. 1.4. An Inheritance in heaven is an exceeding great thing; Eternal Life there, is a preci­ous thing. Now what ever God has pro­mised, will surely be performed. He is a faithful Covenant-keeping God; nor ca [...] [Page 7] he be otherwise. All that he promised to David, he performed. This Solomon ac­knowledged in the Prayer which he made at the Dedication of the Temple; 1 King. 8.23, 24. Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee; who keepest Covenant & Mercy with thy Servants that walk before thee with all their heart; who hast kept with thy Ser­vant David my Father that thou promisedst him; thou spakest with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thy hand. And all that God promised concerning the Children of Israel, he made good: Ver. 56. Blessed be the Lord, that has given rest to his People Israel, ac­cording to all that he promised; there has not failed one word of all his good promise. We may then be assured, that whereas God has promised to give his Saints an everlasting Rest in the heavenly Canaan, he will not fail to do it.

3. Jesus Christ has purchased this Inhe­ritance for his Saints They have a right unto it, not only by vertue of a Promise; but of a blessed Purchase. It is a Purchased Possession, Eph. 1.14▪ Christ has bought his People with a valuable price: 1 Cor. 7.23. [Page 8] You are bought with a Price. And when he bought them, he bought heaven for them too. The heavenly Inheritance is infinitely more Valuable than any earthly Inheritance; nevertheless, Christ has given as much for the purchasing of it as it is worth; Namely, his own precious Life & Blood. Believers are bought, & Heaven is bought for them; not with silver & gold, but with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. 1.19. Silver and Gold will purchase an Earthly Inheritance; but the Heavenly Inheritance is infinitely more Valuable than all the Silver and Gold in the world: But the precious Blood of Christ is of Va­lue sufficient to Purchase it. No meer Man or Creature, did ever Merit any thing at the h [...]nds of God; much less so great a Good as the Glory of heaven: But Christ has done it with the price of his infinite­ly Meritorious Blood. Believers may from the consideration of the infinite Me­rit of that Blood, have an humble holy Confidence, of their entring into heaven: Heb. 10.19. Having boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus. It is not [Page 9] to be imagined, that Christ has Died in Vain. The Apostle says, If Righteousness came by the Law, then Christ is Dead in Vain, Gal. 1.21. So if Believers should not ob­tain the heavenly Inheritance, then Christ has Died and shed his precious Blood in Vain.

4. Heaven is come down into the Souls of those who are indeed Saints of God. Where there is real Sanctity, heaven is come into the Soul: Heb. 3.1. Holy Brethren, parta­kers of the Heavenly Calling. Men are apt to think, that the happiness of heaven does consist in a perfect freedom from all affli­ctive Evils, and in blessed Delights; and so it does in part, but more in Holiness. Per­fection in holiness is the glory of heaven. Tis said, We are Chosen that we should be Holy, Eph. 1.4. We are Chosen that we should be happy; to be holy is to be happy. A sanctified man has an Heaven-born soul: He is born from above; that is from Heaven. True saving Grace is eter­nal Life and Glory in the beginnings of it. It is called the first fruits, Rom. 8.23. The first fruits were but an handful; yet a [Page 10] pledge of a plentiful crop. So is Grace in the soul, of an harvest of Glory. Hence also, Grace is called the Earnest of the In­heritance, Eph. 1.14. When men are pur­chasing an Inheritance, if they give an Ear­nest Peny, that assures the Inheritance to them. Thus when the holy Spirit begins a work of Grace in the soul of the Believer, that assures him, that the heavenly Inhe­ritance shall be given to him.

5. The Saints of God are his Adopted Chil­dren. A Saint and a true Believer on Christ are the same. That glorious Pri­viledge of Divine Adoption does belong to all true Believers. They may lawfully think and say, that they are the Children of God: Joh. 1.12. But to as many as re­ceived him, to them gave he Power, that is Right or Priviledge, to become the Sons of God; even to them that believe on his Name. They have in them the spirit of Adopted Children, Crying to God, Abba Father ▪ as Children will Cry, Father! Father! whe [...] they need any thing. Now if God ha [...] Adopted them, he will certainly bestow His Inheritance upon them. Natura [...] [Page 11] Children are not always Heirs; but A­dopted Children are. Believers if they are (as they are) God's Adopted Chil­dren, then Heirs; Heirs of God, and Joynt-Heirs with Christ, Rom. 8.17.

6 If it were not for this Heavenly Inheri­tance, Believers would be the most Misera­ble men in the world. 1 Cor. 15.19. If in this Life only we have Hope in Christ, we are of all men the most miserable. For often it is so; that Ungodly men Prosper in the world: They have a brave time of it here; Riches, and Honours, and Earthly hap­piness, more than heart could wish. When at the same time, the Saints and Servants of God are Exposed to all manner of Mi­series; and this it may be too for their Godliness. For thy sake we are Killed all the Day long! Therefore we may be assured that they shall be Happy in another world for ever; and that will more than compen­sate for all their Afflictions in this world. We may from such Providences conclude, that most certainly that there is both an Heaven and an Hell. Since Wicked men have their Good things in their Life time [Page 12] here, we may be assured that there is a Life to come in which they shall receive Evil. It was well replied by a Christian Emperor, when some informed him that an Old Noble man above Ninety Years was newly Dead; and that he had been one of the Wickedest men that ever lived, and yet never met with any considerable Affliction throughout the whole course of his Life; then (said the Emperor) we may conclude that Divines tell us the Truth, when they say that there is ano­ther World besides this wherein we now Live. Wicked Dives Lived at heart-ease, faring Deliciously every day; but when Dead, and his Soul gone into Eternity, he Cries out, I am in a place of Torment. So when we see Holy men, and it may be such as have done great Service for God, under sore Afflictions and Temptations, we may rest satisfied, that there is an Heaven in which they shall be Comforted. It is a­gainst the Light of Natural Reason, to imagine that Vertuous and Godly men shall be more Miserable than the Wicked­edst of men. Yet so it must be, if there [Page 13] is not an Heavenly Inheritance reserved for them.

PROPOSITION II.

The Happiness of Saints in the Heavenly World, will be wonderfully Great.

For,

1. The Holy Scriptures do abundantly declare it to be so: 2 Cor. 4.17. A far more Exceeding Glory. There is a difficulty in translating the Apostle's words, so as to give them a due Emphasis: One translates them, Mire supra modum, A Glory which is wonderfully above measure. Another renders them, Excellently Excelling Glory: Kath, hyperbolen eis hyperbolen. An Hyper­bolical Glory, & more than so. No Hyper­bole of Expression can be beyond what this Glory really is. Add one Hyperbole to a­nother, and all will come short of what the Happiness really is. It was Luthers say­ing, that Christ & Heaven admit of no Hy­perbole. We can not over speak in set­ting forth the Excellency of Christ, or the Glory of Heaven: It is Ineffable. When the Apostle was Miraculously caught up to Paradise, he saw a Glory that is Unut­terable. [Page 14] The happiness of Saints in hea­ven is beyond all Conception; therefore beyond all Expression. Eye has not seen, nor Ear heard; neither have entred into the heart of man, the things which God hath pre­pared for them that Love him, 1 Cor. 2.9. The Eye can see glorious things: Men may hear of more glorious things than they can see: The heart may think of more than the ear can hear. But the Hap­piness of Heaven is beyond all Imaginati­on. David when inspired by the Spirit of God, could not but admire this happiness: Psal. 31.19 O! How great is thy Goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that Fear thee? O how great! Tis wonderfully great. There is a mighty Treasure of Goodness, & so of Glory Laid up for them. And where is it Laid up? It is in Heaven. Saints themselves will wonder and be a­mazed at their own happiness in the Fu­ture state; especially at the glory and hap­piness which after the Resurrection they shall be the Subjects of, (as hereafter w [...] shall shew:) Notwithstanding their Soul [...] had been in heaven for some time, & ther [...] [Page 15] wonderfully happy, yet to see such an Ad­dition to their happiness at the Last Day, it will make them wonder & admire, and glorify Christ, from whom proceeds all their Glory: 2 Thes. 1.10. When He shall come to be glorified in His Saints, & to be admired in all them that Believe in that Day.

2. The things whereunto this Happi­ness is resembled in the Scripture, declares it to be wonderfully great. If it should be set before us in the proper Dialect of Heaven, whilest we remain in this Mortal state, we should understand nothing of it. Christ said to Nicodemus; Joh. 3.12. If I have told you Earthly things, & you believe not: How shall you believe, if I tell you of Heavenly things? Christ did by Earthly Similitudes & Parables, set forth Heaven­ly Mysteries Should he have spoken of Heavenly Glories, in a Style suitable to the Nature of them; mortal men could not have Comprehended it. Therefore is this happiness described by Earthly Si­militudes; by such things as men on Earth think the enjoyers of them happy men. [Page 16] There are Three Expressions in the Text before us, by which the Happiness of Saints in the Heavenly World is denoted.

(1.) It is compared to an Inheritance: If a man has a great Inheritance fallen to him, he is counted an happy man: There­fore is Heaven resembled to an Inheri­tance: 1 Pet. 1.4. An Inheritance reserved in heaven for them. The Joys of heaven are called, the Inheritance of the Saints in Light, Col. 1.12. When Heaven is com­pared to an Inheritance, it is in allusion to the Land of Canaan, which was divided by Lot to the Children of Israel; and gi­ven to them for an Inheritance. Moses said to them, Ye are not come to the Rest & to the Inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you, but when you go over Jordan, & dwell in the Land which the Lord your God giveth you to Inherit, &c Deut. 12.9, 10. A great part of their Temporal happi­ness was in their Inheriting so desirable a Land. It is called a Pleasant Land, & a Goodly Heritage, Jer. 3.19. But what is Hea­ven then? Tis said of Canaan, that it was a Land flowing with Milk & Honey, which was [Page 17] the Glory of all Lands, Ezek. 20.6. The blessed satisfactions & sweet enjoyments of heaven were figured thereby. If the Land of Canaan was a glorious Land, what [...] glorious place is Heaven do we think? The holy Patriarcks who sojourned in Ca­naan desired a better Countrey, that is an Heavenly one, Heb. 11.16.

(2.) The happiness of Saints in the heavenly world, is set forth by resembling [...]t to Riches. That you may know what [...]s the Riches: Riches imply more than a [...]ittle: One that has but a little, is not a [...]ich man. There is more than a little happiness in heaven. There they have such an abundance as does fill and satisfy [...]ll the desires of their Soul, Psal. 36.8. All the earthly riches in the world, will not make a man truly happy. Solomon was a rich King: But what does he say of all these things after he had had as great experience of what satisfaction was [...]o be found in the Profits and Pleasures, [...]nd Honours of the world as ever man [...]ad? The Sum total which he brings in [...]s this, Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity, [Page 18] Eccl. 1.2. Some of the richest men in this world, have been the most miserable men when they have gone out of the world. It was said to the rich man in Hell; Re­member that in thy life-time thou receivedst thy good things, but now thou art tormented, Luk. 16.25. One of the Popes said, he could never think of those words without horror. Nevertheless, men are apt to esteem those who are rich to be very hap­py: Mal. 3.15. We call the proud (i. e. the rich who are commonly proud) hap­py. Therefore is the happiness of heaven set forth by great Riches. In heaven there are riches: there are treasures there, Mat. 6.20. As for the riches of this world they are deceitful. Many a man has tho't with himself, if he could but get such an Estate, how happy should he be; but when he has obtained it, he has found him [...]self miserably deceived. But in heaven there is the true Riches, Luk. 16.11. There are some Cities which have an abundance of Riches in them, but never any City s [...] rich, as the City of God the heavenly Je [...]rusalem. The wall of this City is said to [Page 19] be garnished with all manner of precious Stones, Rev. 21.19. The street is of pure Gold; and as for the gates of it, they were all Pearls: Every several gate was one Pearl. A Pearl as big as a mans finger, is of great Value: but a Pearl as big as the gate of a City, is that the like whereunto was never known. It is therefore (as a Learned Divine in his Exposition on this Scripture observes) an holy Fiction; inti­mating that the happiness of heaven is so great, as the world affords nothing com­parable to it. Amongst men on the earth, [...] Kingdom is the greatest Riches: He that [...]as all the Riches of a great Kingdom un­ [...]er his Command, is a rich man: Where­ [...]ore the happiness of Saints in the heaven­ [...]y world, is set forth by that of enjoying Kingdom: Luk. 12.32. Fear not little [...]lock, for it is your Fathers good pleasure to [...]ive you the Kingdom.

(3.) Another expression in the Text be­ [...]ore us, whereby the happiness of the hea­ [...]enly world is denoted, is Glory. Riches [...]nd Glory usually go together. Worldly [...]en esteem Riches Glory: The Sons of [Page 20] Laban said of Jacob, he has gotten all this Glory, Gen, 3 [...].1. Meaning all his Estate: Psal. 49.16, 17. Be not ye afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased. When he dies, his glory shall not descend after him. Glory is some­times the same with Honour. These are the two things which men most earnestly desire: If they can obtain these two, Riches and Honour with it, they think they shall want nothing to make them happy: Eccl. 6.2. A man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wants nothing for his Soul of all that he de­sires. Both these expressions are used to let us understand what a desirable and happy world the heavenly world is. Hea­venly Riches, and heavenly Honours in­finitely transcend Earthly ones. Christ says, If any man serve me, him will my Fa­ther honour. It may be God will put ho­nour upon him in this world; but to be sure in another world, in Heaven and at the Last Day in the Resurrection world▪ Then will he commend their Fidelity in the hearing of all Angels and Men: Mat. [Page 21] 25.21. Well done thou faithful Servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Their Faith will be found to Praise, and Honour & Glory. Christ will confess their Names before his Father, and before his Angels, Rev. 3.5. And what greater honour can there be? Thus shall they Inherit Glory. Is it not an honour to be Crowned? Christ will give to his faithful Servants a Crown that fadeth not away. And a Crown of what? A Crown of Life! That's the most Glorious Crown that ever was.

3. If we compare the happiness of Hea­ven with other things, we shall see that it is wonderfully Great. If we compare it either with the Good things, or the Evil things of this world. If we compare Earth and Heaven together, we shall see there is no comparison between them. Before Sin entred into the world, the Earth­ly Paradise was a delightful place. It was the Garden of Eden; that is of Plea­sure. The Heavenly Paradise does infi­nitely excel the Earthly Paradise in all that is desirable. There are things be­longing [Page 22] to the Earth, which make it de­sirable to Earthly men: There are hidden Treasures in it, with which God fills the Bellies of some men, who have their Por­tion in this Life. There are precious Stones, Silver, and Gold in the bowels of it: But no Eternal Riches, as there is in Heaven: Heb. 10.34. Knowing that you have in Heaven a better & an endu­ring Substance. There are Pleasures to be enjoyed on the Earth; but not Ever­lasting Pleasures. Whenas in Heaven there are Pleasures for evermore. There it is that God makes his Saints to Drink of the River of his Pleasures, Psal. 36.8. The Souls in heaven swim in holy Pleasures, and they are Perpetual, like a River that keeps running from age to age. There are Honours to be enjoyed on the Earth; but not Everlasting Honours. Death will soon put an end to all worldly Grandieur. But Heavenly Glory will last to Eternity, as hereafter we shall shew. This Earth it self is but like a Stage, which is set up but for a while, and then it must be pulled down. The Scheme, the Fashion of this [Page 23] world passeth away, 1 Cor. 7.31. After it has continued a few Thousands of Years, it must be taken down; nay, burnt up. All the Rich and Glorious Cities on the Earth must be destroyed, but Hea­ven is a City which shall stand to Eter­nity. It is a City that has Foundations. All the Houses on the Earth shall be con­sumed with Fire at the latter day: 2 Pet. 3.10. The Elements shall melt with fervent heat; the Earth also & the works which are therein shall be burnt up. But Heaven is an Eternal House. These things de­clare that there is no comparison between Earthly and Heavenly happiness.

Let us compare the Sufferings of God's Children, whilst they are on the Earth, with the Glory which they shall have in Heaven: Rom. 8.18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time, are not wor­thy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. That Glory does in­comparably Out-ballance all their Afflic­tions. Put their present Afflictions into One Scale, and their future Glory into the Other Scale, and the weight of Glory [Page 24] Out-weighs Wonderfully. The weight of Glory does exceed by far and far, the heaviest Affliction that ever any Saint of God was subject unto in this world; sup­pose him to have been as grievously Af­flicted as Job was, who Complains that if his Grief were throughly weighed, and his Calamity laid in the balances together, it would be Heavier than the sand of the Sea. All these Afflictions are as light as a Feather, compared with the Weight of Glory in Heaven. Sometimes One Afflic­tion will Weigh down all the Good and Comfort of this World. If a man is sub­ject to a Tormenting Disease, he would willingly part with all his Estate, to be de­livered from that Misery: But the Glory of Heaven Out-balances all. There is no more comparison between them, than there is between a few Sands & a Moun­tain.

4. If we consider whose Inheritance this is, we must conclude that it is a Rich and Glorious One. It is Gods Inhe­ritance: The Riches of the Glory of His Inheritance. It is said to be His,

[Page 25](1.) Because He is the Bestower of it: Tis his glorious Gift; Psal. 84.11. He giveth Glory. If he gives Glory, He will give like himself. It is reported concern­ing a great King, that when he bestowed an Extraordinary Bounty, the Receiver said the Gift was too great; he had not de­served so much: That Liberal King repli'd, If it is too much for you to receive, it is not too much for me to give. The greatest Riches of Glory is not too great for God to give: He has infinite Riches: Enough to make Millions of needy Creatures exceed­ing Rich: Phil. 4.19. God shall supply all your need, according to his Riches in Glory. He has not Only Glory , but Riches of Glo­ry: He can make Thousands of Millions of poor Creatures Vastly rich. Can we think, that the Great GOD will bestow a Small Patrimony on his Children? Most certainly, the Adopted Children of God will be the Richest Heirs in the world. Believers are Heirs of God, and Joynt-heirs with Christ, Rom. 8.17. Parents bestow Inheritances or Portions on their Children, according to what Estate they have: They [Page 26] that are Vastly Rich, will give Portions accordingly. What a Rich and Glorious Inheritance then will the Infinite GOD bestow on every Child of his?

(2.) This Inheritance is said to be His, because it is his Propriety and Possession. That cannot but be a Rich and Glorious Inheritance, which is God's own Posses­sion: This is true concerning that Hea­ven which his Saints shall Inherit. An Acute and Worthy Divine Observes, that David does by this, prove that they who Fear the Lord are the happiest men in the world; Psal. 115.15, 16. You are bles­sed of the Lord, which made Heaven and Earth: The Heaven, even the Heavens are the Lords; but the Earth hath he given to the Children of men. As for the Earth, he gives that to the Sons of men: Let them take it says the Lord, I give it to them; it shall be their Inheritance. But that is not an Inheritance good enough for GOD. No: The Heaven of Heavens is His: Therefore how happy must his Saints be, when he will take them up to that Heaven which he has reserved for himself?

[Page 27]5. If we consider the Properties of this happiness, which the Saints of God shall enjoy in the heavenly World, we shall see that it is wonderfully great.

For,

(1.) It will Continue for ever & ever. This is implied when it is called an Inhe­ritance. Saints in heaven are not like Tenants at will; but they are Heirs. When an Inheritance is made over to a man, it useth to be to him and to his heirs for ever. The Inheritance of heaven is by the firm­est Deed that possibly can be, made over to Christ and to his Heirs for ever; Rom. 8.17. Joint-heirs with Christ. Other In­heritances are but Temporal: This is an Eternal Inheritance, Heb. 9.15. Other In­heritances may Corrupt; but this is an Inheritance Incorruptible, 1 Pet. 1.4. In this World men may have their Riches taken from them, by One means or other; but Heavenly Treasures can never be lost. An Eminent Christian when he was at a Feast, would sometimes say; Here is good Company, and so there is in Heaven; here is a Feast, & so there is in Heaven: [Page 28] but here is Taking away; whenas there is none of that in Heaven. They that chuse Heaven for their Portion, shall not have it taken from them. David was much af­fected with the Mercy of God, in that he had not only given him a Kingdom; but had promised that it should be Established in his Family for a Long time to come. This (said he) was a small thing in thy sight. Did he think, the bestowing of a Kingdom on him was a small thing? No: It was a great thing: But the continuance of it in his Family for a long time, made it a much greater Mercy. Saints in Heaven enjoy a Kingdom, not for a long time only; but beyond all time throughout eternal ages. An entrance is ministred to them abundant­ly, into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 1.11. If a man should enjoy the Blessedness of the Heavenly World, if it were but for One Day, that would be a greater happiness than for him to enjoy all the Consolations which earth can afford for Thousands of Years; but what then is it to enjoy that Blessedness throughout the never ending Days of Eternity?

[Page 29](2.) Another property of this Happi­ness, is, that it admits of no Interruption, no Intermission. It is a Spring Tide that has no Ebb; a Summer that has no Win­ter; a Day that has no Night following it; Rev. 21.25. The Gates shall not at all be shut, for there shall be no Night there. There have been Saints on earth, who have sometimes had a great Intimacy of Com­munion with God; and then they have thought how Happy should they be, if it might be always thus: Oh! it was good to be here. But, alas! This Heaven upon Earth was soon interrupted. Soul Ra­vishing Joy, has been as that Ancient said; Rara hota et brevis mora: A rare hour and of short stay. Old Bernards Companion being filled with Joy, said; He hoped he should never be Sad more as long as he Li­ved: His Joy was soon gone, and then he feared he should never have Comfort any more; but be Disconsolate all his Days. But Saints in Heaven have Joy without any intermission: Pleasures for evermore. The Consolation of Heaven is an Everlasting Consolation. The Tree of Life is said to [Page 30] yield its Fruit every Month; intimating the uninterruptedness of the Delights of Heaven.

(3.) Another property of this Happi­ness, is, that it is not subject to any Fa­ding. Tis called an Inheritance that Fa­deth not away; and a Crown of Glory that Fadeth not. Things in this World which have a singular Beauty and Glory in them, quickly Fade and Wither. Tis said of the Lily, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like unto it: But it soon wi­thers. Heavens Glory does not so. Here men are taken with a pleasant Object for a while; but when they are used to it; they Loose their Esteem of it. In heaven nothing Withers; nothing grows Old and Stale. After a Saint has been in Heaven as many Millions of Ages as there are Sands on the Sea-shore, the Glory of Hea­ven is as Fresh and Delightful to him, as it was the first Day of his coming there.

PROPOSITION III.

Notwithstanding all the Saints of God shall partake of the same Happiness in the Hea­venly World; nevertheless, as to Degrees of [Page 31] Glory, there will be a Difference. Every One of them will be Top-full of Glory; yet will there be a Difference, because Some are more Capacious Vessels than Others are. A Small Vessel though full, does not contain so much as a Larger Vessel does. The Apostle speaking of the Glory of Saints in another World says, that One Star differs from another in Glory, 1 Cor. 15.41. As in this World, there are some Christians who are Stars of the first Magnitude, which Out shine Others; so will it be at the Last Day, & in Heaven to Eternity. Some shall be placed next to Christ in his King­dom, which will be a special Dignity and Glory put upon them, Mat. 20.23.

Several Things may be mentioned which Confirm the Truth before us.

1. There are Some who have a far greater Measure of Grace than Others [...]ave. Job was such an One: There was [...]one like him on the Earth, Job 1.8. He [...]ad not his Peer among Mortals. Moses [...]as another who had an Extraordinary Measure of Grace. And Nehemiah speaks [...]f One, of whom he says, that he Feared [Page 32] God above many, Neh. 7.2. There are Some who are Strong; Others are Weak in the Faith. Some are Little Children in Grace and Christianity; Others are Men; Others are Fathers, having had a Long standing in the School of Christ, and attained unto a greater Degree and Per­fection than Others have arrived unto. Indeed all True Believers are Equally Justified; because the Righteousness of CHRIST is imputed to the Weak­est Believer as well as to the Strongest: but they are not all Equally Sanctified. Some are far more Holy and Mortified Christians than Others are. Now if GOD bestows a greater measure of Grace on some of his Servants in this World, there is reason to believe that they shall have a greater mea­sure of Glory in Heaven.

2. There are Some who have done far greater Service for God, and have been more Active Instruments in Glorifying his Name than Others have. Paul could say, I have Laboured more abundantly than they all, 1 Cor. 15.10. Will not that more abundant Labour, have a more abundant [Page 33] Reward? Has not Christ Promised that it shall? Rev. 22.12. Behold I come, and my Reward is with me; to give every man ac­cording as his Work shall be: Both accord­ing to the Quality of his Works, and ac­cording to the Quantity of them. It is therefore said, that he which soweth sparing­ly, shall reap sparingly: and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap bountifully, 2 Cor. 9 6. There are some who have greater Talents committed to them than others Ever had; and they have faithfully improved them to the Honour of the God and Giver of them: He will then honour them accord­ingly. One has two Talents, another has five: One is made Ruler over five Cities, another over ten. The holy Prophets did Eminent Service for God, in bearing a Faithful Testimony against the Sins of the time: Wherefore a greater Reward will in the Day of Retribution be dis­pensed to them than to other Servants of the Lord. The Reward of a Prophet is distinguished from the Reward of one who is only a Righteous man, Mat. 10.41. Some have been Instruments of Converting ma­ny [Page 34] Sinners; and so of Saving many Souls from Death. There is a singular degree of Glory reserved for such in the heavenly World: Dan. 12.3. They that turn many to Righteousness, shall shine as the Stars for ever and ever. The Apostle said to the Thes­salonians, that they would be his Crown & his Glory at the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Their having been the Seals of his Ministry, would add Glory to his Crown at the Last Day, and in Heaven for ever, 1 Thes. 2.19, 20. Can we think, that every Saint shall have as great a Crown of Glory as Paul shall in that Day?

3 Some Saints have been greater Suf­ferers for Christ than others have. If we Suffer with him, we shall Reign with him. And when we Reign with him, the greater our Sufferings have been for his sake, the greater will our Crown then be. An Em­peror once gave a Chain of Gold as big as those Chains of Iron which a faithful Servant of his, had been laid in, when Im­prisoned for Fidelity to his Interest. But what will Christ then give to those who [Page 35] have Suffered Persecutions & Reproaches for their Fidelity to his Interest? Blessed are they, for Great shall be their Reward in Heaven, Mat. 5.13, 14 The belief of this, was One thing which made Christi­ans in the Primitive Times, very desirous to Dy for the Name of Christ. They were perswaded that Martyrs would have Aure­olae; peculiar Crowns of Glory given to them. They in a peculiar manner glorify God. It was said of Peter, that by his Death he should Glorify God, Joh. 21.19. He died a Martyr: Was Crucified the same day that Paul was Beheaded, as the Martyrologists inform us. If they Glo­rify God and Christ above Others, will not a singular Crown of Glory be given to them?

PROPOSITION IV.

The Glorious Happiness of Saints in the Heavenly World, is not bro't to its full Perfec­ [...]ion at once, but gradually. There are three [...]eps in this Glorious Happiness which I [...]hall now only mention; and (if the Lord [...]ill) insist more Largely on each of [...]hem, from other Texts of Scripture.

[Page 36]1. At the Hour of Death Believers on Christ are Happy: Then are they freed from all Sin and Sorrow; Rev. 14.13. Blessed are the Dead which Dy in the Lord. They pass immediately from Death into Eternal Life, Joh. 5.24. When they leave this World, they go to a Better; To the Heavenly Paradise. They go to Christ: Being absent from the Body, they are present with the Lord. When their Bodies are Dead, their Souls are Happy in their se­parate state. Therefore does the Scrip­ture speak of the Spirits of Just men made Perfect, Heb. 12.23. The Spirit whilst in the Body, is usually called the Soul; but when separated from the Body, it is a Spirit.

2. In the Resurrection at the Last Day, there will be an Addition to their Happi­ness. For then their Bodies as well as their Souls, will be the Subjects of an im­mortal Glory. Without doubt the blessed Souls in Heaven, notwithstanding their present Happiness, long for the Resur­rection of their Bodies, that both may b [...] in the Heavenly World. Now they desi [...] [Page 37] it, Heb. 11.16. And then their Glory will be Visible to the whole World. For the present, it is not known who are Elect and who are Reprobates; who goes to Heaven and who to Hell; but at the Day of Judgment it will be seen who are Sheep and who are Goats. The Glory of the Saints will then be as Visible as the Sun in the Firmament, Mat. 13.43. In the Re­surrection World, they shall be as the An­gels of Heaven: Luk. 20.36. Neither can they Die any more: For they are equal to the Angels; and they are the Children of God, being the Children of the Resurrection. But of this we may Discourse fully here­after.

3. After the Day of Judgment is over, they shall be Glorified with Christ in the highest Heaven throughout the Days of Eternity. The Children of Israel had an Inheritance in the Land of Canaan. Be­lievers shall have theirs in the Heaven of Heavens: 1. Pet. 1.5. An Inheritance re­served in Heaven for you. There (and no where else) is that Perfect Blessedness which the Saints of God hope for the En­joyment [Page 38] of; Col. 1.5. The Hope (that is the Blessedness which is the great Object of your Hope) Laid up for you in Heaven. But of this also we may (if God permit) Discourse more Largely.

PROPOSITION I.

True Believers on Jesus Christ are Just Men. There are but two sorts of men in the World; the Just, and the Unjust: So does the Scripture distinguish, Act. 24.15 The whole World is divided into these two. There is not a man upon Earth, but is among the Just, or among the Unjust▪ [Page 54] All Christless Sinners are the Unjust: All true Believers are the Just. They are Justified Persons: GOD declares them to be so. He is the Justifier of him that be­lieves on Jesus, Rom. 3.26. A Righte­ous man and a true Believer on Christ are the same Persons. There is a twofold Righteousness belonging to the Believer.

1. An Imputed Righteousness; Rom. 4.6. David describes the Blessedness of the man to whom God Imputeth Righteousness with­out Works. And Ver. 11. Tis said, Abra­ham is the Father of all them that believe; that Righteousness might be Imputed to them also. Were it not for the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him, no man living could be a just man in the sight of God. Gal. 2.16. Knowing that a man is not justi­fied by the Works of the Law, but by Faith in Jesus Christ; that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ, & not by the Works of the Law: for by the Works of the Law, shall no Flesh living be justified. Wherefore no Soul of man had ever been among the in­numerable Company of Angels, or in the Heavenly Jerusalem, if it had not been for [Page 55] the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them·

2 There is an Inherent Righteousness, which true Believers are also the Subjects of; where ever the Righteousness of Christ is imputed, a work of Sanctification fol­lows. If Christ is made of God unto us Righteousness for our Justification, he is al­so the Author of Sanctification, 1 Cor. 1.30. Justification and Sanctification, or Impu­ted and an Inherent Righteousness always go together. Believers on Christ are holy Persons. They have [...]ly hearts, and they live holy lives, and are therefore just men. It is said of Zachary and Elizabeth, that they were both Righteous before God, walking in all the Commandments & Ordi­nances of the Lord, Luk 1.6.

PROPOSITION II.

The Souls of Men do not Dy, nor ly Dormient when their Bodies Dye. The Bodies of men are mortal. Rom 6.12. Let not sin reign in your mortal Body. But the Soul is not Mortal: The Soul is an Immortal Spirit. In this the Reasonable Soul of man, excels the Sensi­tive Soul of inferiour Crea [...]ures, which does Expire & Dy when their Bodies Dy, Eccl. 3. [Page 56] 21. Who knows the Spirit of Man that goes upward, and the Spirit of the Beast that goes downward to the Earth? The spirit of a Beast was in the first Creation formed out of the Earth: The Earth brought it forth, Gen. 1.24. But it was not so with Man. Altho' his Body was made of the Dust of the Earth, his Soul was not so: that came from GOD immediately. His Creator Breathed into him the Breath of Life, and Man became a Living Soul, Gen. 2.7. The Hebrew word Chaijm, signifies Lives in the Plural Number. There is the Vege­tative Life of a Plant, the Sensitive Life of a Beast, the Intellectual Life of an An­gel. Man by reason of his Soul has all these Lives. He has not only a Mortal, but an Immortal Life. His Soul coming from God, when the Body Dies does not go downward, but upward to him who gave the first Soul to Man. So says Solo­mon, Eccl. 12.7. The Dust shall return to the Earth as it was: and the Spirit shall re­turn to God who gave it. Wherefore when men Dy, they are said to Depart: Their Bodies do not depart from the Earth: they [Page 57] abide in the Grave, which, is their Long Home; but their Souls depart out of their Bodies, and out of this World. Good Old Simeon was very willing to Depart, Luk. 2.29. Paul knew that the time of his De­parture was at hand, 2 Tim. 4.6. And he desired to Depart, Phil. 1.23. The Greek word Analvo, which is used in all those Scriptures, signifies, To Loose Anchor. A Metaphor taken from Mariners; who Loose Anchor, that so they may pass from One Port to another, & from One Coun­trey to another. Thus tis with the Be­liever; when his Body Dies, hi [...] Soul goes to a blessed Port, to the Heavenly Coun­trey. Hence the Soul is said to dwell in the Body, as an Inhabitant in an House. Whilst in this World, we Dwell, that is to say, our Souls dwell in houses of Clay, Job 4 19. Our Bodies are Houses of Clay. Paul speaks of Two Houses which the Souls of Believers dwell in; first an Earthly, then an Heavenly House The Body is an Earthly House, when that is dissolved their Souls go to an Heavenly House, 2 Cor. 5.1. To the same purpose Peter speaks, [Page 58] 2 Pet. 1.13. As long as I am, h. e. as long as my Soul is; for the Soul is the Man, in this Tabernacle. The Taberna­cle may be pulled down, and yet the In­habitant who has dwelt in it live still. In Ver. 4. He speaks of putting off the Ta­bernacle of his Body. The Soul is cloathed with the Body. A Godly man has no more cause to be afraid of Dying, than he would be afraid of putting off his Cloathes & go­ing to Rest. The same Apostle, in ver. 15. ca [...]ls his Death, his Decease; In the Ori­ginal, it is my Exodus. When Believers Dy, they do as the Children of Israel did, go out of Egypt into a Land flowing with Milk and Honey: They go to Heaven. It is said of Papists, that they Blaspheme (Idolatry is called Blasphemy) them that dwell in Heaven, Rev. 13 6. Because they Worship Saints departed. At their Depar­ture they are with Christ, Phil. 1 23. Their Souls are Under the Altar, Rev 6.9. Christ is the Altar. The Soul being a spiritual substance, and not of the same Nature with the Body, is capable of sub­sisting by it self our of the Body. Altho [Page 59] while it is Embodied, it useth to act by Bodily Organs; nevertheless, it can act without them; and sometimes has done [...]o. In Ecstasies and Trances, the Soul is very active when the Body is senseless, [...]nd acts not at all. Peter was in a Trance, & then he had marvellous Visions, Act. 10. [...]0. A Trance is when all the Bodily Senses [...]re bound, but the soul is at liberty. The Souls of men may Converse with GOD, [...]r with Angels, when their Bodies are cast [...]nto a deep sleep. Thus it has been in Divine Dreams: Job 33.15. God speaks to Men in a Dream, in the Vision of the Night, when deep Sleep falls upon them. Of this Abraham had Experience, Gen 15.12. And [...]he Prophet Daniel, Chap. 10. Ver. 9. By [...]hese things it is manifest, that the Soul [...]oes not wholly depend on the Body as [...]o its Operation; and if not as to its Ope­ [...]ation, then not as to its Existence. The Soul when separated from the Body, has [...]ot (nor have Angels) bodily Eyes or [...]ars; nevertheless, it has that which is Analogous thereunto, so that it can see and [...]ear. The Apostle▪ when his Soul for [Page 60] ought he knew to the contrary was out of his Body, heard words spoken, 2 Cor. 12.4. This which has been said, Proves that the Soul is capable of Existing and Living in a state of separation from the Body. And that the Souls of some have done so, we know from Scripture. There was a Child dead: His soul gone clear out of his body. The Prophet Elijah under a Divine In­spiration, Prayed saying, O Lord my God, I Pray thee, let this Childs soul come into him again; and the soul of the Child came into him again, and he revived, 1 King. 17.21, 22. There was the Daughter of Jairus, a Damsel of Twelve Years Old, known to be dead; but at the Command of Christ her spirit came again, Luk. 8.55. Yea, the Scripture speaks of some Living still, notwithstanding as to their bodies, they have been dead for more than a Thousand Years. Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, they are all Living to GOD, Luk. 20.38. It is said of believing Gentiles, that they shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, in the Kingd [...]m of Heaven, Mat. 8.11. Which words ar [...] a description of going to Hea­ven. [Page 61] Believers when they leave this world, go to a joyful Feast in heaven. Lazarus Died, and was carried by Angels into Abra­hams bosom, Luk. 16.22. He sat down as a Guest with Abraham at the same Feast. But if the Scripture were silent about the Immortality of the Souls of men, it might be known by the Light of Natural Reason. And therefore it has been received as a Truth in all Nations, and in all Ages of the World. Not only the more Polite & Civillized Nations, but the most Barbarous Heathen have not been so Barbarous and Brutish, as to have no sentiments of the Immortality of their own Souls. Our Ame­rican Indians before the Gospel came among them, did not believe that their Souls died with their Bodies: but that they went to another Countrey they knew not whither. Be­cause the Souls Immortality has been the general Sentiment of Mankind, some per­verting that Truth, have embraced the ab­surd Error of the Transmigration of Souls. So did Pythagoras teach his Disciples. And [...]ong before him, the Indian Philosopher Phoe, seduced the East Indians into that [Page 62] Opinion, which remains among them still▪ Therefore they do not think that Souls dye ▪ The truth is, Not Only that the Souls o [...] men shall not, but that they can not Dy [...] Mat. 10.28. Fear not them which kill th [...] body, but are not able to kill the soul. I [...] is beyond the Power of any Creature in th [...] world to kill the soul. The Martyrs would comfort themselves with that Thought when their Enemies would threaten them with Death; they would say, Do you [...] worst, you can but kill our Bodies, you can no [...] kill our Souls. Nay, a man can not kil [...] his Own Soul: He may easily kill his bo [...]dy, but he can not possibly kill his sou [...] ▪ The Damned in Hell would be glad t [...] Kill their Own souls, if they could poss [...]bly do it; but they can not. When th [...] Scripture speaks of the souls Dying, an [...] of the souls Destruction, a natural deat [...] like that of the body, is not intende [...] thereby; Only the souls Misery is calle [...] Death. When it suffers the Vengeance [...] Eternal Fire, then it dies. The Soul capable of Meditating on Eternal Object which is an Argument of its Immortali [...] ▪ [Page 63] It can think of GOD, and CHRIST, and Heaven, and Angels; which Creatures wholly Mortal can't do. That Habit or Principle of Grace which is infused into Regenerate souls, never dies. It is a well of Water springing up into Everlasting Life: A seed which is incorruptible. It abides in the soul Eternally, Joh 4 10. 1 Pet. 1 23. 1 Joh. 3.9. Therefore the soul it self must needs be immortal. Nor do the Souls of Men ly Dormient, when their bodies Dy. There have been a sort of Men in the world, called Soul-sleepers; whose Opinion was that the souls of men sleep with their Bodies, from the time of their Death to the General Resurrection, and that then they shall awake. This Unchristian and Un­reasonable Opinion was Condemned in a Synod many Ages since: Yet some men of Corrupt Minds do still maintain it; not­withstanding it is a Notion contrary to the Nature of their Own Souls. Death is often compared to Sleep; but that is in respect of the body and not of the soul. When Stephen Dy'd tis said, He fell asleep; but his Soul did not sleep: for he Died, say­ [...]ng, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Spirits [Page 64] are not subject to sleep. Angels being Spirits they never sleep. The like is to be said of Souls separated from their Bodies. As for the Souls of Wicked men, they are in such Misery when their Bodies are Dead, as that they can not sleep, if Other­wise they were capable of it: They are in Flaming Torment. How then can they sleep? And as for the Spirits of Just men, in Heaven they are always Serving and Praising GOD there: Rev. 7.15. They are before the Throne of GOD, and serve Him Day and Night in His Temple. Sinful men in this World, will sleep when they are before GOD: When they are Hearing his Word (as Eutychus did) they'll drop Asleep. When they should be Praying they fall Asleep: But in Heaven they d [...] not so.

PROPOSITION III.

The Immortal Souls of Just Men when [...] a state of Separation from their Bodies, [...] made Perfect. All those Imperfection which attend them whilst their Souls [...] Embodied, are done away at the hour [...] Death, and a Blessed Perfection succeed [...] [Page 65] 1 Cor. 13.10. When that which is Perfect is come, that which is in Part shall be done away.

Quest. What Perfection is it, which Just Men do then attain unto?

Answ. 1. When they depart out of this world, they have a Perfect Deliverance from all Afflictive Evils. Men whilst in this world, are subject to Affliction more or less; Job. 5.7. Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. But Especially Just men are the men which see Sorrrow in this world. Psal. 34.19. Many are the afflictions of [...]he Righteous. The Lord JESUS CHRIST has faithfully Forewarned his Disciples that [...]o they might be Forearmed, that in the world they shall have Tribulation: Yea, & [...]hat they should Expect it daily; Luk. [...].23. If any man will come after me, let him Deny himself; and take up his Cross daily. They that will resolve for Heaven, must [...]ot upon it, that they shall meet with many [...]fflictions in the way: Act. 14.22. We [...]ust through much Tribulation Enter in­ [...] the Kingdom of God. But when once [...]hey are got safe into the Heavenly King­ [...]om, they shall never see trouble more. [Page 66] Then and there will that Promise be glo­riously fulfilled, Jer. 31.12. They shall not sorrow any more at all. Just men as long as they are in the Body, are Obnoxious to all sorts of Afflictions; but when out of the Body, to no Affliction at all.

(1.) In this world they are afflicted with Satans Temptations. God will ne­ver suffer that Enemy to destroy them; nevertheless, for holy ends He suffers him to afflict them. The History of Jobs Af­flictions, are a remarkable Instance of it. He throws Darts at the Faithful Servants of God, and sometimes fiery Ones too. And it is observed, the more good any man does in the world, the more will Sa­tan give him molestation one way or o­ther. And the more Grace any man has, the more is Satan in a rage at him. In great wrath he makes War with those that keep the Commandments of God, and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ. But when once their Souls are among the Spi­rits of Just men made Perfect, they are got clear of the Devils Territories, and of al [...] his Temptations for ever. They are ou [...] [Page 67] of Satans reach there: For his wrath is only on, or near the Earth: There he goes to and fro, and walks up and down in it. He is confined to this Atmosphere: He can ascend no higher than the Air; where the Prince of this world has a power of Evil Spirits and Tempters under him, Eph. 2.2. But the Spirits of Just men made perfect, are in an Heaven far above the Air. Satan with his Temptations can't come there. As Christ said to the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so whither the Souls of Just men go when their Bodies dy, the Devil cannot come. He was once in Heaven, but GOD has banished him out of that which was his Native Countrey, and he shall never come there again. When Sen­nacherib thought to enter Jerusalem, the Lord said, he shall not come into the City, nor shoot an Arrow there,, Isa. 37.33. So the Sennacherib of Hell shall not come into the Heavenly Jerusalem, nor shoot the Ar­rows of his Temptations there.

(2) Believers whilst in this world are subject to Afflictions from the World. For the World hates them. It hated Christ▪ [Page 68] and the more a man does resemble Christ, and the more service he does for the Name of Christ, the more will the World hate him, Joh. 15.19. And if they are Hated by the World, they will be Persecuted. It ever has been so, and ever will be so. The Seed of the Serpent will have an En­mity against the Seed of the Woman: 2 Tim. 3.12. All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer Persecution. The more Godly any man is, the more shall he be Persecuted by Ungodly men. If they can discover themselves to be the Seed of the Serpent in no other way, they will do it by their Venomous Tongues, in Reproach­es and Revilings. But when the Bodies of Righteous men are in their Graves, the Wicked will cease from troubling; and when their Souls are in Heaven, that Promise in 2 Sam. 7.10. will be fulfilled in the perfection of it, I will appoint a place for my People Israel, and will plant them that they may dwell in a place of their own; neither shall the Children of Wickedness af­flict them any more. When their souls are placed in heaven, they are in a place of [Page 69] their own. This world is not their own: It is not their home. On Earth they are Stran­gers & Pilgrims; not Earth, but Heaven is their home. This world is not to the Belie­ver his own, but another mans, Luk. 16.12.

(3.) Just men while their Spirits abide in Flesh, meet with many Afflictions from the holy Providence of God. In Love & Faithfulness He Orders Afflictions for them: Prov. 3.12. For whom the Lord Loveth, he Correcteth, ev [...] as a Father the Son, in whom he Delighteth. They many times meet with sad Disappointments, which prove a sore Affliction to them. But when once their souls are in Heaven, they will meet with no Disappointments there; unless it be, that they will find Heaven to be a far happier place than Ever they could imagine. Here they meet with Losses which afflicts them: It may be with Losses in their Estates; as Job a just man, lost all: A Vastly Rich man, and suddenly as Poor as Job. But when once they are in Hea­ven, they shall have a better and greater Estate, than ever any man in this world had; and never loose any part of it: Heb▪ [Page 70] 10.34 You took joyfully the spoiling of your Goods, knowing in your selves, that ye have in Heaven a better & an enduring Substance. In this world, they are Afflicted with the Loss of Friends, of near and dear Relati­ons; it may be of Children, which some­times proves a very bitter heart-piercing Affliction. In Rama was there a Voice heard, Lamentation, and Weeping, & great Mourning; Rachel Weeping for her Children, and would not be Comforted, because they are not, Mat. 2.18. In Heaven there are none of these Losses. There Friends never part. In this world, they are sometimes Afflicted with Bodily Infirmities and Pains: But in the Heavenly World there shall be no more Death, nor Crying, neither shall there be any more Pain, Rev. 21.4. In this world the Lord's Servants may be subject unto Divine Desertions: GOD hides his Face from them, and that proves a Soul-wound­ing Affliction. Heman complains, that his soul was full of trouble; that the Lord had cast off his soul, and hid his Face from him; and that he suffered the Terrors of God almost to Distraction. The Church [Page 71] complains, that the Comforter which should relieve her Soul, was far from her. There are none of these Complaints in Heaven. The blessed Souls there, have the Face of GOD always shining upon them. Then and there the truth of that Scripture will be seen; Isa. 54.8. In a lit­tle Wrath I hid my Face from thee, for a Moment; but with Everlasting Kindness will I have Mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Re­deemer. Thus shall the Righteous be E­ternally Delivered out of all their Afflicti­ons. But the Spirits of Just men when separated from their Bodies, enjoy a far more Perfect Happiness than this, of being Delivered from all Afflictive Evils.

For,

2. They are Perfectly freed from Sin. Rom. 6.7. For he that is Dead, is freed from Sin. The Believer whose Heart is Sanctified & Sin Mortified in him, is now freed from Sin as to the Dominion of it; but when his Body is Dead, he is perfectly freed from Sin as to the Being of it: unto which the Apostle in those words has respect: When once their Souls are in Heaven, before the [Page 72] Throne of God there, they are Sinless & Faultless: Rev. 14.5. They are without Fault before the Throne of God.

For,

(1.) They are perfectly delivered from Original Sin, That which the Scripture calls the Sin that dwells in us; under which holy men Mourn as long as they continue in this world: Rom. 7.24. O wretched man that I am, Who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death? One of the Ancients fitly compares indwelling sin to Ivy in the Wall of an House. Others have as fitly compared it to the Leprosy in the House of the Israelites, which must be pulled down before it could be perfectly cleansed and cleared of that woful Evil, Lev. 13.45. A man becomes a sin­ful Creature, as soon as there is an Union between his soul and his body; and the just man ceaseth to be a sinner, when that Union is dissolved. When he giveth up the ghost, indwelling sin giveth up the ghost with him. The habit of sin is wholly Eradicated out of his soul. The disposi [...]tion to sin is then perfectly abolished: Th [...] [Page 73] root and seed of sin has no more an in­herence in his soul. There is no more in him any inclination to that which is Evil, or any indisposition to that which is Good.

Hence,

(2.) There is a perfect blessed freedom from all Actual Sin. When once the Just mans Soul is in Heaven, he shall never sin more, in Word Thought or Deed; never have one Vain Thought in his mind, nor speak one Unprofitable Word throughout the Days of Eternity. The Just mans spirit when separated from his body, is in a place where there never was any Sin: For there never was any Sin in Heaven, which is therefore called an Inheritance Undefiled. If sin had been committed there, it would have defiled Heaven, as it did Pa­radise. And there never shall be sin there. There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that Defileth, Rev. 21 27. On Earth there is not a man wholly free from sin: Eccl. 7.20. There is not a just man on Earth, that doeth good, & sinneth not. But in Heaven there are Just men who never sin: and none [Page 74] but such are there. In Heaven they are in the immediate presence of GOD, and are always sensible that they are so; and therefore they sin not. When their Souls are absent from the Body, they are present with the Lord, 2 Cor. 5.8. The Lord Je­sus Christ receives their Souls, and pre­sents them to God. Wherefore Dying Stephen said, Lord Jesus receive my spirit, Act. 7.59. Dr. Goodwin speaks of an holy man, who when Dying Express'd himself after this manner, Notwithstanding I am assur'd that God Loves me, and will receive my Soul; nevertheless, I should be afraid to appear before so Glorious a Presence, did I not know that Christ is in Heaven to present me to Him. Therefore the Souls of Just men when Separated from their Bodies are sin­less: For Christ will present them as with­out sin to his Father: Jude 24 He is able to present you faultless before the presence of his Glory. Moreover, there is in the hearts of some holy men, an earnest desire to de­part out of this, and to go to the Heavenly world, for this Reason Especially; that they may be perfectly freed from Sin. The [Page 75] holy Spirit of GOD has wrought this de­sire in their hearts. He would not put such longings into their souls, if he did not intend to give them their desire. Some may be ready to say, But how is it possible that a Soul which has so much sin in it, should be made perfectly pure from sin in a moment of time? To this that answer may be given, which the Angel gave to the Virgin Mary; when she was astonished at the wonderful thing God would do for her, and said, How can this be? The Angel said, To God nothing is unpossible. GOD is able to cause such a wonderful Change in the Soul to be ac­complished in One Day, in One Moment. GOD who Converts a Soul from a state of sin in a moment; who turns a Sinner into a Saint in a moment, as he has often done, can make a Sinful Soul to become a Sin­less Soul in a moment. And the Conside­ration of what shall be done to the Saints, whom Christ shall find alive on the Earth when he shall come to Judge the World at the Last Day, may Confirm our Faith con­cerning this also. Their Bodies & their Souls too will be wonderfully Changed in [Page 76] a moment. Just before the Last Trumpet shall sound, they will have Souls & Bodies subject to Sin: but as soon as the Trum­pet is heard sounding, they are made Per­fect in a moment. Behold, I shew you a Mystery; We shall not all Sleep, but we shall all be Changed, in a moment, in the twink­ling of an eye, at the last Trump, (for the Trumpet shall sound, and the Dead shall be raised Incorruptible, & we shall be Changed,) 1 Cor. 15.51, 52. And thus it was with Enoch, & Elijah, when they were Tran­slated: Before their Translation they were subject to sin; but in a moment perfect­ly freed from sin. Why then should it not be so with the Souls of Just men, when they are Translated from Earth to Hea­ven? But this shall be further Confirmed and Cleared in the next Proposition.

3. The Spirits of Just men when in a state of separation from their Bodies, attain unto a great Perfection in Knowledge▪ There is a world of Ignorance and Error which the minds of Good men (as well as Others) are subject unto, as long as they are in the Body; but when absent from [Page 77] the Body, that Ignorance & Darkness Va­nisheth away. They will then see clearly those things, which now they have but a very dark and imperfect Knowledge of: 1 Cor. 13.12. Now we see through a Glass Darkly, but then Face to Face: now I know in part, but then I shall know, even as also I am known. Sin has miserably Darkned the Ey of the Understanding: In Heaven that Darkness is perfectly removed. Adam before his Fall, had a very quick and clear Understanding: He could see into the Nature of the several Creatures which were bro't before him, & at the first sight could give them suitable Names. What­ever Wounds are given to the Understand­ing by the Fall, are perfectly Cured in Heaven. The Soul is capable of Con­taining a Vast measure of Knowledge. It is said of Solomon, that GOD gave him Understanding exceeding much, & largeness of Heart, even as the sand that is on the Sea-shore. What an infinite Number of Sands are there on the Sea-shore? So there was an infinite Number of Notions com­prehended in Solomons mind. But there [Page 78] is not a Soul among the Spirits of Just men made Perfect, which has not a far more inlarged Understanding than ever Solomon had. That Eminent Divine but now menti­oned, says, that an Elect Infant dying as soon as it comes into the world, suppose but an hour old, when once it is in Heaven, has a greater measure of knowledge than Solomon had. Doubtless it is so: For Heaven is full of Glorious Light, Col. 1.12. The Blessed Souls there know more of the Na­ture and Attributes of GOD, than in thi [...] World they could attain unto. Agur says, I neither Learned Wisdom, nor have the Knowledge of the Holy, Prov. 30.4 David speaking of the Attributes of GOD, says, Such Knowledge is too Wonderful for me; i [...] is high, I can not attain unto it, Psal. 139.6. But in Heaven they have blessed Attain­ments▪ A great part of the Happiness o [...] the Glorified, is in this Knowledge. I [...] is Life Eternal to know GOD. And they have a far greater and clearer Knowledge of the Works of Creation, and of the Di­vine Wisdom shining therein, than whilst in this World they could discern. The [...] [Page 79] are parts of his Ways: How little a Portion is heard of Him; but the Thunder of His Power who can understand? And here we are in much Darkness concerning the Pro­vidences of GOD. They are very Myste­rious. There is a Wheel within a Wheel. Good and Wise men know not what to think of them; they are at a Nonplus. Pro­vidences seem to run counter to Promises. Our Dark, Shallow Understandings can not Comprehend the Mystery of them; but in Heaven we shall. Hear how the Psalmist speaks, Psal. 73.16, 17. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me, until I went into the Sanctuary of God, then I understood, &c· Thus when in the Heavenly Sanctuary, we shall see clearly the Reasonableness, the Wisdom, the Faith­fulness of GOD in all His Providential Dispensations. And in Heaven we shall have a perfect Understanding of the holy Scriptures. There are many difficult places of Scripture: Peter says of Paul's Epistles, that in them there are some things hard to be Understood, 2 Pet. 3.16. The most Learned men in the World, have found a [Page 80] great Difficulty in Solving some Dark Passages in the Scripture. In Heaven they will be made Plain. When our Lord JE­SUS CHRIST Conversed with his Disciples after his Resurrection, it is said, that He Opened their Understandings, that they might Understand the Scriptures, Luk. 24.45. How much more will He Open their Un­derstandings, when their Souls shall be with him in Heaven? The Knowledge of the Mystery of Christ, is the most Excel­lent and Desirable Knowledge. The Apostle counted all things Loss, for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus. To know more of CHRIST is the Delight of An­gels, 1 Pet. 1.12. A greater Perfection in this Knowledge, is reserved for Heaven; where we shall know Even as we are known. We see then, that Saints in Heaven have attained unto a Perfection in Knowledge ▪ Which must not be understood of an Abso­lute, but of a Comparative Perfection: For Glorify'd Souls are still attaining unto greater degrees of Knowledge: Angels in Heaven do so; and therefore the like is to be said of the Spirits of [...]ust men Glorify'd [Page 81] Eph. 3.10. Both Angels and Glori­fy [...]d Souls, shall E're long know that which at present they do not know, Mark 13.32. But they have a Perfect Knowledge, Com­par'd with what in this world they had. And it adds to their Happiness, that they attain unto a great perfection in Know­ledge, without any difficulty. As long as we are in this world, we must take a great deal of pains, and spend a great deal of time to acquire a small degree of Know­ledge: But when the Soul of a Just man comes to Heaven, he will gain more Know­ledge in One Day, and without being at any Labour for it; than he could arrive unto in this world by a Thousands Years hard Study. Who then would not long to be in Heaven? Yet shew I unto you that which is more Excellent than Know­ledge.

4. The Spirits of Just men in the Hea­venly World, have attained unto a blessed Perfection in Holiness. That Sanctifica­ [...]ion which was begun in their Souls whilst [...]n Earth▪ is there bro't to a glorious Per­ [...]ection. The good Work in them is then [Page 82] finished, Philippians 1.6. The habit of Grace which was wrought in the Soul by Regeneration, does not Dy with the Body; but goes with the Soul to Heaven & into Eternity. Grace is a Seed of God which remains; an Anointing which abides in the soul. Death is so far from divesting the soul of its Graces, as that it perfects in a moment what was defective in them. Per­fection in Grace is the desire of every Godly man in this world; but the attain­ment of none. Tis Heavens attainment. Believers whilst in this world, are partly spiritual and partly carnal; partly holy & partly sinful: There is flesh and spirit in a continual Combat: But in Heaven all is spiritual, all is holy. The Will of the glo­rify'd soul is perfectly Conformed to the will of God. Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven; So we are to Pray, and the Expression does imply, that among the Saints in Heaven, there is a perfect Con­formity to the Will of GOD. And as the Will, so the Affections which depend thereon are Perfectly sanctify'd when th [...] soul is in Heaven. There is nothing in [Page 83] regular in them: Glorify'd souls desire nothing, delight in nothing but what they should desire and delight in. There is no disorder in their Affections; they are ne­ver out of frame, as too often they are in this world. But Especially, that chief Af­fection of Love is Perfectly Sanctify'd: There is no defect in it; 1 Joh. 4.18. Per­fect Love casts out Fear. Tis so in Hea­ven. The spirits of Just men there, are made perfect in Love. There is no Fear there, but all is Love. Glorify'd souls are always in a flame of Love to God & to Jesus Christ. In Heaven that great Com­mandment is fulfill'd, & that perfectly. The great Commandment is, Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. In Hea­ven they do so. And as their Love to God, so their Love to one another is per­fect. In Heaven there is Light, and there is Love in the perfection of both. In this world, the best and most holy Servants of Christ, in some lesser points differ in their Judgments, and sometimes in their Affec­tions too. Paul & Barnabas, altho' A­postles, [Page 84] had a sharp Contention. So had Hooper & Ridley, altho' Martyrs; and Lu­ther & Zwinglius, altho' Eminent Refor­mers both of them. In Heaven they a­gree perfectly. It was well spoken by a German Divine, writing to his Friend, Whe­ther (said he) I shall see you again in this World is uncertain; but we shall meet in that World, where Luther & Zwinglius have no difference. The Garment of Love is a chief Ornament of the New Man. Where­fore the Apostle says, Above all, put on Charity, which is the bond of Perfectness. Love is a fulfilling of the Law. When that is perfect, there will be a perfect Obedi­ence to the whole Law of God. So it is among the Spirits of Just men made per­fect in Heaven.

PROPOSITION IV.

The Spirits of Just men are made Perfect at the Instant when their Bodies Dy. It has been shew'd under the former Proposition, that the Souls of Believers are made per­fect whilest they are in their separate state we proceed now to shew that they are [...] Immediately at the hour of Death. They [Page 85] shall not wait a long time for their Bles­sedness. When once the Union between soul and body is dissolved, they are happy. Altho' they shall not receive their full Re­ward before the Resurrection; neverthe­less, they shall receive a blessed part of it before that. God said to Abraham, I am thy Shield, and thy exceeding great Reward, Gen 15.1. Thy Shield to protect thee in this Life; and thy Reward in the Life to come at the end of this Life. When once a mans Work is done, then cometh his Reward. His work is finished when he ceaseth to be on the Earth; and therefore then comes the Reward of Glory: Joh. 17.4, 5. I have Glorified thee on the Earth, I have finished the Work thou gavest me to do; now Glorify me. There are many Scriptures which intimate, that the sepa­ [...]ate Souls of Believers are immediately Happy upon the Death of their Bodies▪ Luk. 16.9. That when you fail, they may [...]eceive you into Everlasting Habitations. [...]easing to be in this World, is Failing ▪ [...]hen also all Earthly Enjoyments fail. [...] that Just men are received into the E [...]verlasting [Page 86] Habitations prepared for them. They go immediately to the Heavenly Paradise. Christ said to the Penitent on the Cross, This Day thou shalt be with me in Paradise, Luk. 23.43. Christ Dy'd but three hours before the Day was done; the Penitent Dy'd after him, yet that Day his soul was with Christ in Paradise. When our Momentany Afflictions are ended, then comes Glory, 2 Cor. 4.17. That Moment is this present Life: That no sooner ends but Glory begins. When the Earthly House of the Body is dissolved, the Be­liever is in an Heavenly House, 2 Cor. 5.1. Their souls do not remain in a Naked con­dition; but instead of a Cloathing of Flesh, a Cloathing of Glory is put upon them: which is that they desire, Ver. 2. No sooner is the Cloathing of Mortality put off, but the Cloathing of Glory is put on, as in the 4 th. Verse of that Chapter. This blessed Truth is likewise Revealed in the Book of Revelation. The 9 th. Verse i [...] the 6 th. Chapter, speaks of those who suf [...]fered Martyrdom, under the Pagan Empe [...]ror▪ Their Bodies were slain, but th [...] [Page 87] Souls were under the Altar; they were with Christ, and expected that their Mur­derers, who were still dwelling on the Earth should have Justice Executed on them, for shedding innocent Blood. Now [...]is said of those holy Souls, those Spirits of Just men, that white Robes were given to every one of them. Ver. 11. White Robes are an Ensign of Glory. The glorious Angels of Heaven, would sometimes ap­pear in white Robes; and the Spirits of Just men made perfect are like Angels; and therefore they must be represented as having white Robes on them. Moreover, the words allude to the Priests their being admitted into the Temple, who when they were first bro't into the inner Court, had white Robes put upon them. Thus the Souls of Just men when they first enter into the Heavenly Sanctuary, have white Robes given to them; they are immediate­ly Cloathed with Glory. We have also in the Revelation, a Prophesy relating to such as should suffer Martyrdom under the power of Antichrist. Of these we un­derstand that Scripture, Rev. 14.1 [...]. Bles­sed [Page 88] are the Dead which Dy in the Lord, from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit. An­tichrist has caused the Professors of the true Gospel, to be put to Cruel Deaths: Burning is such a Death. There is a Law in Antichrists Kingdom, that Hereticks (which is the Name they give to the Professors of the true Religion) shall be Burnt to Death. Now to encourage the Martyrs, the Spirit says, Blessed are the Dead which Dy in the Lord. You may suffer a painful Death, yet be of good Comfort, as soon as ever you are Dead you shall be Blessed. Says the Spirit, when a Righteous man Dies, his Soul is among the Spirits of Just men made perfect in Heaven, hefore his Body is laid in the Grave. Isa. 57.1, 2. The Righteous is taken away from the Evil to come; he shall enter into Peace, they shall rest in their Beds, i. e. in their Graves. It is in respect of their Souls that they enter into Peace; which imports their being in bles­sed Tranquility, and this as soon as ever they are taken away out of this world, before their Bodies are laid to rest & sleep in the Grave. Let us consider a little a [Page 89] Promise which God made to Abraham; Gen. 15.15. Thou shalt go to thy Fathers in Peace; thou shalt be buried in a good Old Age. That word Going to Fathers, is Emphatical; and has respect to the Soul. It is true, that that Expression of Sleeping with Fathers, is sometimes used in the Scripture to denote no more than Dying; it has respect to the Body, whose Death is a Sleep: But that great Divine, whom we have diverse times taken notice of, has Judiciously Observed, that Going to Fa­thers implies more, viz. that the Soul goes to that World where Fathers are gone be­fore. When Abraham Dy'd, in respect of his Soul he went to Abel, and to Noah, & to Shem, and to other of his Fore-fathers, who were gone into the Heavenly World before him, where the Spirits of those Just men were made Perfect. Before his Bu­rial could be accomplished, his Soul was gone and got among the immortal Spirits of his Fathers. Let us observe further what is said of Abraham, Gen. 25.8, 9. Where we see that Promise made to him fulfilled; Abraham gave up the Ghost, and [Page 90] Died in a good Old Age; and was gathered to his People, and his Sons Buried him. As soon as he gave up the Ghost, that is resigned his Spirit unto God, he was gathered to his People. That Expression implies, that there were a Company gone before him, and Gathered together; and that Abraham instantly at his Death was Gathered with them. Gathering implies Sorting: As long as they are in this world, Good & Bad are mixed together; not Only in the same Countrey, but the Wheat and the Tares grow together in the same Field of the Church: But at Death all the Good are Ga­thered into the Heavenly Garner, Mat. 3.12. And there they are kept safe by them­selves; not so much as One Ungodly Soul with them. Observe three particulars in what is said of Abraham (1.) That he gave up the Ghost. (2) That he was Gathered to his People. (3.) That he was Buried. The two first were before the last. The like is said of Jacob; Gen. 49 33. He yielded up the Ghost, and was Gathered to his People. This was some time before his Burial. If it be asked, [Page 91] By whom are the Spirits of Just men Gather­ed to their People? Answ. It is by the holy Angels of Heaven. As at the Last Day, they shall Gather all the Elect to­gether, and bring them to Christ; Mat. 24.31. He shall send his Angels, and they shall gather together his Elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. So the Angels Gather the Souls of Just men, and bring them to Christ in Heaven. An­gels are always near unto them; but Espe­cially in their Dying hours. Their Souls must pass thro' their Enemies Countrey. The Air is the Devils Territory. The Lord will send a Convoy of Angels to Con­duct their departing Souls; they will fly with them to the Regions of Bliss and Glory. When Elijah was translated, An­gels were sent to fetch him to Heaven, 2 King. 2.11. So it is when the Souls of Just men are Translated from Earth to Hea­ven. Famous Mr. Holland's last words were, Thou fiery Chariot that camest Down to fetch Elijah, carry me to my happy Hold. This honour have all the Saints: Yea, the meanest of them. When Lazarus Dy'd, [Page 92] he was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosom, Luk. 16.22. Lazarus a poor man, yet in what State is he Conducted to Heaven? Angels were sent to fetch him thither. Thus we see, that the immortal Spirits of Just men are Immediately Blessed when separated from their Bodies. The Martyrs of JESUS have Dy'd in the Faith of this Truth; and have Rejoyced in the Meditation of it. The Martyr Bradford said to his Fellow-Martyr, Be of good Com­fort, Brother; for we shall have a merry Supper with the Lord this Night. Mr. Wis­ehart a Famous Martyr in Scotland, with­in a few hours before his Death, said, Some have Reported that I believ'd, that the Souls of men Sleep with their Bodies; I am far from being of that Opinion: I certainly know, that I shall be with Christ this very Night. Dr. Taylor when he came within two Miles of Hadley, where he was to be Martyr'd, Now (said he) I lack but two Miles, and I am at my Father's House. Mr. Sanders, Kissing the Stake said, Welcome the Cross of Christ; Welcome Everlasting Life. Dr. Juels Dying [Page 93] words were, This Day let me see the Lord Jesus.

We proceed to some APPLICATION of the DOCTRINE. There are several Inferences from the Tr [...]th which has been Explain'd and Confirm'd.

Inf. I. Christians ought not to Mourn Immoderately, for the Death of their Godly Friends. The Consideration of their pre­sent Happiness, should Moderate our Griefs. When their Bodies are Dead; if they Dy in the Lord, their Spirits, their Souls are safe and happy. A man who has an Entire Love for another, will Re­joyce at his Friends gain; altho' he should himself lose something by it. It is a Loss to us, when any of our Precious Praying Friends are taken from us by Death: But they are happy Gainers, & that Meditation should quiet us. For me to Dy is Gain, said the Apostle. Should we not Rejoyce at our Friends Gain? Especially if they have gained a great Good; if they have gained [...] Crown, and a Crown of Life too? This Consideration Christ set before his Dis­ciples, [Page 94] to Comfort and Compose their spirits, which were much Troubl'd and Dejected at the thoughts of his Leaving them; Joh. 14.28. If you Loved me, ye would Rejoyce, because I go to the Father. So if our Friends and dear Relations who are gone from us, are gone to the Father and to Christ, at that we should Rejoyce. The Death of Children is a sore Affliction, and if they Dy in their Sins, without any signs of Repentance, that aggravates the Bitterness. This made David take on so, when Absalom was Dead: He was much mov'd, and went into his Chamber and Wept; and thus he said, O my Son Ab­salom, my Son, my Son Absalom: would GOD I had Dy'd for thee, O Absalom my Son, my Son, 2 Sam. 18.33. Q D. If I had Dy'd, I had gone to Heaven; but now thou art Dead in thy Sin and Rebel­lion against GOD, and against thy Father; I have no hope but thou art gone to Eter­nal Torments. But when there is good ground to believe, that they are gone to the Heavenly World, that marvellously alleviates the Affliction. As we see al [...] [Page 95] in David; when his Infant Child dy'd, he said, I shall go to him; but he shall not return to me: I shall go to him into the Grave, and to him in Heaven too. And truly there is reason to believe this, con­cerning all Children of Godly Parents dy­ing in their Infancy: For GOD has taken them into His Covenant; that Covenant is a Covenant of Life; they have not Vi­olated the Covenant; therefore we may hope that GOD has given them Eternal Life in Heaven, where they attain unto that Perfection, which in this world is not attainable. Do's not our Saviour say, that of such is the Kingdom of Heaven? Mat. 19.14. Therefore should Parents with a quiet spirit, submit unto such Dispensati­ons of the Divine Providence.

Inf. II. The Joys of Heaven are Won­derful. As the Happiness of Souls there is Wonderfully Great, so their Joy must needs be so too. In One happy Day of their Death, they are Delivered from all Sor­rows and from all Sin at Once; and this must needs cause an inexpressible Joy. What [Page 96] Joy was there among the Children of Is­rael, when they saw themselves at Once for ever Saved from the Egyptians? They Sang for Joy. But what Songs of Joy do we think there are in Heaven, among the Spirits of Just men made Perfect? What Joyful Hallelujahs, when they know that they shall never Sorrow, nor Sin, nor be Tempted any more? In Heaven they have that Assurance. In this World, there are many true Believers, who have not Assu­rance. Nay, it is possible, that they may go out of the World under Doubts & Fears: But as soon as they are among the Spirits of Just men made Perfect, they have Assu­rance for ever. This must needs cause Joy, & Exceeding Joy. Jude 24. Presented be­fore the Presence of His Glory with Ex­ceeding Joy. Some Believers in this Life, have had Prelibations of Heaven; some Blessed Foretasts of it. And then what Joys have their Souls been filled with? 1 Pet. 1.8. Ye Rejoyce with Joy unspeak­able, & full of Glory. It was commonly thus with the Martyrs. As their Suf­ferings did abound, their Consolations di [...] [Page 97] abound; and their Joy could no man take from them. They would sometimes call a Prison, a Delectable Paradise. If the foretaste of Heaven has such Joy in it, what is Heaven it self? Some when they have been on the borders of Heaven just ready to take Possession, have had Soul ravishing Joys. There was in Lanceshire, a very Religious Gentlewoman, Mrs. Ca­tharine Brettergh, who excelled in Charity and other Graces, had great conflicts on her Death-bed, having been (as she ex­pressed it) in a roring Wilderness of Wo, but [...]fter that in unutterable Joys. She said, [...] the Joyes! the Joyes! the Joyes! which I feel, they are Wonderful! they are Wonder­ful! they are Wonderful! And there was a singularly Pious Gentleman in Cheshire, Mr. John Bruen: The Day before [...]e fell Sick of that Sickness whereof [...]e dyed, a near Relation saying to him, [...] doubt you may have hurt your self by [...]sing so early and continuing so long in [...]our Closet, he replied, You would not [...]ink so, if you had seen such Glorious things saw this Morning when I was Praying, [Page 98] for they were so wonderful and unspeakable, that whether I was in the body, or out of the body with Paul, I can not tell. But then what ineffable Joy does the Spirit of a Just man feel when he is got safe within the Everlasting Gates of Heaven! The Joys of Heaven are wonderfully great in re­spect of the degree and measure of them. In Heaven there is not only Joy but ful­ness of Joy, Psal. 16.11. The Joy there, is greater than what a Mortal man can bear up under. It is related of an Eminent Minister in Scotland, that he was so over­powered with these Joys as to Pray that he might not have more until his Spirit was gone out of the Earthly Tabernacle. Lord (said he) hold thy hand: I am a Ves­sel of clay and I can bear no more. A Saint in heaven has as much Joy as ever his Soul can hold. Nay, more than that must be said the Joy there is greater than the capacious Soul of a faithful Servant of God is able to contain. Math. 25.21. Well done, thou good & faithful Servant, enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord In this World, Joy enters into the Soul, but in Heaven the Soul enters into Joy. And heavenly Joys are wonderful­ly [Page 99] great in respect of the continuance of them. Pleasures for evermore, Psal. 16.11. They are not like Earthly Joys which are but a flash, and over in a Moment: but the Joys of heaven are as the Days of hea­ven, they will continue as long as there shall be any heaven: They are lasting, yea everlasting Joys. Isai. 35.10. The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Sion with Songs, and everlasting Joy upon their heads, they shall obtain joy and glad­ness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Inf. III. The Souls of Men and Women who dy in their Sins, are after the death of their Bodies very Miserable. What have they to Comfort them? Their Earthly Comforts go not with them to another World. They have no Interest in them after their Souls are in a state of Separati­on from their bodies. Luk. 12.20. This night thy Soul shall be required of thee, then whose shall those things be that thou [...]ast pro­vided? What becomes of the Sinners Soul when his body dies? Whither does it go? To what Company? To what Place? His Soul goes not to an innumerable company [Page 100] of holy Angels, but to a company of De­vils. It was a dismal word which the Devil spoke to Saul, when he said to him, To morrow thou shalt be with me, 1 Sam. 28.19. The Sinner that dies to day, to morrow his Soul will be with Devils: his soul does not go to be with the spirits of Just men made perfect; but to the souls of those Wicked men, who have died and gone to Hell before him. When a wicked man dies, his soul goes to be with the soul of Cain, and of Pharaoh, and of Judas; with other Sons of Perdition. His de­parted soul is carried to a woful Prison. It is said of the Sinners of the Old Un­godly world, that their Spirits, their im­mortal Souls are in Prison, 1 Pet. 3.19. Those horrid Giants which Lived before the Flood, their souls are in Hell; and when Ungodly men dy, their souls go to remain with them until the Great Day of Judgment. Prov. 21.16. The man that wanders out of the way of Understanding, shall remain in the Congregation of the Dead. In the Original it is, the Congregation of Rephaim, viz. of the Giants, who were [Page 101] Drown'd and Damn'd, when their Founda­tion was Overflown with a Flood. These are represented in the Scripture as being in Misery, and sighing because of their Misery. Those words in Job 26.5. which are translated, Dead things are form'd un­der the water: A Learn'd and Great Ex­positor reads, The Giants Sigh under the water; denoting the Misery of those wick­ed men, who Lived before and were De­stroy'd by the Flood; and so of all other sinners after their Bodies are Dead. The design of the Parable of Dives & Lazarus, is to declare the Misery which Dead and Damn'd sinners are in before the Day of Judgment. While Dives lay Buried, he was in a place of Torment; and whilest his Brethren were yet Living on the Earth, and had the means of Grace vouchsafed to them; Moses and the Prophets to instruct them; which after the Day of Judgment they have not. Its true, that then they shall be in greater Misery than at present they are; when their Bodies as well as their Souls shall be in flaming Torment. Nevertheless, they are now in grievous [Page 102] Misery. Despair is a Miserable thing: Francis Spira when he felt the horrors of it, thought it was worse than hell. The woful souls in hell, despair of ever seeing any Good: They know they shall never see any Earthly good more. Job 27.8. What is the hope of the Hypocrite, tho' he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? And which is an infinitely greater Misery, they Despair of ever obtaining the Pardon of their Sins, or the Salvation of their Souls. They know that their Day of Grace is past; and the thought of the ter­rible Sentence which will be passed upon them at the great Day of Judgment, fills them with unspeakable Anguish and Hor­ror. It is with them as with those who have Sinned Unpardonably: There re­mains no more Sacrifice for sins; but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment, and of fiery Indignation which shall de­vour the Adversaries.

Inf. IV. Oh! That every One of us might make sure of this One thing, that when we Dy and leave this World, our immortal Spi­rits [Page 103] may go to be with the Spirits of Just men made Perfect. Christ has said, There is One thing Needful, Luk. 10.42. For us to make sure that we shall go to Hea­ven when we Dy, is that than which no­thing is or can be more Needful. We have Mortal Bodies; and Death for ought we know, may come upon us Suddenly. And every One of us has an Immortal Soul: Should not then every One of us be often thinking, If I should Dy this Night, what would become of my Soul? Is that safe for Eternity?

Therefore make sure that we are now among Just men: That we are true Be­lievers on Christ, that so His Righteous­ness may be imputed to us for our Justi­fication; That Death may find us in Him. And that we Live Righteous and Holy Lives, without which it will be a Vain thing for us to pretend unto having Faith. That Faith which is not attended with Works of New Obedience, is no Faith. Alas! Many men are like Balaam; he said, Let me Dy the Death of the Righteous, and let my [Afterwards] be like his. He [Page 104] knew that Righteous men will be Happy after this Life; that when their Bodies Dy, their Souls go to Heaven: Such a Death he was willing to have had; but took no care to Live the Life of the Righteous. If we are Perfect whilest in this world in respect of Sincerity, and an Entire Obe­dience to the Commandments of God, we shall be Perfect in Happiness, when we must be here no longer. Then when our Bodies rest in the Grave, our Souls will enter into Peace. For this we have a re­markable Promise, and with that I Con­clude, Psal. 37.37. Mark the Perfect Man, and behold the Upright; for the End of that Man is Peace.

PROPOSITION I.

There shall be a Resurrection of the Dead▪ The Grave is the House appointed for al [...] the Living: But altho' some shall abide a long time in that House; it is a Long Home, none shall continue there always but they shall be brought forth Out of it▪ Joh. 5.28, 29 The hour is coming, in whic [...] all that are in their Graves shall come fort▪ [Page 109] This is a truth which has been but little believed: Very few comparatively have given credit to it. For it is not known by the Light of Nature; Only by Divine Re­velation. The Immortality of the Soul, may be known by the Light of Nature, as we have formerly declared. Thence the Philosophers among the Gentiles, did generally assert and maintain that for Truth: But that a Dead Body should Rise and be Immortaliz'd, is that which Reason without Revelation can not apprehend. Hence the most Learned men among those who had no other Light above the dim Light of Natural Reason, have derided the Notion of a Resurrection. In the Uni­ [...]ersity at Athens, were the most Learned [...]en in the World; how they Entertain'd [...]he Doctrine of the Resurrection of the Dead, [...]e see in Act. 17.32. When they heard of the Resurrection of the Dead, some Mocked. One [...] the most Learned men among the Hea­ [...]hen Writers, calls that great Scripture [...]ruth, Puerile Deliramentum; a Childish [...]otage. He thought that no man but [...]ch as were Dilirious would believe it. [Page 110] Nevertheless, all Christians do believe it. Tertullian Elegantly begins One of his Books with these words, Resurrectio M [...]r­tuorum Fiducia Christianorum; The Resur­rection of the Dead is the Faith of all Christians. And for this Faith among O­ther holy Truths of the Gospel, they were Hated and Persecuted by their Enemies, who would not only Murder and Martyr them; but would Burn their dead Bodies to Ashes, and scatter those Ashes far and near; and then would Laugh at Christi­ans, who thought it possible for such a Body to Live again. But this was be­cause like the Sadduces, they knew not the Scripture nor the Power of God. It is true, that nothing less than Infinite Power can Raise the Dead; but that can Easily do it. Wherefore the Apostle when h [...] Preach'd a Sermon in the hearing of som [...] who dis-believed the Resurrection, pu [...] them in mind of the Power of God: Ac [...] 26.8. Why should it be thought a thing i [...] credible with you, that God should Raise t [...] Dead. What can not Omnipotence d [...] ▪ Altho' to make a Body that is dead a [...] [Page 111] turn'd to dust, to live again is above the Power of all the Men on Earth, or of all the Angels in Heaven; Nevertheless, Om­nipotence can do it. That Power which created the World out of nothing, can easily do it. We may also Argue from the Om­niscience of God, that there is a possibility of the Resurrection. He that has such In­finite Knowledge, with His Almighty Power can Raise every man that is or shall be dead. All things are Naked & Open­ed unto his Eyes; neither is there any Creature which is not manifest in his Sight. He knows all that are dead: And he has a singular Eye on the dead Bodies of his Servants. When their Flesh and their Bones are dissolv'd and turn'd to Dust, [...]here is not an Atom of that Dust, but what is known to the Omniscient GOD. [...]et the dust of their dissolv'd Bodies be [...]ispersed never so much, the Omniscient [...]OD knows where every particle of it is; [...]nd he knows how to make the dissolv'd [...]esh and Bones, to become Flesh and [...]ones again and to live. As tis said con­ [...]rning the Dry Bones in Ezekiel, in which [Page 112] there is a manifest Allusion to the Resur­rection of the Dead at the Last Day. Can these Bones Live? O Lord God thou know­est. The Bones came together Bone to his Bone: The Sinews and the Flesh came upon them, and their Skin covered them; Breath came into them, and they Lived & stood upon their Feet, Ezek. 37.7, &c. Moreover, There is some resemblance of the Resur­rection in the Ordinary Works of Provi­dence, which altho' we can not thence in­fer, that certainly there shall be a Resur­rection, we may infer a Possibility of it. In the Winter Season, Plants seem as if they had no Life or Vegetation in them, but in the Spring we see them Revive won­derfully. GOD by his Spirit and Power Reviveth the Face of the Earth, Psal. 104.30. We see Corn is cast into the Ground, it Dyeth there, and yet utter that it Riseth again. By this Similitude, does our Sa­viour Illustrate the Resurrection, Joh. 12.24. Except a Corn of Wheat fall into th [...] Ground and Dye, it abides alone; but if i [...] Dye, it brings forth much Fruit. Chris [...] was that Wheat which Died and Ros [...] [Page 113] again, & bro't forth much Fruit, by which GOD is Glorify'd, and his Elect are Sav'd. After the like manner does the Apostle reason, 1 Cor. 15.35, — Some will say, How are the Dead raised? with what body do they come? That which thou sowest, is not quickned, except it Dye. God giveth it a body; as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. When the Bodies of men are put into the Grave, they are sowen there; they will spring up at last, altho' it may be long first. There is also a notable Repre­sentation of the Resurrection, by that which some Naturalists Observe, viz. That if Plants are Consumed to Ashes, & those Ashes turn'd into Salt, out of that Salt there may be made to spring up the perfect form of the Plants so Dissolv'd. Is it not then possible, for Bodies that are turn'd to Dust [...]nd Ashes, to be Restored to Life again, by the Power and Wisdom of GOD? But [...]t is the holy Scripture, that gives us to un­ [...]erstand, that there is not only a Possibi­ [...]ity, or a Probability; but a Certainty of [...]e Resurrection of the Dead. From [...]ence it is, that the Servants of God do [Page 114] not only Think that there shall be a Re­surrection, but they are Sure of it. Where­fore when Christ told Martha, that her dead Brother should rise again, she reply'd, I Know that he shall rise again in the Re­surrection at the Last Day, Joh. 11.24. The Resurrection is asserted in the Scrip­tures of the Old Testament. Therefore the Jewish Church believed it: Their Faith of the Resurrection was built in special on that Scripture, Dan. 12.2. Many of them that sleep in the Dust of the Earth shall awake, some to everlasting Life, and some to Shame and everlasting Contempt. Sometimes in the Scripture, (and indeed very often) All denotes Many; and sometimes Many is put for All: So tis in the Scripture mention'd. In the first Pro­mise made to Fallen man, the Resurrecti­on from the Dead is Comprehended, viz. That the Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents Head, Gen. 3.15. Therein is implied, that Christ should de­stroy the works of the Devil; therefore that he shall deliver from Sin and Death which are the works of the Devil. Th [...] [Page 115] great Plot contriv'd in the Head of the Old Serpent, was to bring an Eternal Death, both of Body and Soul upon all Mankind: The bruising of the Serpents Head intimates, that Christ has disap­pointed the Plot, and deliver'd his Elect from that Death which Sin has brought upon them. Hence the Servants of God that Liv'd in Ancient times, before the Scripture was written; believed the Re­surrection. Job who liv'd before Moses, was comforted with the assurance he had of the Resurrection of his Body: Job. 14.15. Thou shalt call, at the Last day thou wilt call me out of the Grave, and I will answer thee; I shall rise suddenly, as a Servant at the call of his Master. My Body is, and my Resurrection Body much more will be the wonderful work of thy [...]ands. In the appointed time, thou wilt [...]ave a desire to the work of thy hands. A­ [...]ain he says, That altho' Worms shall de­ [...]roy first his skin & then his body, never­ [...]heless, he knew that he should see his Re­ [...]eemer stand on the Earth at the latter [...]ay, Chap. 19.25, 26. The Book of [Page 116] Psalms also speaks of the Resurrection: Psal. 17.15. When I awake, sc. when I awake out of the sleep of Death at the Resurrection, I shall be satisfied with thy likeness. To this purpose some interpret the Psalmists words, in Psal. 139.18. When I awake I am still with thee; when I shall arise out of my Grave, I shall al­ways be with God. Then shall we ever be with the Lord. But the New Testa­ment has more clearly and abundantly made known this Truth unto the World. Wherefore it is said, 2 Tim. 1.10. That our Saviour Jesus Christ, has abolished Death; and brought Life & Immortality to light through the Gospel. The Gentile world knew nothing about the abolition of Death, or of a Resurrection to Ever­lasting Life, until CHRIST caused the Gospel to Publish it to the Nations. All the Evangelists speak of the Resurrection▪ It is often asserted in the Acts of the A­postles. We find there that Paul made a Publick Confession of his Faith concern­ing it: I Confess (said he) that I believ [...] [...]ll things written in the Law and in the Pro [...]phets; [Page 117] and have Hope towards God, that there shall be a Resurrection of the Dead, both of the Just and the Unjust, Act. 24.14, 15. In his Epistle to the Corinthians, there is a whole large Chapter, the design of which is to prove the Resurrection of the dead. As the Oracles of God begin with this Doctrine, in the Book of Genesis, so they con­clude with it in the Book of Revelation, Ch. 20.12, 13. I saw the Dead small & great, stand before God; the Sea gave up the Dead which were in it; and Death & Hell deli­vered up the Dead which were in them.

PROPOSITION II.

The very same Body which Dy'd shall Rise again. Otherwise it would not be properly a Resurrection; Which is as much as to say, Iterata Surrectio; A rising again of the same which fell; or taking up that which was laid down, and not ano­ther thing instead of it. If another Body should be Created and the Soul United to it, that could not be call'd a Resurrection; because that Body never fell to the Ground. It would be a Creation, and not a Resurrection. And the Soul might then [Page 118] say at the Day of Judgment, This is none of my Body; My Body is not raised; I never liv'd in this Body before Death made a se­paration between my body & soul. Most true it is, that the Body will be wonder­fully changed, from what it was in this world: Phil. 3.21. He shall change our Vile Body; but there will not be an Es­sential Change. As a Goldsmith makes a New Vessel of an Old Plate; not by changing the Metal, but by changing the External Form and Fashion of it: So in the Resurrection, the Body will be Mate­rially and Substantially what it was be­fore Death: There will be New Quali­ties and Glorious Properties in the Resur­rection Body, which were not there whi­lest in their Mortal state; of which we shall speak under the next Proposition ▪ Nevertheless, it will be a Body still; and Essentially the same Body that dy'd. D [...] we not think, that Enoch & Elijah, hav [...] now the same Bodies in Heaven, which the [...] had on Earth; notwithstanding their be [...]ing Gloriously Changed? And the lik [...] is to be said concerning those Saints, who [...] [Page 119] our LORD shall find alive on the Earth, at his Coming to Judge the World. Their Bodies will be wonderfully Changed in the twinkling of an Eye; but they shall not be Annihilated; and New Bodies Essentially differing from the former Cre­ated and given to them: 1 Cor. 15.51, 52. There have been some pretenders to be­lieve the Resurrection of the Body; but not of the same Numerical Body, which was put into the Grave. So said the Ma­nichees many Ages since: So say the So­cinians at this day. So that this has been an Old Error lately revived. As long ago as Tertullian's time; there were some such among Professed Christians, whom he justly calls, Partiarios Sententiae Saducaeo­rum; Half Sadduces, or Sharers with the Sadduces, in their Opinion of denying the Resurrection. Although in the Creed commonly used, the Article of the Resur­rection is Expressed, I believe a Resurrecti­on of the Body; in many Creeds it was a Resurrection of the Flesh: And it was so Express'd, in Opposition to those who said, that the Resurrection Body would [Page 120] not be Flesh; but that it would be Meta­morphosed into an Aerial Body. More­over, to declare their abhorrence of their Tenent, who held that the same Body which dy'd and was bury'd shall not rise again, the Christians in Africa, when they recited that Article of the Creed, I believe the Resurrection of the Body, they would lay their hands on their Body and say, I believe the Resurrection of this Body. The denial of the Resurrection of the same Body that dy'd, is a great Error. It strikes at a Fundamental Article in our Christian Religion. I shall therefore fur­ther insist on the Truth before us, and mention several things for our Confirma­tion and Establishment in the Faith of it.

1. The holy Scriptures Expresly de­clare a Resurrection of the same Body. Job believ'd, that notwithstanding his Bo­dy should be Consumed in the Grave, he should Rise again at the Last day with the very same Body. I will not trouble you with the Critical Disputes of Learn'd men, about the translation of his words [Page 121] but in our English Bibles they run thus, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter Day on the Earth; and though after my skin Worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for my self, & mine eyes shall be­hold, & not another, tho' my reins be con­sumed within me, Job 19.25, 26, 27. He did not think, that after the Resur­rection he should have an Aerial Body; but that he should have Flesh, & that he should have Bodily Eyes, the same that he had be­fore his Death; and that with them, he should see GOD his Redeemer; namely our Lord Jesus Christ, who is GOD as well as Man; and because he is a Man He may be seen with Bodily Eyes. One reason why Believers shall have Bodily Eyes re­stored to them at the Latter day, is, that so they may behold the Glory of the God-man JESUS CHRIST. Job more­over says, I, my self, and not another. How can words be more Exprest? And does not the Apostle say, This Corruptible (not a­nother but this Corruptible) shall put on Incorruption? 1 Cor. 15.53. He speaks [Page 122] as plainly and demonstratively, as if he had pointed with his Finger and said, This very Body. Again, he says to the Philip­pians, Christ shall Change our Vile Body, that it may be Fashioned like unto His Glo­rious Body, Phil. 3.21. That very Body which was a Subject of Vileness, shall be a Subject of Glory. It shall be the same Numerical Body. That Body which was Ours, and not another which was not Ours. It is related in the History of the Bo­hemian Persecution, that when a Noble Martyr, the Lord Henry Otto, was Con­demned to Death for his Religion, (ha­ving appeared vigorously for the Protestant Interest in that Kingdom) he said unto his Persecutors and Murderers, You may cut my Body in pieces, Yet I do believe that my Saviour will gather them together a­gain, & Cloathe them with Skin; so that with these Eyes I shall see him; with these Ears I shall hear him; and with this Tongue I shall praise him; and with this Heart I shall re­joyce in him for ever.

2. That Body which our Saviour Christ had after his Resurrection, and which h [...] [Page 123] has now in Heaven, is the very same Bo­dy which dy'd and lay in the Grave. His Resurrection did not turn his Body into a Spirit, Luk. 24.39. And altho' since his Ascension, his Body is become more Glorious than the Sun in the Firmament: When he appeared to Saul, it was with a Light above the brightness of the Sun, Act. 26.13. Yet nevertheless, it remains a body still. That very Body which was Once hanging on the Cross at Jerusalem, is now at the Right Hand of GOD in Heaven. From Heaven he declares, as in Rev. 1.18. I am He that Liveth & was Dead; and behold I am Alive for ever­more. The same Body which was Dead is now Alive, and may be seen with bodily Eyes: For so did the Martyr Stephen see him, Act. 7.55, 56. He Looked up stead­fastly into Heaven, & saw the Glory of God, & Jesus standing at the Right Hand of God. There appeared a wonderful Glo­ry; and at the Right Hand of that Glory, he saw the Man JESUS standing; he said, I see the Heavens Opened, & the Son of Man standing at the Right Hand of God. [Page 124] That Humane Nature, which the Eternal Son of GOD has assumed, will never be laid aside: He is a Man still. There is One Mediator between GOD and Men, the Man Christ Jesus. And when he shall come to Judge the World, He will come with that very Body, which was Once Dead and in the Grave. GOD has ap­pointed a Day, in which He will Judge the World, by that Man whom He has Or­dained, Act. 17.31. We conclude then, that the Children of God shall have the same Bodies, but most wonderfully Chan­ged in the Resurrection World, which they had in this World: For Christ is Risen as the first fruits, 1 Cor. 15.23. Their Resurrection will hold a Conformity with His.

3. If we duely Consider the Remune­rating Justice of GOD, we may from that Infer, that the same Body which dy'd shall rise again. God will dispense Rewards to men, according to what they did whil'st in their bodies. That Body in which the Soul Liv'd whilst on the Earth, will be the Body which shall appear before the Judg­ment-seat [Page 125] of Christ, after the Resurrection to be made a Subject either of Glory or of Punishment: 2 Cor. 5.10. We must all appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things Done in his Body, according to what he has Done, whether it be good or bad. That body which has been partaker with the soul in doing either Good or Evil, it is just and reasonable that it should partake in the Reward; and not another instead of it. Can we think, that the Body which has joyned with the Soul in Sinning against God, shall escape Punishment; and another Body that never Sinned, suffer the Ven­geance of Eternal Fire? How does that stand with Justice? And as for the Faith­ful Servant of Christ, his Body has joyned with his Soul in serving the Lord; and therefore that very Body shall be a Sub­ject of Glory. That Head which has been contriving to promote the Glory of GOD, that Tongue which has been speaking for Him, those Hands which have been at work for Him, those Feet which have been going about to do good, shall be [Page 126] Glorified at the Resurrection of the Just.

4. The Bodies as well as the Souls of Believers are Redeemed by Christ, Uni­ted to Him, and Sanctified by his Spirit dwelling in them. Therefore they are the bodies, and not Others instead of them, which shall be Raised up to Eternal Life at the Last Day. That very body which the believing soul now lives in, and shall dye and be put into the grave, has been Redeemed with the Blood of Christ, 1 Cor. 6.20. Can we imagine, that the body which Christ has Purchased with his Blood, shall never Rise out of the Grave; but that his soul after the Resurrection shall dwell in another body, which Christ never dy'd for the Redemption of it? That body which belongs to Christ as a mem­ber of his Mystical Body, which is Uni­ted to him shall Rise to Glory. This is to be affirm'd of the mortal body, which the believing soul now abides in. 1 Cor. 6.15. Know ye not that your Bodies are the members of Christ? Christ has by his Spirit taken Possession, not Only of the [Page 127] believers soul, but of his body also: which is the reason of its being raised up to an Everlasting Life: Rom. 8.11. If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the Dead, Dwell in You: He that raised Christ from the Dead, shall also Quicken your mortal Bo­dies, by his Spirit which Dwells in you. That body in which the Holy Spirit dwells, is the body that shall dy, and that shall be made alive again. The body of the true Believer is a subject of Sanctification; and therefore that very body shall be a subject of Glorification. He has given himself, soul and body to God in Jesus Christ, and has served God with both; therefore both shall Live Eternally: Rom. 12.1. Present your Bodies a living Sacrifice, holy, accep­table unto GOD, which is your reasonable Service.

There comes to my thoughts, the Dy­ing Expressions of a Learned and Godly Physician in Germany. As his Death ap­proached, he uttered such words as these; ‘The Lord will put a Guard to this bo­dy, viz. his holy Angels, to keep my Dust and Bones, which have been and [Page 128] shall be for ever the Habitation of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible, that this Flesh and Mass of my Body, which has been ingrafted into the Body of Christ, should be Annihilated, or for ever con­tinued in the state of Death: But thou the Fountain of Life, shall require from the Earth this thine Own Image; even out of the smallest Crumbs of Dust and Ashes which are there, and send forth thy Spirit, again to Build up this a Glo­rious and a Living Body; that it may become an Habitation for thee to Dwell in for ever!’

PROPOSITION III.

Wonderful will be the Happiness of the Children of GOD in the Resurrection World. It has been shewed, that the Happiness of the Saints of GOD in another World will be Wonderfully Great; and that their Souls do attain unto a Blessed Perfection in the Heavenly Paradise, when in a state of Separation from their Bodies: We now proceed to shew, that there will be a mar­vellous Addition to their Happiness and Glory, in the Resurrection World. For [Page 129] then their Immortal Spirits shall not loose any thing of that Perfection, which they had in a Separate State: but their bodies will have a Glory, which in this World they had not.

In Order to the Clearing and Confir­mation of the Truth before us, several things may be mentioned as Demonstra­tations of it.

1. The Children of GOD shall in that World, in diverse respects attain unto An­gelical Perfection. The Text before us says, They shall be Equal to the Angels: Which another Evangelist Expresseth by saying, They shall be as the Angels of GOD in Heaven: i. e. Very like unto them. Which is not to be so understood, as if they should in all respects be as the An­gels are. We may not suppose, that the Humane Nature shall be turned into the Angelical Nature. Men and Angels are of different Natures. It is said of our Sa­ [...]iour Christ, that since the Children of GOD are partakers of Flesh & Blood, He [...]lso himself likewise took part of the same, Heb. 2.14. Angels have not Flesh and [Page 130] Blood. Nor did Christ take on him the Angelical Nature, verse 16. Angels have not bodies as Christ had, and still has, and ever will have, a body which (as former­ly was said) may be seen with bodily eyes. Mark 14.62. You shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of Power, and coming in the Clouds of Heaven. Then the Eyes of every man in the World shall see him. Rev. 1.7. Behold, he cometh with Clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also that pierced him. But the Angelical Nature is invisible to bodily eyes. And therefore when tis said, That the Chil­dren of the Resurrection shall be as the An­gels, we may not think that they will loose their Humane Nature, and be turned into Angels. Angels are in respect of their Nature, Spirits: Psal. 104.4. He has made his Angels Spirits: but men shall not b [...] made Spirits. It is true, That the Resur [...]rection body will be a Spiritual body. S [...] sayes the Scripture, as anon we shall shew Tis not said that the Body shall then be [...] Spirit, only that it shall be Spiritual. Be [...]tween a Spirit & a Body there is an essen [...]tial [Page 131] difference. If it is a Spirit it is not a Body; if it is a Body it is not a Spirit. When therefore Christ appeared to his Disciples, after his Resurrection; and they were terrified supposing they had seen a Spirit; to convince them of their Error he said to them, A Spirit has not Flesh and Bones as you see me have, Luk. 24.39. Now as Christ retains the essentials of Humane Nature, so shall all the Children of God do in the Resurrection World.

Quest. But then in what respect shall they [...]e as the Angels in Heaven?

Answ. [1.] In that they shall then very much resemble the blessed God as the An­gels of Heaven do. Therefore they are [...]alled, The Sons of God, Job 38.7. And [...]he Name of Gods is given to them. Psal. [...].7. Worship him all ye Gods, that is to [...]y, All ye Angels; so does the Apostle in­ [...]rpret those words of the Psalmist, Heb. [...]6. There will be a wonderful impressi­ [...] of the Divine Image on them. There [...]as so on Adam before the fall: but [...]ere will be a far more Glorious impression [...] the Divine Image on the Children of the [Page 132] Resurrection, then there was on Adam in his first Creation, therefore are they called the Sons of God.

More particularly,

(1.) Angels excel in Wisdom & Know­ledge. It is said concerning the particu­lar Time when the Day of Judgment shall begin, Of that Hour knows no man, no not the Angels of heaven, Mat. 24.36. impor­ting that Angels have a great measure of Knowledge. Davids great Wisdom was set forth by saying, He was wise according to the Wisdom of an Angel of God, to know all things that are on the Earth, 2 Sam. 14.20. The Children of the Resurrection shall be adorned with Angelical Know­ledge. If their Souls attain unto a Mar­vellous Perfection in Knowledge whilest in their Separate State, (as from another Scripture has been declared) that Know­ledge will not be diminished by a re-union with the Body, in the Resurrection World▪ What an imperfect Knowledge has a Child compared with the Knowledge of a Lear­ned man? A greater difference than that there is between the Knowledge whic [...] [Page 133] the Children of God have whilest in this World, and that which they shall have in that World. Hence the Apostle speaks as in 1 Cor. 13.11. When I was a Child, I spake as a Child, I understood as a Child, I thought as a Child, but when I became a Man I put away Childish things. Our Knowledge now is weak and childish, but then it will be manly and perfect.

(2.) The Angels of heaven are called Holy Angels, Math. 25.31. They are the Holy Ones the Prophet speaks of, Dan. 4 17. They are perfectly pure from Sin. When they appeared to men, their Raiment has been White, an Emblem of their Purity as well as their Glory. But thus shall it be with the Children of God, in the Resur­rection World. They shall have no more Sin in them, than the Angels of heaven have. Then will the Spouse of Christ be all fair, and no spot in her, Cant. 4 7. It will be a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and with­out blemish, Eph. 5.27. We are taught to Pray, Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. So it shall be in the Resurrection [Page 134] World. Saints on Earth will then do the Will of God, with a perfection Equal to that of Angels in Heaven.

[2.] The Children of the Resurrection cannot dye. So it is said in the Text be­fore us: Neither can they dye any more. It is on this account especially that they are said to be Equal with the Angels, viz. In respect of a blessed Immortality. It is to be affirmed of Angels, not only that they shall not, but that they cannot dye. It is said of the Immortal Souls of men that they cannot be killed; much more may it be said of Angels, they cannot be killed. God who made them is able to Annihilate them, but they cannot dye: they cannot be resolved into pre-existent Principles, because they were not made out of such. In this World there is not a man but what shall dye: What man is he that liveth and shall not see death? But in the Resurrection World there is not one that shall dye. They who were Mortal in this World, become Immortal in that World. There it is that Mortality is swallowed up of Life, 2 Cor. 5.4. So are the Children of the Resurrection, [Page 135] as the Angels of heaven. Some may say, but is it not said of the blessed God, That He only has Immortality, 1 Tim. 6.16. Ans. It is most true, that He only has Im­mortality Originally. He only has Im­mortality from Himself: but Angels have Immortality by the Gift of God. They are not subject to any decay of Nature as Mortal Creatures are. Notwithstanding they have lived more than five Thousand years, they are as strong and vigorous as ever they were, without any the least de­cay. So shall it be with the Children of the Resurrection. There they Eat of the Tree of Life, the meaning of which, is, that the Gift of Immortality is conferred on them, Rev. 2.7. But of this further under the next Demonstration of the Proposition before us; Which is,

2. That the Resurrection body will be adorned with very glorious Properties, in respect whereof wonderful will be the Happiness of the Children of God, in the Resurrection World. The Apostle men­tions Four Properties of the Resurrection Body, which we shall a little insist on, and enquire into.

[Page 136](1.) Incorruption: 1 Cor. 15.42. It is sown in Corruption, it is raised in Incorrup­tion. The Apostle comes over with it a­gain, in Ver. 53. This Corruptible must put on Incorruption. The Immortality of the Resurrection body, is implied in the In­corruption of it. Since Sin has entred into the world, there is nothing more subject to Mortality, than the frail Bodies of men. They no sooner begin to Live, but they begin to Dy: They are subject to Death by a thousand Casualties; also by inward Diseases. There are the seeds of all Di­seases in the body, which prove Mortal to it. Besides, Nature does in time decay. If there were no other Disease to hasten Death, Old Age is a Disease which will infallibly bring to the Grave at last; and there it becomes Corruption it self. Job 17.14. I have said to Corruption, thou art my Father; to the Worm thou art my Mother & my Sister. They and I shall dwell in the same House together, as Fathers and Mo­thers, and Brothers and Sisters use to do. The Grave is that House. But the Re­surrection body is subject to no Death: It [Page 137] will be an heavenly body. Then the souls of Believers will be Cloathed upon, and dwell in their House which is from heaven. 2 Cor. 5.1. They have born the image of the Earthly; but they shall bear the image of the Heavenly, 1 Cor. 15.49. The Re­surrection Body will abide like the Days of heaven, without being subject to any De­cay. There have been some few in the world, whose bodies had been Dead, but were restored to Life again: So it was with Lazarus; and some few Others men­tioned in the Scripture, both in the Old and in the New Testament. These Dy'd again. It shall not be so with the Chil­dren of God in the Resurrection at the Last Day. They shall have a better Resur­rection than those had, Heb. 11.35. When they awake out of the dust where their bodies have been sleeping, it will be to Everlasting Life, Dan. 12.2. As our Saviour CHRIST, when He rose from the Dead, was no more subject to death: Rom. 6 9. Christ being raised from the Dead, Di­ [...]th no more, Death hath no more Dominion [...]ver him. So shall it be with all the [Page 138] Children of God, when they are Once the Children of the Resurrection. But more than this is impli'd in the Incorruptibility of the Body. If Adam had not Sinn'd, he shou'd have been Immortal; he shou'd never have Died; which was implied in the Threat­ning, in case he did Eat of the Forbidden Tree; In the Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely Dye, Gen. 2.17. We might ra­tionally infer, that if he did continue in his Obedience, he should surely Live and not Dy: Yet we cannot say, that he should have been Incorruptible. When tis said the Resurrection Body will be Incorrupti­ble, that intends its not being subject to a­ny Alteration. Adam's body before Sin entred into the world, was naturally sub­ject to Alteration: It was naturally sub­ject to an expense of Spirits, and might have been killed with Hunger, and would have been so, if Food had not been mi­nistred to him. The Tree of Life was pro­vided for him, which had (I doubt not) a Natural Vertue in it for the prolonga­tion of Life. Therefore his Body was not made Incorruptible. It was subject to [Page 139] Passion. A great blow would have hurt it. Fire would have consumed it. But the Resurrection Body will be Impassible: No Natural thing can hurt it. That which hapned to the three Princes who were cast into Nebuchadnezzars burning fiery Furnace, upon whose Bodies the Fire had no Power, was a Miraculous Providence; but the Resurrection Bodies of the Chil­dren of God, will not be subject to suffer­ings by Fire any more than their Souls shall. In this the Raised Bodies of Saints and Sinners will differ. And Believers shall be far more happy than Adam was. It could not be said of Adam, he cannot Dye. He was sensible that he might possibly Dy. Nor did the Serpent say to our first Pa­rent, that there was no Possibility; only that there was no Certainty of their Dying upon their Eating the forbidden Fruit. He said, Gen. 3.4. You shall not surely Dy. But the Resurrection Body of the Believer, is so Immortaliz'd as that there is not a Possibility of its Dying any more, which is meant by the Incorrupti­bility of it. Thus are the Children of [Page 140] the Resurrection, Equal to the Angels.

(2.) Another Property of the Resur­rection Body, is the Glory wherewith it shall be Adorned: 1 Cor. 15.43. It is sown in Dishonour, it is raised in Glory. Two things may be implied in that Glory: One of which is the Admirable Beauty of the Resurrection Body. Adam in his first Creation was a very Beautiful Person; without doubt far Exceeding Absalom in Beauty, of whom it is said, That in all Is­rael there was none so much to be Praised as Absalom for his Beauty; from the sole of his Foot even to the crown of his Head, there was no blemish in him, 2 Sam. 14.25. Some who are the Children of God, in this world have great Deformities in their Bo­dies. And the most Beautiful Bodies, soon after they are Dead become Deformed; therefore are said to be sown in Dishonour ▪ When the Body is Sown, when it is put un­der Ground, it soon becomes a deformed unlovely Carcass: But when Raised from Death, the Beauty of it will be Perfect▪ because of the Comeliness which God wil [...] then put upon it. Again, This Glory in [...]tends [Page 141] Brightness as well as Beauty; A shi­ning Splendor. This is Emphatically cal­led Glory. Ver. 41. There is One Glory of the Sun, and another Glory of the Moon, and another Glory of the Stars; for One Star Differs from another Star in Glory. The Sun Out-shines the Moon; the Moon Out-shines the Planets. These are two great Lights, Gen. 1.16. The Moon Out-shines the other Planets, which are Stars of Light, Psal, 148.3. Planets shine with a greater Light than fixed Stars. Some of these shine with a greater Light than Others. Hence are they said to differ in Glory. And so will it be with the Children of God, in the Resurrection world. Whil'st in this world, their Souls are in a dark Lanthorn: The Earthly Body is a dark Lanthorn; but it will not be so after the Resurrection. That Celestial Body will shine Gloriously. When our Saviour Christ was Transfigured in the holy Mount, and Moses & Elias appeared in Glory, tis said, His Face did shine as the Sun, and his Rai­ment was white as the Light. This was but a Glympse of that Glory which CHRIST [Page 142] and his Saints shall appear in at the Last Day. When Moses had been Conversing with GOD in the Mount, his Face shone with such Brightness, that the Children of Israel were not able to Look upon him for the Glory of his Countenance, 2 Cor. 3.7. Much more will it be so, when the Chil­dren of GOD shall Ever be with the LORD. It is said of Stephen, that when he was convented before the Council, they saw his Face as it had been the Face of an Angel; importing that it did shine with rays of Light, as the Face of an appearing Angel used to do, Act. 6.15. with Mat. 28.3. How much more will the Faces of GOD's Children shine in the Resurrec­tion World; when they shall be as the An­gels of God in Heaven? The Scripture says, that they shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament, and as the Stars for ever & ever, Dan. 12.3. Nay, more; They shall shine as the Sun. This is a great Truth, and men cannot Easily believe it: Wherefore CHRIST affirms it with great Solemnity; Mat. 13.43. Then shall the Righteous shine forth as the Sun, in the [Page 143] Kingdom of their Father. Who has Ears to hear, Let him hear; Importing that this is so wonderful a Truth, as that Men will hardly give Credit to it. There is no Creature seen by us, that shines with so great a Glory as the Sun does. Therefore is that Glory made use of to set forth the Glory of the Resurrection Body. Not but that it will Out-shine the Sun. The Bodies of the Saints (says a Famous Di­vine) will so shine, as to Eclipse the Glory of the Sun; for which he produces that Scripture, Isai. 24.23. Then shall the Moon be Confounded, and the Sun Ashamed. Another Late Writer Expresseth himself thus; What sight more Glorious, than to be­hold so many Saints, Like so many Suns to Shine with incomparable Lustre! A Saint in Heaven carries with him, a Light equal to that of the Sun Seven times doubled. The Souls of the Blessed, shall not only be Glo­rious; but their very Bodies shall be filled with Glory, & invested with a Light Seven times Brighter than that of the Sun: For altho' it be said in the Gospel, that the Just shall shine as the Sun, Isaiah the Pro­phet [Page 144] says, that the Sun in those Days shall shine seven times more than now it doth Men are apt to think, that these are only the Hyperbolical Expressions of some Divines: But why should they think so; when the Scripture says, that the Lord JESUS CHRIST shall change our Body, that it may be Fashioned Like unto His Glori­ous Body? There is no Glory which Eyes can behold, comparable to the Glorious Body of JESUS CHRIST; Since the Ful­ness of the Godhead dwells in Him Bodi­ly, Col. 2.9. The Glory of that Body infinitely Excels the Glory of the Sun, or of the brightest created Being. It is said of the Heavenly Jerusalem, that the City has no need of the Sun or of the Moon, for the Lamb is the Light thereof, Rev. 21.23. Now altho' there shall not be an E­quality in the Glory of Saints, to that of Christ; nevertheless, there will be a Con­formity to it: And a Glory of the same Nature, though as to Degree no way Pro­portionable. Joh. 17.22. The Glory which thou gavest me, I have given them. And there will in the Latter Day be such Re­flections [Page 145] of the Glory of Christ on them, as will cause them to be admired, 2 Thes. 1.10. Their enemies who despise them in this World, will then admire them, be­cause of the Glory of Christ shining on them. Yea, and they shall wonder at themselves to see what a glorious change Christ has wrought on them. As suppose a man to be brought out of a Dungeon, and to be clothed with Prince-like Robes, he'l be affected unto wonderment, as un­doubtedly Joseph was when brought out of Prison and made the Ruler over a great Kingdom; so will it be with the Saints of God when they shall be brought out of the Grave, and clothed with Immortality and Glory.

(3.) Another Property of the Resur­rection-body, is, That it will be endowed with Marvellous Strength. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in Power. What weak things, what poor Creatures are the best and greatest of men? Psal. 39.5. Verily every man at his best estate is altogether Va­ [...]ity. Not only some men, but every ma [...] ▪ Kings as well as beggars, and this at their [Page 146] best, are not only vain but vanity it self, and altogether so. What can can be said more to set forth humane frailty! But the Resurrection will make a blessed change. Whilest in this World, the Bodies of Gods Children as well as of other men, are sub­ject to manifold weaknesses & infirmities. How many hundreds of diseases do Phy­sicians tell us that the body is subject un­to? But the Resurrection body shall not be subject to any disease, nor to any grief or pain. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, Neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away, Rev. 21.4. Nor can it easily be i­magined how great the Strength of this now weak body shall then be. How great was Samson's Miraculous Strength, When he took the doors of the gates of the city and the two posts, and went away with them ba [...] and all, Judg. 16.3. But what was Sam [...]sons bodily strength, compared with tha [...] of the Resurrection body? The Angel [...] are called Mighty Angels, and they Exce [...] in Strength, Psal. 103.20. When the Chil [...]dren of the Resurrection shall be as th [...] [Page 147] Angels of Heaven, they will Excel in Strength. Anselm, Luther and Mr. Bur­roughs think that they will be able to re­move Mountains, and to make the Earth to shake, as sometimes Angels have done, Math. 28.2. Their Strength will be won­derful. And that which adds to the won­der, is, that this Strength will never decay with Age. It is said of Moses that when he was an hundred and twenty years old, his eye was not dim, nor his natural force a­bated, Deut. 34.7. This was Miraculous. And Caleb could say, I am this day four­score and five years old, as yet I am as strong as I was in the day that Moses sent me, (when he was but Forty-two years old) as my strength was then, so is my strength now. This also was Extraordinary; for com­monly if men through the strength of Na­ture live to Fourscore, their decayed strength is full of Labour and Sorrow through the infirmities of Old Age. But the Resurrection body will be as strong [...]nd vigorous after it has lived Millions [...]f years, as it was when first raised in [...]ower. The bodies of Enoch and Elijah, [Page 148] which have been in heaven for thousands of years are as full of Celestial vigour as they were when first translated to glory. So shall it be with the Children of the Re­surrection.

(4) The Resurrection body will be a Spiritual body. 1 Cor. 15.44▪ It is sown a Natural body, it is raised a Spiritual body. This is a Marvellous Expression. Luther says of it, Est sermo plane inauditus. Since Body and Spirit are of quite differing Na­tures, a Spiritual body is a wonderful body. The Resurrection body will have a spi­ritual Eye, and a spiritual Ear, and spiri­tual Hands, and as to all other parts o [...] the body they will be spiritual. And therefore (as an acute and deep searching Divine has rightly observed) There wil [...] be spiritual objects suited thereunto: bu [...] what these Objects shall be we know no [...] The Scripture speaks of a glory whic [...] shall be revealed in us, Rom. 8.18. Wha [...] a spiritual body is, and what the object are, which will be suitable for it, is a glor [...] which shall be revealed: but thus mu [...] we know that the carnal objects whi [...] [Page 149] are suited to the Natural body whilest it Lives an Animal Life in this World, are not suitable for the Spiritual body. Meat and Drink agree with the Natural body, and that body is for them: but it is otherwise with the Spiritual body. It is said, Meat is for the belly, and the belly for Meats, but God shall destroy both it and them, 1 Cor. 6.13. The belly, i. e. the Stomach craves for Meat, and God has made & appointed Meats suitable for the Natural Appetites of the body, but the Resurrection body is not for Meats, nor Meat for it. The Spiritual body will have no need, nor desire of Meat or Drink. It shall never hunger or thirst. One of our English Martyrs, a faithful Minister (his Name was Robert Samuel) after the Bishop of London (bloody Bonner) caused him to be cast into Prison, he there suffered much by hunger and thirst; The night before his Death, an Angel appeared to him in his sleep, saying, Be of good comfort Samuel, for after this day thou shalt never suffer [...]unger any more: Nor did he, for the [...] day he w [...]s Martyred Thus in the Re­surrection [Page 150] World, the Children of God shall not be Subject to hunger or thirst, nor to any other of those infirmities which the Natural body is subject unto. Rev. 7.16. They shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more. The Spiritual body will not need such things to preserve life as the Natural body does. Without th [...]se props to support Nature, to shore up the Earthly Tabernacle, it would soon fall to the ground. The Children of the Resurrection shall stand in no more need of Meat and Drink or Sleep, than the Angels of Heaven do. In that respect they shall be Equal to the Angels. They shall Live a Spiritual and Angelical Life. The body shall then be no Impedi­ment to the Soul as now it is. In this state of Infirmity, the Spirit is willing, but the Flesh is weak, Math. 26.41. It will not be so after the Resurrection. The Spiritual body will be gloriously possessed and acted by the Almighty Spirit of God, who raised it from the dead. Thus shall the Resurrection body be a Spiritual body▪ And because it is so, it will be able (which now it cannot) to ascend as well as descend [Page 151] So shall the raised Saints be as the Angels of Heaven, who can as easily ascend as descend. There is a Scripture which not only the old Jewish Interpreters, but Ju­dicious Christian Expositors, conceive, has respect to what the Children of God will be able to do after the Resurrection; It is that, Isa. 40.31. They shall mount up with wings as Eagles. And because their Bo­dies shall be Spiritual, they will be able to move with wonderful Agility & Celerity. They shall in that respect also, be as the Angels of Heaven. An Angel goes from one place to another with the greatest swiftness. It is said of the Angel Gabriel that he did fly swiftly, Dan. 9.21. As Lightning in a Moment of Time flies from one side of Heaven to the other. Such like is the motion of Angels: Heb. 1.7. He makes his Angels Spirits, his Ministers a flame of fire. We read of Asahel, that he was light of foot as a wild roe, 2 Sam. 2.18. The Spiritual bodies of the Children of the Resurrection, will be able to go from place to place with an incomparably swifter motion, than any Creature on the [Page 152] Earth can do. The raised bodies of Gods Children will some of them be ten thou­sand Miles distant from the place where Christ shall Erect his Throne at the Day of Judgmenr, yet shall they be with him in a Moment. Say not, But how is it pos­sible for a Corporeal Substance to move with such Celerity? Is not the Light a Corpo­real Substance? Yet it comes down from the Sun and from the Stars (no man can say how many Millions of Miles,) in a few Minutes of an hour. The old Astro­nomers suppose that the Sun goes above a Million of Miles in the space of an hour. The raised Saints shall (as has been shewed) out shine the Sun in glory, and then (sayes our Judicious Mr. N [...]rton) Why may we not think that they shall have a swifter Motion than the Sun it self has? My Brethren, the things which you have heard this day are Marvellous Truths, and none but Christians who believe the Scrip­ture, will believe that ever a clod of Earth should be raised to such Perfection, and adorned with such glorious Properties. I proceed to a third Demonstration of the Proposition before us

[Page 153]3. The Children of God in the Resur­rection World shall have a glorious Do­minion. Psal. 49.14. The upright shall have dominion in the Morning, viz. in the Morning of the Resurrection. Christians in the Primitives Times believed that they should receive a Kingdom, and it was a comfortable Meditation to them. We see what their Faith was concerning it, Rev. 5.10. We shall reign on Earth. They might well believe so, because there are many Prophesies and Promises of it in the Scrip­ture. Psal. 45.16. Thy Children whom thou mayst make Princes in all the Earth. Dan. 7.27. The Kingdom (not in heaven, but) under the whole heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most high. Christ dehorting his Disciples from con­ [...]ending about honour and dominion in [...]his World, said to them, I appoint unto you [...] Kingdom, Luk 22.29. One would think that should suffice although they should in [...]he mean time be poor and despised. And [...]he Apostle speaks of it as a known re­ceived Truth, 1 Cor. 6.2. Kn [...]w you not [...]hat the Saints shall Judge the World? But [Page 154] they did not expect to be Judges Sitting upon Thrones in this present World, but in the Resurrection World, for so had Christ promised them. Math. 19.28. Ye that have followed me in the Regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit on the Throne of his glory, shall sit upon twelve Thrones. The Resurrection is called the Regeneration ▪ The bodies of the Children of God wi [...] then be New born coming out of the womb of the Grave, and all things will then be made new. Tertullian sayed fifteen hun [...]dred years ago, Confitemur regnum nobi [...] repromissum, sed alio statu utpote post Resur [...]rectionem: We own (saith he) that there is a Kingdom promised to us, but it be [...]longs to another State, it will not be unti [...] after the Resurrection. Then will th [...] happiness and glory of the Children o [...] God be wonderful. When (to expres [...] Spiritual Mysteries by Earthly Simili [...]tudes) they shall appear with Crowns o [...] their heads, and Scepters in their hands and sit upon Thrones ruling the Nation as with a rod of iron, yea, and judgin [...] the Reprobate Angels too, Rev. 2.2 [...] 1 Cor. 6.3.

PROPOSITION, IV.

None besides the Children of God shall have a blessed Resurrection. The Text before us speaks of their Resurrection on­ly. All and only such shall be as the An­gels of Heaven. The Jewish Writers (some of them) have a fond and heretical Opi­nion, that only Israelites shall have a Resur­rection of their bodies. It is true, that [...] but such as are Israelites indeed in whom there is no guile shall have an happy Resurrection. Although all the dead shall come out of their Graves, the evil as well as the good, the unjust as well as the just; Not only they whose Souls are in Heaven, but they whose Souls are in Hell shall have their bodies restored to Life a­gain at the day of Judgment. The Sea shall give up the dead which are in it, and death, that is the Grave shall give up the dead which are in it, and Hell shall deliver up the dead in it, the Souls which are there shall Live in their Bodies again; Never­theless, the Resurrection of the Wicked is as no Resurrection at all. Theirs is called the Resurrection of Damnation, Joh. [Page 156] 5.29. The Souls in Hell wish that their bodies might never Live again. Like as men who are in a sad Prison, had rather be always there and to endure their pre­sent Misery, than to be fetched out from thence only to be Condemn'd to a terri­ble Death and Executed. So it is the case here. The Souls of men who have dyed in their Sins are in a Prison, and so are their bodies too, the Grave is their Pri­son. At the universal Resurrection they must be bro't out of Prison Body & Soul, to have a Sentence of Eternal death passed upon them, to be Doomed unto Ever­lasting fire: so that their Resurrection will be worse than none at all. The Chil­dren of God are properly the Children of the Resurrection. They only shall have a Re­surrection unto Life; others unto the se­cond Death. The Scripture speaks Em­phatically of the Resurrection of the Just, Luk. 14.14. The unjust shall not receive an happy reward. The Resurrection of Believers on Christ, proceeds from such Causes [...] may not be affirmed of others.

[Page 157]1. It is because of the Covenant which they are in with God, that they are made partakers of an happy Resurrection. As for Unbelievers, although some of them pretending to Christianity may be Exter­nally in Covenant with God, they are not Internally and Really so, and therefore their Resurrection cannot be by vertue of that Covenant which they never had a Real Interest in: but Believers have. By this Argument Christ proved against the Sadduces, that there will be a Resurrection, as we see in the Verse following our Text before us, That the dead are raised Moses shewed in the bush, when he called the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, for he is not the God of the Dead, but of the Living. Those holy Patriarchs were Dead and in their Graves when God said to Moses, I am their God, I am in Covenant with them. That which is in Covenant with GOD shall Live Eternally, therefore so shall the bodies of his Children, which implies their Resur­rection. For the Covenant is made with the Person consisting of Body & Soul, and [Page 158] not with the Soul only altho' principally. Hence the bodies of Believers and not their Souls only are the Subjects of the Seals of the Covenant. So concerning Baptism the first Seal of the New-Testa­ment, the body is the Subject of that Or­dinance. Believers have their body wash­ed with pure Water. The Lord sayes to the true Believer, as sure as thou hast been Baptized, so certain is it that thy body shall have a blessed Resurrection. He has therein Communion with Christ in respect of the benefits both of his Death and Re­surrection, Rom. 6.3, 4. He shall as sure­ly be raised up at the Last Day to Eternal Life as Christ is risen. Moreover, Be­lievers do with their bodies Sacramentally, as well as with their Souls by Faith, feed upon Christ Exhibited in the Lord's Sup­per. That body which does with a be­lieving Soul Eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of Christ, shall have a Resurrection to Everlasting Life. Joh. 6.54. Whoso eats my flesh and drinks my blood has Eterna [...] Life, and I will raise him up at the Last Day▪ Thus does the Believers Resurrection [Page 159] proceed from Gods Covenant with him. The Resurrection of the body to Eternal Life, is a special Promise contained in the Covenant, 1 Joh. 2.25.

2. The Resurrection of Believers is Purchased for them by the Blood of Christ. We cannot say so of Unbelievers dying in their Sins. It is by the Death of Christ that we are Redeemed from the Curse of the Law, of which the death of the body is some part. Christ by shedding his blood did Merit his Own Resurrection. He was brought back again from the dead through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant, Heb. 13.20. The same is to be affirmed of Be­lievers, as we see in that Scripture to which the Text to the Hebrews has a respect, viz. Zech. 9.11, 12. By the blood of the Cove­nant I have sent forth thy Prisoners out of the pit. Turn ye Prisoners of hope. The Grave is a Prison, but the Blood of Christ has caused the Prison door to be opened, the bodies of Belivers which Rest there in Hope shall come out of that pit. All that Redemption which Believers shall be the Subject of, is M [...]rited by the Blood of [Page 160] Christ. Rev. 5.9. Thou hast Redeemed us by thy Blood. The Resurrection of the body is part of that Redemption. The Scrip­ture speaks of the Redemption of the Body, Rom 8.23. The Bodies as well as the Souls of Believers are said to be bought, 1 Co [...]. 6 20 It is the Blood of Christ and nothing else that has bought them

3. It is by vertue of the Resurrection of Christ that Believers obtain a blessed Re­surrection. Thus does the Apostle argue. 1 Cor. 15.12, 13. If Christ be Preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no Resurrection? If there be no Resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. As sure as Christ is risen, Be­lievers on him shall rise. For he rose as a Publick Person Representing all the Elect of God. Verse 21, 22. Since by man came death, by Man came also the Resurrection of the Dead, for as in Adam all dy, so in Christ all shall be made alive. There are two roots from which Death and Life proceed, viz. Adam & Christ. The first Adam, by reason of his being a Publick Person Representing all Mankind, has been [Page 161] a root of death to all his Children. Christ the second Adam, Representing all the Children of God, has been a root of Life to them all. Because He Rose from the dead and Liveth for ever more, they shall do so too. This also may be denoted by that Expression of Christs being the first born from the Dead, Col 1.18. Under the Law, a Ransom was to be Paid for the First born, and then the rest of the Chil­dren were free, because the first born was a Publick Person, Representing all the Children of the Family. Thus, if Christ is Redeemed from the Power of the Grave, then so are all the Children of God in him. When Christ opened the Womb of the Grave and came forth, then all Believers were freed by vertue of the Ransom which HE had paid. Hence also, the Resur­rection of Christ is mentioned as a first fruits. Christ is risen from the Dead, and became the first fruits of them that slept, 1 Cor. 15.20. The first Fruits were Con­secrated, and by vertue of that Consecra­ [...]ion all the Corn on the ground was [...]anctified. Thus inasmuch as Christ is [Page 162] Risen, all the dead Bodies of the Children of God, which are as so many grains of Corn sowen in the Ground, are consecra­ted and virtually Risen with Christ. And this also is peculiar to Believers.

4. It is by vertue of their Union with Christ, that Believers obtain a blessed Re­surrection. As for Unbelievers they are not United to Christ, and therefore have not a Resurrection unto Life. He that has not the Son, has not Life. Christ and all true Believers, are One Mystical Body. The blessed Head of that Body has been victorious over Death, and triumph'd over the Grave. Therefore so shall all the Members which belong to that Head Because of that intimate Union which is between Christ and Believers, some Scrip­tures which speak of the Resurrection, are to be understood both of Christ and of his Church. Thus, Hos. 6.2. After two Days he will Revive us, in the third Day he will Raise us up, and we shall Live in his sight. The Words allude to the Resurrection o [...] Christ, yet are applied to the Church which is Risen with Christ their Head [Page 163] Because Christ was Raised from the dead, Believers shall Live in his sight for ever. And thus also may we understand that Scripture; Isa. 26.19. Thy Dead body shall Live, together with my Dead body shall they arise. Awake and Sing, ye that sleep in the Dust. Christ says to the Believer, Thy dead body did Rise with Mine. When my dead Body rose out of the Grave, thine did so too. The Resurrection of my dead Body, was a pledge & certain fore-runner of the Resurrection of thy dead Body.

From the Doctrine thus Confirmed, we may Infer several things for our Instructi­on in Righteousness.

Inf. I. All the Children of GOD are Infinitely beholden to the Lord Jesus Christ. They are beholden to Him for the Resur­rection of their Bodies. The Apostles Preached through Jesus the Resurrection from the Dead, Act. 4.2. We had never had an happy Resurrection if it had not been through Jesus. And therefore not One that shall dy in a Christless Estate will [Page 164] have such a Resurrection. Christ has made Believers to be happier than Ever Adam in Paradise was. For the present they are under a better Covenant. The Covenant of Grace is better than the Co­venant of Works, and Established upon better Promises. It is through Jesus Christ, that we are concerned in that Co­venant, Isa. 42.6. There are heavenly blessings, and such a glorious Perfection of Happiness Promised to Believers on Christ, as we cannot say Adam had a Pro­mise of. That Heaven which is Promised to Believers, does incomparably Excel the Earthly Paradise which belonged to Adam, and in which he should have Lived happily with a Confluence of Earthly blessings, if he had not Sinned. And for the present, Believers appear before God in a more glorious Righteousness than Adam had before his fall. He had only a Righte­ousness of his Own, which was not the Righteousness of One that is God; when­as the Righteousness of God is upon all that believe, Rom. 3.22. The Righteousness of Christ is imputed to them, and that is [Page 165] the Righteousness of God. And when Believers shall become the Children of the Resurrection, they will be far more glori­ous than ever Adam was. He was made Lower than the Angels, and not Equal to them in his first and best Estate. But as for Believers, Christ has advanced them to an Equality with Angels in more re­spects than one, as we have shewed. Oh▪ how are we beholden to Christ? Nay, in respect of him they are dignified above Angels. For He took not on him the Na­ture of Angels, but the Nature of Man He has assumed. The Believer is nearer akin to the Son of God, than any Angel in heaven is.

Inf. II. There is a respect due to the Dead Bodies of Gods Children. Since they shall be Raised out of their Graves to such Glory as has been shewed, there is cer­tainly a respect due to them. Altho' we may not worship their Reliques as Idola­trous Papists do, Nevertheless, it is a great iniquity to cast contempt upon them. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the [Page 166] Death of his Saints. When their dead Bodies are turned to dust, it is Precious Dust. That Body which is United to Christ, and has been Redeemed by his Blood, Death does not separate from his Love. They then who manifest their contempt and hatred of such holy Bodies, have not the Love of Christ nor his Spirit in them. A decent Burial is a respect due to the Bodies of Dead Saints. To deny it to those who are the Children of God, is great Impiety; or not to suffer them to have that honourable Interment which is due to their Station. It is noted as a great wickedness in Jehojakim, that he would not permit the Prophet Urijah to be so honourably Buried as was proper and sui­table for a Prophet of God, but he Cast his Dead Body into the Graves of the common People. And it is Observable, that the Providence of God met with him, and re­taliated his impiety upon him. For not­withstanding he was a King, and the Son of a King, there was no Funeral Solemnity or Lamentation for him, but he was Burie [...] with the Burial of an Ass, drawn and cas [...] [Page 167] forth beyond the Gates of Jerusalem, Jer. 22.19. A just Punishment for his Bar­barity towards a faithful Prophet. Such like Barbarity would the Heathen some­times use towards the Servants of the Lord, of which the Psalmist complains, Psal. 79.2, 3. The Dead Bodies of thy Ser­vants have they given to be Meat unto the fowls of the Heaven, the flesh of thy Saints unto the beasts of the Earth: And there was none to bury them. And Papists have been as inhumane as ever were Pagans. It was Prophesied concerning them, that they would kill the faithful Witnesses of Christ, and not suffer their Dead Bodies to be put in Graves, Rev. 11.9. That Prophesy has been fulfilled as in other Places, so in Eng­land, when Popery reigned there. By the Popes decree, the bones of Wickliff (that famous Witness against the Idolatry of those times) Forty years after he was Dead and Buried, were dug out of his Grave and Burnt to ashes, and those ashes thrown into a River. The Emperor Charles V. was a Person of more gene­rosity and humanity than the Pope, for [Page 168] when some urged him to cause Luther to be exhumated, he utterly refused it. But in England by the Instigation of the Po­pish Bishops, Bucer, and Fagius, two Lear­ned Readers of Divinity in the University of Cambridge, were taken out of their Graves. Peter Martyr an Eminent Lear­ned man, once belonging to the Univer­sity in Oxford, left the Land on Queen Maries Accession to the Throne, and so escaped their Rage; but by direction of the cruel Cardinal Pool, they caused Martyr's Wife, a godly and charitable Matron, to be taken out of her Grave after she had been dead two years, and to be laid in a dung­hill; only she was honourably Re-interr'd in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. Thus have Pagans and Papists used inhumane Cruelties towards the dead Bodies of the Lords Servants. But what Confusion will take hold on them, when they shall see these holy Bodies glorified in the Re­surrection World, and themselves the Sub­jects of shame and everlasting contempt?

[Page 169]Inf. III. The Children of God should be careful not to Sin with their Bodies, but to Serve and Glorify GOD with them. That body which shall become a wonder­fully glorified Body in another World, should be a very Sanctified Body whil'st in this World. How vile is it to make such a Body an Instrument of Sin and Dishonour to the Name of God? The Body is for the Lord, 1 Cor. 6.13. This lets us see the heinous evil which is in Sins a­gainst the Body; Especially when the Children of God shall any of them be guil­ty of them. Sins of Intemperance are in a peculiar manner against the Body: Drun­kenness is so. It is an horrid thing for a godly Man to abuse his Body with Strong Drink. What? that Body which shall [...]e Raised in Glory! But most of all, Sins [...]gainst the Seventh Commandment are [...]ins against the Body: Other Sins are not [...]o comparatively with that. They are [...]ithout the Body, but he that commits Sins [...]f that Nature, Sinneth against his own [...]dy, 1 Cor. 6.18. Since when Christ [Page 170] shall appear, Believers shall appear with him in Glory, the thought of it should cause them, not only to abstain from Flesh­ly Lusts, but to Mortify them, Col. 3 4, 5. To set forth the evil which is in Sins a­gainst the Body, the Apostle says, Know you not that your Body is the Temple of the holy Spirit? What horrible Sacriledge is it to defile the Temple of GOD? The A­postle infers, Therefore Glorify God in your Body. That Head, that Tongue, those Hands, those Feet which shall be Raised t [...] Glory in the Resurrection World, ough [...] to be made use of as Instruments to pro [...]mote the Glory of GOD in this World▪ This Meditation, My Body shall one Day [...] a Subject of wonderful Glory, will cause Man that has Grace in his Soul to be car [...]ful not to Sin with his Body.

Inf. IV. Shall the Children of GOD as the Angels of Heaven in another Worl [...] then they should endeavour to be & do as [...] them as may be whilest in this World. [...] should aim & endeavour after that [...] we cannot attain unto. We cannot [...] [Page 171] unto that Perfection in Holiness which the Children of the Resurrection shall have, yet should we aim at it. Phil. 3.11, 12. If by any means I might attain unto the Re­surrection of the Dead. Not as though I had already attained, or were already Perfect: but [...] follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. I (sayes Paul) was running away from Christ, but he apprehended me, He stopt me and converted me, that he might make me perfectly holy and happy in the Re­surrection World; This perfection am I [...]triving after. So should we endeavour [...]o be as the Angels of Heaven, in respect of our Obedience to God, to do his Will on Earth as they do in Heaven. Their's [...]s a willing Obedience: They are glad to be imployed in any Service for GOD: They hearken to the Voice of his Word [...]nd do his Pleasure: They Serve the LORD chearfully and fervently, and so [...]hould we be fervent in Spirit Serving the Lord. They are never weary in Serving GOD: We should not be weary in well [...]oing. The holy Angels are constant in [Page 172] their Obedience, they do not draw back. The Living Creatures, (Angels are they) turned not when they went: they went every one straight forward, Ezek. 1.9. To turn back from the holy Commandment is to be like the Angels of Hell, and not like the Angels of Heaven. Angels are hum­ble Spirits. They will visit Prisons to be helpful to the Servants of Christ. When Peter was in Prison, an Angel visited him there: They will do kind Offices for Poor beggars. They will help a poor Lazarus in his way to Heaven. So should we Condescend to men of low Estate, Rom. 12.16. Angels do good to those unto whom they Minister freely. They know that w [...] cannot requite them for any thing they do for us, our Charity should be like theirs Luk. 6.35. Do Good, and Lend, hoping [...]o [...] nothing again. Angels are beneficent t [...] unworthy Ones: To unthankful Mur [...]murers. Such were the Children of Israe [...] in the Wilderness, yet when God com [...]manded them to do it, they supplyed ther [...] with Bread every Day. Psal. 78.25. Ma [...] did Eat Angels food. Angels are very Se [...]viceable: [Page 173] They are Inspectors over the World. The World fares the better for them: More especially they do kind Of­fices for them that fear the Lord. Psal. 34.7. The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. And are they not all Ministring Spirits sent forth to Minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation? We should in [...]his respect indeavour to be and do like [...]hem. Gal. 6.10. As we have therefore Op­ [...]ortunity, let us do good to all men, especially [...]o them who are of the houshold of Faith. [...]ngels are full of Zeal for GOD: When [...]is honour is concerned, they are all in a [...]lame. Those Ministers of his are then [...] flame of Fire. Hence are they call'd [...]eraphims; that is Burners: They burn [...]ith an holy Zeal. They are Zealous [...] Executing the Holy Judgments of God [...]pon Sinners. When the great Tyrant [...]ebuchadnezzar was made an astonishing [...]xample to the world, the Decree of the [...]ost High against him, was Executed by [...]ose holy ones, Dan. 4.17. When the [...]ked Sodomites were Destroyed by a [Page 174] strange Punishment on those workers of Iniquity, the holy Angels said, We will De­stroy this Place because the Cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to Destroy it, Gen. 19.13. So shall it be at the end of the World: The Angels shall come forth, & shall sever [...] the wicked from the Just, & shall cast them into a Furnace of fire, Mat. 13.49, 50. The Angels of Heaven are much in Prai­sing GOD, they delight therein. There was with the Angel a Multitude of the hea­venly Host, Praising God, Luk. 2.13. They are ever at that work. 'Tis Angelical to delight in Praising GOD. David was an Angelical Man, and he delighted in Prai­sing the Lord. Some have Observed that in the Book of Psalms, he is Praising God above two hundred times. The Angels of Heaven Love and Admire the Lor [...] Jesus Christ: They are taken with th [...] Mystery of Christ, and take Pleasure i [...] Searching into it, 1 Pet. 1.12. The [...] Adore the Person of Christ. There [...] not One Angel in Heaven but what do Worship the Lord Jesus Christ: Heb. 1. [...] [Page 175] Worship Him all ye Angels. Millions of them are Wondering at his Glory. Ten thousand Times ten thousand Angels round about the Throne in Heaven, are saying, Worthy is the Lamb, Rev. 5.11, 12. They call upon one another to set forth the Glory of Christ. Isai. 6.3. One Cryed to another, & said, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole Earth is full of his Glory. Every Knee in Heaven bows to Him, and every Tongue there Celebrates his Praises; and shall not we on Earth do so? Had we the Tongue of Men and Angels, we could not set him forth accor­ding to what He is worthy of. He has done more for us, than ever He did for Angels. He has dyed for us, but not for them. They are indeed beholden to him as GOD for their Beings. By Him were all things created that are in Heaven and [...]n Earth, visible and invisible: But He is our Mediator and Redeemer, which cannot be said of Angels; if then they Love and Admire and Serve our Lord Jesus Christ, [...]et us go and do so.

[Page 176]Inf. V. The Children of GOD may have great Comfort in Meditating on the Resur­rection World. The Doctrine of the Re­surrection, is to Believers on Christ a Com­fortable Doctrine.

It is so,

1. As to Themselves. It affords mat­ter of Comfort in respect of whatever Af­flictions they may for the pres [...]nt be Sub­ject unto: Deep Afflictions are a Meta­ph [...]al Grave. They are fitly resem­b [...] [...]ereunto. Psal. 88.10. Wilt thou shew wonders to the Dead? shall the Dead arise [...] Praise thee? So did he speak when under [...]re Affliction both in his Body ( [...]or tis thought he was a Leper, v. 18.) and in his Soul which were full of Trou­bles, and almost distracted with the Ter­rors of God. When the Lords People did as it were ly buried in a Grave of long Affliction in Babylon, the Lord said to them, I will open your Graves, & cause you to come up out of your Graves, Ezek. 37.12. He that will bring the Bodies of his Saints out of their Graves at the last Day▪ [Page 177] they may be sure will bring them out of what ever Grave of Affliction, they may Ly Buried in for a time. There are Chil­dren of God who are Afflicted with Bo­dily Weaknesses and Infirmities; and it may be for a Long time. We read in the Gospel, of a Daughter of Abraham, who had been bowed Down with a spirit of Infir­mity Eighteen Years, Luk. 13.11. There will be no Bodily Infirmities to complain of in the Resurrection World. This also affords Comfort to the Children of God, against the Fear of Death. God said to Jacob, Be not afraid to go Down into E­gypt, I will surely bring thee up again, Gen. 46.3, 4. So He says to the Believer, Be not afraid to go down into the Grave, I will surely bring thee up again; and in the mean time, Thou shalt see Joseph, thy Soul shall be with IESUS. Therefore should they go into the Grave, not only Willingly but Chearfully. The tho'ts of their Death being near at hand, should be a Comfort to them. And it is moreover, a comfortable Meditation, for Believers who dy in these Last Ages of the world, [Page 178] that they shall not continue Long in their Graves. It was a comfort to Christ, that altho' He knew he should Dy, He also knew that he should not abide Long in the state of Death: Isa. 50.8. He is near that Justifieth me; I shall not be Long in my Grave. Believers in the Latte [...] Days, have in this respect an Happiness above what they had in the Years of Ancient Ge­nerations. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Samuel and all the Prophets have been in their Graves, for more than Two Thou [...]sand Years. Altho' we know not the pre­cise Time when it will be; Nevertheless, we have Scripture-ground to apprehend, that the Resurrection of the Just will be within far less Time than Two Thousand Years.

2. The Doctrine of the Resurrection, administers matter of Comfort to Be­lievers, against the Death of their Godly Friends and Near Relations, who have Dy'd in the Lord. They shall Rise again [...] As Martha said of her dear Brother Laza­rus, Joh. 11.24. I know that he shall Ris [...] [Page 179] again at the Last Day. We shall see our dear Friends, and they shall see us and con­verse with us in the Resurrection World. Austin in One of his Epistles, comforts a Pious Lady, whose Husband was Dead, by telling her that she should see him a­gain in a Better World; and altho' she should not Eat and Drink with him as in this world, nevertheless (says he) You shall Know him and Love him, more than ever you did whilest in a state of Mor­tality. The Gentiles would take on Ex­treamly, when a near Relation dy'd; be­cause they had no hope of ever seeing them again, as not believing a Resurrecti­on from the Dead. But Christians should know better; 1 Thes. 4.13, 14. I would not have you ignorant, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus Died, and Rose again; even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him. This implies, that we shall see and know our Friends in the Resurrection World; Else the thought of the Resurrection, [Page 180] would not have such Consolation in it. The Apostle likewise says to the Thessalo­nians, that they would be his Crown of Re­joycing at the coming of Christ. Therefore Paul will know those Thessalonians, to whom he was a spiritual Father; and be able to distinguish them from Other Peo­ple. So Godly Parents will know their Children, and Children their Parents: Many a Father will then Bless GOD for giving him such Children; and Children for giving them such Parents. And many a Godly Mother, when she shall see her Children again at the Resurrection, will Bless GOD for making her the happy In­strument of bringing Children into the world, which shall help to People Heaven with Inhabitants.

Inf. VI. We should make sure of our o [...]taining a Blessed Resurrection. This Assuranc [...] is attainable. Job had it, and it was [...] great Comfort to him in all his Afflict [...]ons.

[Page 181]Oh! That men would consider that Death is certain. Oh! that they were Wise, and would consider their Latter End; and that a Resurrection from the Dead, is as certain as Death it self. But every man shall not have a Blessed Resurrection. Nay, but very few that shall: Few there be that find it. It was a fearful word which the Devil in a Possessed man once uttered, saying, I know that at the Day of Judgment, I shall have more will be with me, than Christ will have with Him. But if a man shall not have an Happy Resurrecti­on, what will be his Portion? What will be his Doom? How dismal when his Body shall be brought Out of the Prison of the Grave, and his Soul Out of the Prison of Hell, to appear before the Judgment-seat of CHRIST, to have a Sentence of Eter­nal Death pronounc'd upon him by the Son of GOD, and after that holy Angels cast him into the Fire which never shall be Quenched? And, Oh! that Sinners would remember that Now, before their immor­tal Souls are separated from their Bodies, [Page 182] is the Only Time for them to make sure of a Blessed Resurrection. He that does not make sure of it before Death, will never make sure of it. Therefore NOW be in Earnest about it: Do it with thy Might; for there is no Work in the Grave whither thou goest. There will be no hope of it af­ter that fatal hour, if it is not done before that. When once the Body is gone down into the Pit of the Grave, and the im­mortal Soul into the Pit of Perdition, into blackness of Darkness for ever, there's no more hope: Isa 38.18. They that go down into the Pit, cannot hope for thy Truth. And we should always Remember, that it will not be Long before Death will be here. Who can say how soon, how sud [...]denly? Have we not Examples of sudde [...] Deaths often set before us? It may b [...] this is the Last Sabbath which some o [...] us shall ever see, the Last Sermon whic [...] some of us shall ever hear. And as Deat [...] shall Leave us, so will the Resurrectio [...] Find us; Either among those that sha [...] Rise to Everlasting Life, or among tho [...] [Page 183] who shall Rise to a Second Death which shall be Eternal.

PROPOSITION I.

Believers on Christ Hope for Blessedness in another World. They have a Blessed Hope, Tit. 2.13. They Hope for Salva­tion. They put on for an Helmet, the Hope of Salvation, 1 Thes. 5.8. They Hope for Life. Hence is that Expression of a Lively Hope, 1 Pet. 1.3. Yea, Eter­nal Life is the Object of their Hope, Tit. 1.2. They Hope for Glory, Rom. 5.2. The Happiness of Believers in the future state when they are gone out of this world, is sometimes called Life; and sometimes Glory. Psal. 73.24. Thou shalt guide me with thy Counsel, and afterwards receive me to Glory. Happiness does consist in the Enjoyment of the Chief Good, which is indeed all Good at once; and thence a Soul-satisfying Good; which this whole [Page 190] world with all its Delights and Comforts is not. Only GOD in JESUS CHRIST is that Good. The full Fruition of Him, which is not to be obtained on Earth but in Heaven, is that which Believers Hope for, with an earnest Expectation and De­sire: Psal. 42.2. My Soul thirsteth for God, for the Living God; when shall I come and appear before God? David Longed for Communion with God here in his holy Ordinances; but much more for an Im­mediate and Soul-satisfying Communion with Him in Heaven.

PROPOSITION II.

The Believers Hope of Blessedness, is a Well-grounded Hope. They have suffici­ent Reason for their Hope: 1 Pet. 3.15. Be ready always to give an Answer to every man that asks you, a Reason of the Hope tha [...] is in you. Pagans thought that Christi [...]ans were no better than Mad-men, fo [...] that they willingly Exposed themselve [...] to great Sufferings in this world; onl [...] because they hoped for Happiness in ano [...]ther World. But they had good Reaso [...] for what they did. They shall not b [...] [Page 191] disappointed of the Blessedness which they Hope for. Therefore tis called a Good Hope, 2 Thes. 2.16. GOD even our Fa­ther has given us Everlasting Consolation, and Good Hope through Grace. It is a Good Hope, not only because the Object of it is the greatest Good; but it shall be made Good. Believers shall certainly Enjoy the Good which they have Hoped for. Hence tis said to be an Hope which makes not ashamed, Rom. 5.5. This was David's Consolation: Psal. 119.6. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy Commandments. Let the faith­ful Servants of God hope for Happiness in another World as much as they will, they shall not be ashamed on the account of a disappointed Hope. Herein is the difference between the Hope of true Be­lievers and of Other men. Some that have not true Faith, yet hope for Happiness in another World; but tis not Well-ground­ed: Their Hope is a Vain Presumption, and not the Grace of Hope. An Hypo­crite who has only an External Religion, may have a Confident Hope, but tis a False [Page 192] Hope. The House of his Hope is built on a False Bottom, which will shake un­der him, and end in a ruinous Fall. Death will put an End to all his hopes for ever. Job 27.8. What is the hope of the Hypo­crite, when God shall take away his Soul▪ But the True Believer has Hope in hi [...] Death, Prov. 14.32. When his Body di­eth, his Hope doth not die: But then h [...] Obtains a great part of the Blessednes [...] which he has Hoped for. The Ancho [...] of his Hope is sure and steadfast. Yea as sure as the Promise of God; Nay, a [...] the Oath of God, than which 'tis impos­sible that any thing should be more sure.

For,

1. The Believers Hope is from GOD▪ Therefore 'tis a sure Hope. If we spea [...] of the Object of the Believers Hope, or th [...] Future Happiness he Hopes for, whic [...] (as was said) is called his Hope, it i [...] from God as the Author of it; and ti [...] therefore called the Glory of God: Rom▪ 5.2. We rejoyce in hope of the Glory of Go [...] ▪ He has prepared that Glory for all tru [...] Believers on Jesus Christ. At the La [...] [Page 193] Day, he will say unto them, Come ye Bles­sed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom pre­pared for you, from the Foundation of the World, Mat. 25.34 The Believer hopes for nothing less than a Kingdom. One of the Ancients says, that the Primitive Christians were often speaking of a King­dom; and expressing their joyful hopes that they should in God's time Enjoy it: which made their Enemies Look on them as a Phanatical sort of People: But their Faith assured them that God had prepa­ [...]ed such a Kingdom for them. And he [...]ikewise prepares them for it. There­fore does the Scripture speak of Vessels of Mercy, which he has afore prepared unto Glory, Rom 9.23. He that has wrought us for the self same thing is God, who also has given unto us the Earnest of the Spirit, [...] Cor. 5 5. That self same thing, is the blessedness of heaven; a Building of God, [...]n House not made with hands Eternal in the Heavens, which they shall enjoy when Mortality shall be swallowed up of Life. God has made an Heaven for us, and he makes us fit for that Heaven. He has [Page 194] made us Meet to be partakets of the Inhe­ritance of the Saints in Light. We have not wrought this Meetness in our selves; but it is GOD that has done it, by a Work of Regeneration on our Souls; and by gi­ving his Spirit to us, as a Pledge of what he has prepared for us. Then is our Hope sure and certain, and we cannot miss of Heaven. Or, if we speak of the Grace of Hope which is wrought in the Souls of Believers, that also is from God. There are three Graces in which Christianity does Eminently consist, viz. Faith, Love, and Hope; of all which the Apostle speaks in this with the preceding Verse. Where GOD gives Faith, he gives those Other Graces also. All Grace is from him: And the Grace of Hope in particular is so. Hence he is styled the God of Hope, as be­ing not only the Object, but the Autho [...] of this Grace. It is by the Power of the Holy Spirit, that this Grace is wrought i [...] Believing Souls. They abound in hop [...] through the Power of the Holy Ghost, Rom▪ 15.13. In this also the False hope of [...] man that has no true Faith, and the Wel [...] [Page 195] grounded hope of the Believer, differ. The Unbelievers Confidence is not from GOD. It is an Hope of his Own making: He kindles a Fire, and walks in the light of his Fire, and in the sparks which himself has kindled, Isa. 50.11. Hence his hope is compared to a Spiders web, Job 8.14. The Spider spins his web out of his own bow­els: So does the Hypocrite his hope. But the Believers hope is of a Divine O­riginal: It is an hope of God's Begetting, of his Creating. He has begotten us unto a lively hope, 1 Pet. 1.3. It is therefore a sure and a good hope; an hope that will end in the fruition of the good hoped for.

2. The Believers Hope is built on CHRIST. 1 Tim. 1.1. The Lord Jesus Christ is our hope. He has been the hope of his People in all Ages of the world: Jer. 14.8. O the Hope of Israel, and the Sa­viour thereof. Who is that hope of Israel? It is Christ the Promised Messiah, who was to come into the world to be the Saviour of it. Hence Paul said to the Jews, For the hope of Israel I am bound with this Chain, [Page 196] Act. 28.20. It was for his Preaching Christ, that a Chain was upon him. Now Christ is a sure and safe Foundation for us to build our hope upon: Isa. 26.4. Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jeho­vah is Everlasting Strength. He is called Tzur Gnolamim, the Rock of Ages. The house of the Believers hope is Founded on this Rock of Ages, therefore it shall not fail nor fall, but stand to Eternity. It is said of the wise builder, That he built his house upon a Rock, and the Rain descended, & the Floods came, & the winds blew & beat upon the house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a Rock, Mat. 7.24, 25. The true Believer is the wise Builder: Christ is the Rock on which his house, his hope is built and stands for ever. All the Powers of Darkness can never shake it. More particularly;

(1.) The Believers hope of blessedness in another world, is built upon the Merits of Christ's Obedience. Not upon the Merit of their Own Works or Righte­ousness: For that would be to build o [...] the Sand. Men never did Merit any thing by their imperfect Obedience, much less [Page 197] Eternal Life. It comes to us not as due Wages, as Death is, but as the Free Gift of God: Rom. 6.23. The wages of Sin is Death, but the gift of God is Eternal Life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It was a prodigi­ously Proud & Insolent Speech of a Popish Jesuit, That if God would give him Hea­ven Gratis, he would not Accept of it on those terms; he would do something to deserve it at the hands of God. Our im­perfect and sinful Obedience (and the best that we do or can do is so) cannot be Me­ritorious of any thing but Death. Only the Obedience of Jesus Christ the Son of God, is Meritorious: Rev. 5.12. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. For his Obe­dience is perfect, and without any de­fect. He has fulfilled all Righteousness, Mat. 3.15. There was no Precept of the Law of God whatsoever, that was a Duty incumbent on the Man Christ Jesus to ful­fil it, but he has done it; and not failed in the manner of Performance. Now the Righteousness of this Obedience of Christ, is imputed to the true Believer on his Name. The Righteousness of God which is [Page 198] by Faith in Jesus Christ is upon all that be­lieve, Rom. 3.22. That's the Righteous­ness of One who is God as well as Man, and therefore Infinitely Meritorious. Tis the only Righteousness which God will accept of in order to the Justification and Salvation of a Sinner; and it is Faith that does Entitle a man to this Righteousness, and make him able to say truly, This Glo­rious Righteousness is mine. God would make his Law Honourable & Glorious: Therefore it must be Fulfilled, and per­fectly Obeyed. This no man since Adams Fall, being involved in the Guilt of his sin, could ever do. Nevertheless, Believers in respect of their Surety, have done it. Sin has wounded and weakned men so, that they cannot obtain Righteousness & Salvation by the Law; but then God has sent his Son, That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, Rom. 8.3, 4. Christ's Fulfilling of the Law is imputed to us, if we truly believe on his Name. God graciously accepts of what our Surety has done for us, as if we our selves had done the same. Moreover, in order to the Sa­tisfaction [Page 199] of Divine Justice, it was neces­sary that the Penalty of the Law should be endured. This also has Christ our Blessed Surety, been willing for our sakes to submit unto, that he might obtain our Reconcilation to GOD, and our being accepted as Righteous; 2 Cor. 5.21. For he has made him to be Sin for us. It was by the holy Imputation of God that he was made so. Our Sins were imputed to Him, & thence he was made a Sin-offering in our stead: That we might be made the Righteousness of God in him; That the Righ­teousness which God will accept of might be imputed to us. This said Justin (one of the Martyrs in the Primitive times) was a sweet Exchange. And a later Mar­tyr said, Behold a Wonderful Exchange; Christ has my Sins, and I have his Righte­ousness. This then is that which the Be­lievers hope of blessedness in Heaven is built upon: It is on the Merit of Christ's Blood; on the Obedience of his Passion, as well as on the Obedience of his Life. He has carried the Merit of his Blood to heaven with him. By his own Blood he entred [Page 200] into the holy place, having obtained Eternal Redemption for us, Heb. 9.12. But there­fore believers hope (as well may they hope) that they shall enter into heaven also. They may have, and should have an humble Confidence of it. Heb. 10.19. Having boldness to enter into the holiest of all, by the Blood of Jesus. What can keep out of heaven, but only Sin? The sins of Believers are all satisfied for. The Blood of Christ has made a full Atonement for them; and taken away the Guilt & Con­demnation due for them. This indeed no other blood could do. The blood of all the Sacrifices under the Old Testa­ment could not Purge the Conscience, or take away the Guilt of Sin. The Law made nothing Perfect, but the bringing in of a better Hope has done it, Heb. 7.19. The Priesthood of Christ, the Sacrifice which he has offered, giveth unto Belie­vers a better ground of hope than the Law did. Because of the bringing in of this Hope, not only the Mercy of God, but his Justice also, concur and conspire in the Salvation of his People: Psal. 85.10. [Page 201] Mercy & Truth are met together, Righte­ousness & Peace have kissed each other. Nay, Justice it self looks on Believers with a smiling Countenance: Ver. 11. Righte­ousness shall look down from Heaven. It is not only Consistent with the Justice of God to pardon the Sins, and save the Souls of Penitent Believers, but in respect of Christ, Justice Obligeth him to it. Tis therefore said, That He is faithful & just to forgive us our Sins, and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness, 1 Joh. 1.9. It cannot stand with Justice to demand Satisfaction [...]wice for the same Debt, of the Surety & of the Principal too. Christ our Surety has made a Full Payment of our Debt: He has Saved us to the Uttermost; and has left nothing for us our selves or for any other [...]o do after him, that so the Debt might [...]e satisfied for.

(2.) The Believers Hope is built on the Resurrection of Christ. The Scripture speaks of a Lively Hope, by the Resurrecti­ [...]n of Jesus Christ from the Dead, 1 Pet. 1.3. [...]or that makes it clear, that God has re­ [...]eived full Satisfaction in the Death of [Page 202] Christ. As our Surety he was put into the Prison of the Grave. God himself has Opened the Prison-door, and he is gone forth; we may therefore hope, yea, we may rest assured of it, that our Debt is fully Paid. Christ at his Resurrection was dis­charged from that imputed Guilt, which was the cause of his Sufferings and Death. Hence his Resurrection is called his Justi­fication: Isa. 50.8. He is near that Justi­fieth me: I must be put into the Grave (says Christ) but God will soon Raise me up from thence. And when Christ was thus Justified, by his being Raised from the Dead, all Believers were Virtu­ally Justified. He was Delivered for our Offences, and Raised again for our Justifi­cation, Rom. 4.25. When the Believe [...] does by Faith look upon the Resurrection of Christ, he may say, I have a Good, i. e▪ a Guiltless Conscience: For all my Sins hav [...] been satisfied for, that Debt is wholl [...] Paid. How does that appear? It is Evi [...]dent from the Resurrection of Christ, 1 Pe [...] ▪ 3.21. If Christ had not Risen from th [...] Dead, we must for ever Despaired of Sa [...]vation. [Page 203] But by that we know that his Death has been Meritorious & Satisfacto­ry in our behalf. Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect? It is God [...]hat Justifieth. Who is he that Condemneth? It is Christ that Dyed: Yea, rather that [...] Risen again, Rom. 8.34. But there is [...]omething further to be added: For not­withstanding the Death of Christ and his Resurrection, there are many in the world without Hope, because they are without Christ, Eph. 2.12. They have not a real [...]nterest in him.

Therefore,

(3.) Believers Hope of Heaven is built [...]n their Union with Christ: Col. 1.27. Christ in you the Hope of Glory. Christ a­ [...]ides in them, and they in him, as Branches [...]bide in the Vine. He dwells in the be­ [...]eving Soul; Eph. 3.17. That Christ may [...]well in your hearts by Faith. It is impossible [...]hat a soul which is United to Christ, should [...]iss of Heaven. As long as this Union [...]ontinues, the Believer is in a safe Condi­ [...]ion. Now that Union is Indissoluble and [...]ternal. Death it self cannot dissolve it. [Page 204] That dissolves the Union which is be­tween the Soul and the Body; but not the Union which is between Christ and the Soul. Death puts an End to all Natural and Civil Relations, but not to that Spiri­tual Relation which is between Christ and his People. He has said to the Believer, I will Betroth thee to me for ever, Hos. 2.19. As in Marriage, as long as both Parties Live, the Relation continues. Thus as long as the Eternal Son of God and the immortal Soul of the Believer shall Live, this blessed Union will remain; therefore the Hope which is built upon it, is a sure well-grounded Hope. Thus for the Se­cond Demonstration of the Truth before us.

3. The Happiness which believers hope for, is committed to a Sure Hand. Hence tis said to be Laid up; The Hope laid up ▪ As a Treasure which is trusted in the hands and custody of a Faithful Depositary: Such an one has no fear of Loosing his Depo­situm, but hopes to Enjoy it in due time▪ In whose hand is the believers hope De­posited? Who has laid it up for him? It is [Page 205] an Able Hand, who can keep it safe: 2 Tim. 1.12. I know whom I have believed, and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him. His Soul, his Eternal Life, all the Everlasting Con­cerns of another World the Believer has trusted Christ with them all. The Object of the Believers Hope is a Depositum which Christ has laid up for him. And reser­ved for him, 1. Pet. 1.4. When tis said, the believers hope is Laid up, Committed, Reserved, all these Expressions aim at the same thing; they denote Safety and Se­curity. Sometimes when a man has that which is Precious and Valuable, he will put it into the hands of a Friend to keep for him, and if it is put into the hand of an [...]ble and Faithful Friend, he may well [...]ope for the Enjoyment of it. So is it [...]ere. It is well for Believers, that their Salvation is not in their Own Keeping: [...]or if it were, they would soon Loose it, [...]s Adam did, when he was trusted with [...]he Lives of all the World. But as for Believers, their Souls and the Eternal safe­ [...]y thereof, are in the hands of a Faithful [Page 206] Keeper, and a Mighty Keeper: Joh. 10.28, 29. I Give them Eternal Life, and they shall never Perish; neither shall any pluck them out of my Hand. My Father is Greater than all; none is able to pluck them out of my Father's Hand.

4. The Blessedness which Believers Hope for, is Laid up in a Safe Place, as well as in a Sure Hand. It is laid up in the securest Place in the whole Creation. For where is it Laid up? It is in the Hea­ven of Heavens. So says the Text, The Hope which is Laid up for you in Heaven. So the Apostle Peter, An Inheritance Re­served for you in Heaven, 1 Pet. 1.4. There is no danger of Loosing a Treasure which is Laid up there. No Enemy can come there to Rob us of it: Mat. 6.20. La [...] up for your selves Treasures in Heaven where Thieves do not break through [...] Steal. Hope is the Souls Anchor, and [...] is an Anchor that will hold, as being Fast [...]ned in Heaven: Heb. 6.19. Which Hop [...] we have as an Anchor of the Soul, both su [...] & stedfast, and which entreth into that wit [...] in the Vail. By the Vail in the Temp [...] [Page 207] there was an Entrance into the Sanctuary, which was a Type of Heaven. The Soul of the Believer does, by Faith and Hope cast Anchor in Heaven; which is there­fore sure and stedfast, come what come can. Whilest in this world, we are in Storms: We are in a Tempestuous Sea, yet are we safe enough if we have an An­chor within the Vail, if the Anchor of our Hope is laid up in Heaven, that Anchor will hold; and as long as the Anchor holds, the Vessel is safe.

PROPOSITION III.

The Blessedness which all true Believers shall Enjoy in Heaven, will be a Perfect Blessed­ness. There is no Perfection of Happiness to be hoped for on this side Heaven. All Earthly happiness is attended with that which makes it an Imperfect happiness. Wherefore David said, I have seen an end of all Perfection, but thy Commandment is exceeding Broad, Psal. 119.96. He saw that all the Honours, and Riches, & Pleasures which this World can afford, would not make Happy; but the Commandment di­rects in the right way to Heaven, and [Page 208] there's Perfection, and a Perfection which no End of it can be seen. Although in respect of their Souls, Believers attain un­to a Blessed Perfection when they Leave this world; as from another Scripture has been Largely shew'd, the Spirits of Just men are then made Perfect: Nevertheless, their Happiness will not be Compleated until after the Resurrection and Day o [...] Judgment, when they shall go to Heaven Body and Soul, namely, to that Heaven where Christ in respect of his Human [...] Nature now is. Hence Christ said to Peter, Whither I go, viz. to that Heaven whither I am going, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards▪ Viz. when thou shalt leave this world▪ Joh. 13, 36. The Lord also said to hi [...] Disciples, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am, there you may be also, Joh▪ 14.3 And where is that but in his Fa­ther's House? When Once they are there they shall want nothing that can Con [...]duce to a Perfection in Happiness.

There are Four Particulars to be Con [...]sidered, as Concurring in the Blessednes [...] [Page 209] of the Heavenly World. [ I.] There is the Blessedness of the Place. [ II.] Of the Society. [ III.] The Beatifical Vi­sion. [ IV.] The Eternity of the En­ [...]oyment.

I. The Blessedness of the Place. That Heaven which is to be the Seat of the Blessed, is a most blessed and desirable Place. There are some Countries on the Earth, which are far more desirable to Live [...]n, than Others are. But the Scripture tells us of an Heavenly Countrey. There is no Countrey on the Earth to be compared with that. Tis said of the holy Patri­archs, they Desire a better Countrey, that is an Heavenly, Heb. 11.16. It appears that Heaven is a most Desirable Place from [...]everal things.

1. From the Types of it. There are Glorious Types of it mentioned in the Scripture; e. g. The Land of Canaan was [...] desirable Countrey to Live in: Tis cal­ [...]ed the good Land. When the Children of Israel had provoked the Lord by their Unbelief. He Swore that they should no [...] [Page 210] see the good Land, Deut. 1.35. It is called the glorious Land, Dan. 11.16. It was the Glory of all Lands, Ezek. 20.6. So is Heaven the Glory of the whole Creation: it is the Goodliest part of the Creation of God. Because of the Land of Canaan was a Figure of Heaven, therefore (as from another Scripture we have shew'd) Heaven is called an Inheritance. None bu [...] Israelites had a right to inherit that Land▪ Thus none but Believers on Christ, have a right to the Heavenly Inheritance. I [...] was by means of Joshua, that the Children of Israel Inherited Canaan: It is by mean [...] of IESUS our Lord, that Believers In­herit Heaven. The Children of Israe [...] dwelt in Houses which they never built▪ So do the Children of God in Heaven dwell in Mansions which they had not th [...] least hand in building them. The La [...] of Canaan is called the Land of Promis [...] Heb. 11.9. Heaven is so much mor [...] We have need of Patience, that after w [...] have done the Will of God we may recei [...] the Promise, Heb. 10.36. Heaven it se [...] is that Promise. This was the reason [...] [Page 211] some of the Patriarchs were so desirous to be Bury'd in the Land of Canaan. Jacob & Joseph Dy'd in Egypt, yet would they be Buried in Canaan; thereby testifying their Valuation of that Land, not meerly for it self, but as it was a Type of Heaven. No Question but that it was for this, that Moses was so Exceeding desirous (had the Lord seen it meet) to have seen that [...]and. He prayed, until God bid him be [...]lent, and speak no more unto him of that [...]atter; and said, I pray thee let me go o­ [...]er and see the good Land which is be­ [...]ond Jordan, that goodly Mountain, Deut. [...].25. What Mountain was that? Tis sup­ [...]osed that it was Mount Moriah, on which Abraham was Commanded to Sacrifice I­ [...]aac; and on which afterwards the Tem­ [...]le was built: that Mountain was a Type [...]f Heaven, which is a Goodly Mountain in­ [...]eed. The Temple also was a Type of [...]eaven. That was a Beautiful House: [...]here was not such another Glorious [...]uilding on the Earth. David said, It [...]ust be Builded for the Lord; and it must [...] exceeding Magnifical; of Fame and of [Page 212] Glory throughout all Countries, 1 Chron. 22.5. Solomon said it should be wonderful Great, 2 Chron. 2 9. And taking it with the Buildings belonging to it, it was a wonderful Great House. Yet this house in all its Glory and Magnificence, was but a shadow of Heavens Glory. Again, Paradise was a Type of Heaven. That is in the Scripture called Eden, which sig­nifies Pleasure, and the Garden of the Lord ▪ It was a Garden which GOD himself Planted; the like was never on the Earth. How happy had Adam been, might he have continued there? But to be in the Heavenly Paradise, is an inexpressibly greater Happiness. It is promised to him that Overcomes, that he shall Eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of th [...] Paradise of God, Rev. 2.7. Christ in Hea­ven, is that Tree of Life in the midst o [...] the Paradise of God. Believers shall there Feed upon and be Satisfied with behold­ing his Glory, throughout the Ages of E­ternity.

2. The Names whereby Heaven is de [...]scribed in the Scripture, declares it to b [...] [Page 213] a Blessed & a Glorious Place. The Hea­ven which I am speaking of, and in which the Hope of Believers is Laid up, is called the third Heaven. Paul was Caught up to the third Heaven, 2 Cor. 12.2. The He­brew Writers have (as the Scripture has) distinguished Heaven into three Regions, Each one of which is called Heaven.

(1.) There is the Aerial Heaven, in which the Birds fly, and the Clouds ap­pear. The Scripture speaks of the Fowls of Heaven, and the Clouds of Heaven. All that space which is between the Earth and the Stars is called Heaven.

(2.) There is the Etherial Heaven, where the Sun, Moon, and Stars glitter. Hence the Scripture speaks of the Stars of Heaven. With these God has Gar­nished that which is the Second Heaven.

(3.) There is the Supreme Heaven, [...]hat which is the Seat of the Blessed, and of which the holy Angels are the Native Inhabitants; who are therefore said to be the Angels of Heaven, Mat. 22.30. This [...]s the Third Heaven, which is also called [...] Heaven of Heavens, Deut. 10.14. Im­porting [Page 214] that it is of all Heavens, the most Excellent & Glorious One. Sometimes it is called Heaven Absolutely and Em­phatically▪ No other heaven is worth the mentioning in Comparison of this. It is also called the City of God. The City of Jerusalem, which was the Perfection of Beauty, and the Joy of the whole Earth, was but as a Shadow of it. It is the City whose Builder & Maker is God, Heb. 11.10. All other Cities have been Built by Men, but this no man had an hand in Building it, or in making any part of it; only GOD himself by his own Infinite Power and Wisdom. The Greek word there used for Builder, is Technites; which signifies an Artificer. GOD alone was the Arti­ficer, when this City was Built. He ha [...] shewed his A [...]t, his Skill, his Incompa­rable Wisdom in Framing of it. N [...] Creature could have been the Author o [...] such a Building; as we shall see and be [...]lieve when God shall bring us into i [...] ▪ There it is that the Great King has [...] Residence, and keeps his Court with mo [...] than ten thousand times ten thousand [...] [Page 215] the Noblest Creatures that ever were made, attending on him. This Heaven is the Palace Royal of the Divine Ma­jesty. Mean persons may dwell in poor Cottages, but Kings in Magnificent Hou­ses. What do we think of the Palace in which the King of the World, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, has his holy Habi­tation? How Glorious is it? Look Down from heaven the Habitation of thy holiness, and of thy glory. This heaven is called God's Throne, Mat. 5.34. When Kings Sit upon their Thrones, they appear in all their Glory. In heaven God appears in such Glory, as no mortal Man is able to behold. When Moses prayed, Shew me thy Glory, God said to him, Thou canst not see my Face; no man shall see me & live.

3. The wonderful Extent of this Hea­ven, sets forth the Glory and Magnifi­cence of it. The heavenly Jerusalem is called the Great City. The Circuit of it is said to be Sixteen Thousand Furlongs, which make Fifteen hundred Miles, Rev. 21.6. There never was so great a City, or any way comparable to it. Old Babylon and [Page 216] Rome, have been accounted the greatest Cities that ever the Sun saw. Yet nei­ther of them were above Fifty Miles in Compass. Wherefore this Description of the heavenly Jerusalem, does intimate unto us, that Heaven is of wonderful Ex­tent. The Spaciousness of it, is incredi­ble to the Unbelieving World. All other Places and all Creatures are comprehen­ded within the Circumference of it. The Glorious GOD is an Immense Being, and therefore cannot be Contained within the Limits of Place: The heaven of heavens cannot Contain him, 1 King. 8.27. But the whole Creation is Circumscrib'd with the Heaven of Heavens. The Height of it is wonderful: It is the Top of the Creation. Nothing is above it. Glory be to God in the Highest, Luk. 2.14. The hea­ven of heavens is the highest part of the Creation of God. That heaven for height is Unsearchable, Prov. 25.3. I know, Astronomers have their Conjectures about it; and they are but Conjectures. The Old Astronomers have maintained, that it is above Eighty Millions of Miles, from the [Page 217] Earth to the Starry Heaven. Late A­stronomers, suppose it to be many times more, than that amounts unto. Not only Mathematicians, but some Divines have affirmed; That if a man should Travel an hundred Miles every Day, he would not in the space of Four Thousand Years, reach the Stars; and that the Third Heaven is above the Stars, as much as that is a­bove the Earth. We know from the Scripture, that the Empyrean Heaven is Vastly above the highest Stars, but how much higher no man can say. And it is Presumption in those men, who go about to Determine it. Hence Eliphaz said to Job, Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the Stars how high they are, Job 22.12. Thou seest (says he) that the Stars are a Marvellous height, but that Heaven which is God's Habitation, is above the highest Stars: Yea, it is far above them. It is there­fore said of our Saviour Christ, that He [...]scended far above all heavens, Eph. 4.10. That Heaven where Christ now Resides, [...] far above all these Visible heavens. It [Page 218] is a wonderful Meditation, for a Christi­an when he walks abroad in the Night, and beholds the Stars, to think with him­self, This Body of mine which is now walking here on the Earth, shall one Day walk above the Stars: For so it shall, when after the Resurrection it shall be in that Heaven which is far above them. But then how Vast must the Extent of this Heaven be? The Earth is by Geographers concluded, to be One and Twenty Thousand and Six Hundred Miles in Compass. It is but l [...]ke a Point in a great Circle, compared [...] the rest of the World. The Stars [...] [...]comparably greater than the Earth. [...] Astronomers presume, that they are so many Suns; and some of them at least as big as the Sun. A Late Learned Wri­ter Conjectures, that the Sun is above Three Thousand and Four Hundred time [...] as big as the Earth. Another supposeth the Body of the Sun to be many Thou [...]sand times greater than the Body of th [...] Earth. Ho [...] Vast then is the Space o [...] that Heaven, in which all the Planets [...] all the Fixed Stars are Contained? Bu [...] [Page 219] the heaven of heavens is of a much Vaster Extent. Well might our Lord say to the Disciples, In my Father's house there are ma­ny Mansions. There is Room enough in that heaven for Thousands of Millions of Saints and Angels to Delight themselves for ever. Yet all this heaven as Vast as it is, will God give for an Inheritance to his Chil­dren. It was said to Abraham, Lift up thine Eyes, and Look Northward, and South­ward, and Eastward, and Westward; all the Land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy Seed after thee, Gen. 13.14, 15. Thus does the Lord say of the Spiritual Children of Abraham, true Believers on Jesus Christ, Let them with an Eye of Faith take a View of the heavenly Canaan, let them Consider how Good and how Great it is, I will give it all to them.

4. There are Admirable Properties of this Heaven, by which we may see how Desirable a Place it is. Blessed Proper­ties which cannot be said of this Sinful Earth. And what are they?

Answ. (1.) A Blessed Purity is to be Affirmed of that Heaven in which the [Page 220] Believers hope is laid up. It is true that as to the Matter of it, it is a Pure Sub­stance. The Purest Gold, the Richest Gems are not to Compare with it; nor is any Earthly thing: But it is a Place of the Greatest Purity on an higher Account, than that of the Matter out of which it does Consist. For it was never Defiled with any Sin; and is therefore called an Inheritance Undefiled, 1 Pet. 1.4 It is an holy heaven. Psal. 20.6. He will hear from his holy heaven; with the saving strength of his right hand. How should there be Sin there, when there is such a Glorious Presence of God in it? There never was, there never shall be any Sin there. There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that Defiles, Rev. 21.27. Then I am sure that Sin cannot enter into it, for that is the defilingest thing that ever was. This Earth was a far more desira­ble place before Sin entred into it, and brought a Blemish and a Curse upon it, than [...]ow it is They that have an earnest desire to be perfectly pure and holy▪ [...] [...]ong to be in heaven▪ [Page 221] For there they will find that Purity which their Souls breathe after. The holy of holies in the Temple, was a Type of the heaven of heavens.

(2.) Another Property of this heaven is, the Constancy of its Nature. It was not made out of Pre-existent Principles, as all things that shall Perish and be sub­ject to Change were. It was made out of Nothing, as soon as ever the Work of Creation began, Gen. 1.1. It was made before the Starry heaven, and before the Earth, which was Created the day before the Sun Moon and Stars were made. For Angels are the Inhabitants of it; and they shouted when they saw God lay the Foun­dations of the Earth, Job 38.6, 7. It re­mains the same that it was the first Day that the World began, without any alte­ration; and will do so to all Eternity. It is therefore called an Inheritance which is Incorruptible, 1 Pet. 1.4. In this world, all things are subject to Change: Here is not our Rest. It is not a Place to conti­nue in: But heaven is; Heb. 13.14. Here we have no continuing City, but we seek one [Page 222] to come. Our Days on Earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding. But in heaven there are Mansions, which are Ever­lasting habitations, Luk. 16.9. It is the greatest Folly in the world, for men to think that their houses on Earth shall be continued for Ever; and their dwelling places to all Generations: But Heaven is an eternal house: 2 Cor. 5.1. We have a building of God, not made with hands, eter­nal in the heavens.

(3.) Another Property of this heaven is, a wonderful Splendor. A marvellous Clarity and Brightness beyond what is in the most Resplendent Gems. It is called a Throne of Sapphire-stone, which shines with a great Brightness, Ezek. 1.26. The Elders of Israel had a wonderful Vision: the Son of God appeared to them in an Humane shape: They saw the God of Israel, and there was under his Feet as it were a Paved work of Sapphire-stone: and as it were the body of heaven in its c [...]ness, Exod. 24.10. Thus had they a Miraculous Glympse of heaven. The third Heaven is by Divines called the Empyrean heaven [...] [Page 223] not for its heat, but for its light. Hence also resembl'd to a Jasper Stone, Rev. 21.11. Writers say of the Jasper, that the bright­ness of it never ceaseth; the Clouds do not darken it, nor does it leave shining when the Sun shines; nor does the splen­dor of it hurt the Eyes; but the more men look on it, the more it pleaseth them. One of our own Divines says truly, All the Lustre and shining Beauty of Diamonds and Precious Stones, if they could be united into one Object, are not to be compared with this. The Sun & Stars may be look [...]d on as spots of Darkness, compar'd with this Heaven. There is no Night there. How should there, when all the Glorified Bo­dy's of the Children of God, shall shine as so many Suns in the Kingdom of their Father?

Hence,

(4.) This heaven is a most Delightful Place: For which cause it has the Name of Paradise given to it; as but now we [...]hewed. Hence also it is in the Scripture compa [...]ed to a Mountain of Spices. The Song of Songs which is Solomons, Concludes [Page 224] with these words, Make hast, my Beloved▪ and be thou like a Roe on the Mountains o [...] Spices. This is the Believers Prayer▪ Make haste, Lord JESUS, to Judge the World, and to carry me with thy self, to be with thee in Heaven; which is resemble [...] to a Mountain, because of the height and stability of it; and of Spices, because 'ti [...] a Sweet and Delightful Place. What [...] Difference is there between this World an [...] Heaven? Here we Live in Valleys, in a Valley of Tears, in Bottoms of Death and Misery: But HEAVEN is a Moun­tain, in which there is nothing but wha [...] is Delightful and Desirable.

Thus concerning the Happiness of th [...] Place in which the Believers Hope is Lai [...] up. We proceed;

II. To shew that Saints in heaven wil [...] be happy in the Blessed Society which ther [...] they shall have Communion with That wi [...] add to the happiness of the Place. An [...] with whom will their Fellowship the [...] be?

[Page 225] Answ. 1. The most Perfect and Blessed Communion of Saints, is in Heaven. This Evil World has but Few Real Saints in it. They are the Excellent Ones of the Earth. But, alas! They are thin sowen: Psal. 12.1. The Godly man ceaseth, the Faithful [...]ail from among the Children of men. But this world abounds with Sinners, which makes it a woful and undesirable World. Psal. 120.5. Wo is me, that I dwell in Me­sech: that I sojourn in the tents of Kedar. This Earth is a Mesech; it is Over-spread with the tents of Kedar. It generally lyeth [...]n Wickedness. And in the Visible Church, there are many who are not Real Saints. There are Tares mixed with the Wheat; [...]nd will be so to the End of the world. Yea, in the Purest Churches in the world, [...]here are Hypocrites. There are not only Wise, but Foolish Virgins there, Mat. 25.2. Who are those Foolish Virgins? Are they [...]ot Hypocrites in Pure Gospel Churches? [...]or men to think they can Deceive GOD, with giving their Names and not their Hearts to Him; and to put a Cheat upon [...]heir own Souls, is Egregious Folly: But [Page 226] thus do Hypocrites. Whereas in the Church Triumphant in Heaven, they are all Real Saints; there is not One Hypo­crite among them, nor ever shall be: Job 13.16. An hypocrite shall not come before him: He shall never come into the Graci­ous and Glorious Presence of GOD in the heavenly world. And not only Real Saints, but Perfect Ones: Sinless ones are in Heaven. What an Heaven upon Earth would this world be, if there were none but Saints in it; and those altogether Free from sinful Infirmities? But alas! there i [...] no such People, no such Countrey to be found on the face of the Earth. It has been Related, That when holy Churches were first Planted in New-England, some in other parts of the world Reported, Tha [...] New-England was New-Jerusalem; a Piou [...] man who Lov'd to be among the Saints o [...] God, was thereby induced to come hither▪ But after he had been here a while, h [...] sighed and said, I see that New-England [...] not Heaven! Men here have their sinfu [...] Infirmities, as well as in other places. Bu [...] in Heaven they have not so. There tha [...] [Page 227] which is perfect is come, and that which is im­perfect is done away. And then after the Day of Judgment, not only some of the Elect of God, but all of them shall be to­gether in heaven. The Great Congrega­tion of the Righteous, the General Assem­bly and Church of the First-born will be there, maintaining a Blessed and Sinless Communion, and declaring the great things which God has done for them. There is very little spoken in the Scrip­ture, concerning the Providences of God towards the Long-liv'd Patriarchs, who Liv'd before the Flood. Without doubt, they had marvellous Experiences of the Goodness of God, and his wonderful Works towards them. It is the Observa­tion of an Eminent Divine, that the Story of those things is reserved for Heaven; and there they will have time enough to De­clare them; and to Praise the Lord in the Great Congregation. And it is hence E­vident, that the Saints in Heaven shall Know one another: Otherwise there would be little comfort in their Communi­on. They who are Strangers to one ano­ther, [Page 228] cannot have an intimacy of Com­munion; as in Heaven the Saints shall have. Such as knew them in this world, and have got to heaven before them, will be glad to see them come thither after them; and will give them a Joyful Recep­tion; and in a special manner if they were their Benefactors on Earth. Wherefore CHRIST Exhorting his Disciples unto acts of Charity to the poor Servants of God, says, When you fail, i. e. when you dy, and cease to be in this world, and all things here shall fail and be of no advan­tage to you, they shall receive you into e­verlasting habitations, Luk. 16.9. They unto whom you have been Charitable, will receive you with great Joy. As if a man gone into a Far Countrey, shall see his Friend who has been Kind to him come thither after him, he Receives him with Joy. Heaven is a Far Countrey: Our Friends to whom we have been Be­neficial, who are arriv'd there before us, will be glad to Receive us into their Com­munion there. Especially such as unto whom GOD has made us Spiritual Be­nefactors. [Page 229] When a Faithful Minister of Christ shall come to heaven, the Souls there who have been Converted or Edi­fied by his Ministry, will greatly Rejoyce to see him. I have shew'd from another Scripture, that the Servants of God shall Know one another in the Resurrection World: Yea, such as were not known to them in this world; Nay, Ungodly men shall then know those holy Servants of God who dy'd and went to heaven long before they themselves had a being, Luk. 13.28. We way from thence Argue, that much more shall Saints in Heaven know one another; yea, such as were in heaven many Ages before them. When our Sa­viour was Transfigured in the holy Mount, in the presence of three of his Disciples, (which Transfiguration was a little Emblem and Figure of Heaven) there appeared Moses and Elias talking with him; and Peter knew who they were, Mat. 17.3, 4. How did he know those who had been in Heaven many Ages? It is a Vanity to say (as some have done) that Peter knew them, because he had seen [Page 230] their Pictures; for the Jews did not allow of, nor had they any such Pictures among them. But there was a Divine Irradiati­on on his Mind, causing him to know who they were. Much more will it be so in Heaven. Then shall we know which of the Saints there is Moses, and which is Joshua, and which is Samuel, and which is David; and so of all the rest. The tho't of this was a great Comfort to Bullinger when he was on his Death-bed: I am go­ing (says he) to be with the holy Patri­archs, and Prophets, and Apostles, and Mar­tyrs who are gone to Heaven before me. It is Reported, that the Night before Lu­ther Dy'd, some proposed that Question to him, Whether Saints in heaven shall know one another? He Answered, that surely it shall be so: For which he gave this (a­mong other) Reasons, Adam in Paradise knew who Eve was, as soon as ever he saw her. Much more will it be so in the Heavenly Paradise.

2. In Heaven there is an innumerable Company of Angels, with whom we shall there have a Blessed Communion. There [Page 231] is Joy in Heaven, Joy among the Angels of God over a sinner that Repents, Luk. 15.10. Then certainly the Angels Re­joyce, when they see a Soul come to Hea­ven to joyn with them in Glorifying God there. It is true, that whilest we are in this World, we have a Communion with Angels, more than we know or think of; for it is secret and invisible. As long as we abide in a state of Mortality, the Pre­sence of an Angel is awful and terrible to us. An Angel appear'd to Samson's Mo­ther: She knew him not to be an Angel, if she had, she would have been more terrify'd; but she said to her Husband, A man of God came to me, and his Countenance was like the Countenance of an Angel of God, very terrible, Judg. 13.6. But in Hea­ven we shall be Equal to the Angels, as immortal as they are; and therefore ca­pable of holding a Familiar Communion and Conversation with them. The Lord said to the Prophet, If thou wilt walk in my Ways, I will give thee places to walk a­mong these that stand by, Zech. 3.7. Who were they that stood by? They were [Page 232] holy Angels. There are blessed Walks in heaven. They that walk in the ways of the Lord here on Earth, shall one Day walk with Angels in those Celestial walks. There shall we be as Familiar with holy Angels, as Fellow-servants can be with one another. When John fell at the Feet of an Angel to Worship him, he Charg'd him, Do it not; I am thy Fellow-servant: For Fellow-servants to Worship one another, is most Unreasonable, Rev. 19.10. Now this is a great happiness. Dr. Taylor (he that suffer'd Martyrdom in Queen Mary's Days) Blessed God for sending him to Prison, because there (said he) I became acquainted with that Angel of God, Mr. John Bradford. A Very Holy Man, is an An­gel Incarnate. If it is an happiness to have Communion with an Angelical Man, tho' in a Prison, what is it to Converse with Angels, who have not (nor ever had) any Sin in them; and this Conversation not in a Prison, but in the Heavenly Pa­radise? There they will inform us, what Services they have done for the Church of God, by the Direction of our Lord [Page 233] Jesus Christ; who is their Lord as well as ours: And what Kind Offices they have done for us, which now we know nothing of; so shall we Joyn with Angels, and they with us in Eternal Hallelujahs, to GOD and to JESUS CHRIST. Then shall we see that Scripture Blessedly Ful­filled, Rev. 5.13. Every Creature in Hea­ven, heard I, saying, Blessing, Honour, Glo­ry and Power be unto him that sitteth on the Throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and e­ver.

3. Saints in Heaven shall have a Blessed Communion with One, who is better than any Saint on Earth or Angel in Hea­ven, that is with JESUS CHRIST. It was a blessed word which Christ spake to the Disciples, Joh. 14.2, 3. There are many Mansions in my Father's House; I go to pre­pare a Place for you,; and if I go and pre­pare a Place for you, I will come again and receive you to my self, that where I am, there you may be also. When He has them with him in his Father's House, there will be a Ravishing Communion between them. The Apostles were singularly happy, in [Page 234] that they were admitted to a Free Con­versation with Christ, when in his state of Humiliation here on Earth. It was said to them, Blessed are your Eyes, for they see that which many Prophets & Righ­teous men have desired to see, but have not seen them, Mat. 13.16, 17. But how great is their Blessedness, who see Christ in Glory; and Converse with him there? Notwithstanding he is Exalted far above all Angels and Men, He Condescends to Entertain a Communion with his Saints in Heaven as his Brethren. When Joseph was in all his Glory, he Comforted his Brethren, and spoke Kindly to them, Gen. 50.21. Christ will speak nothing to his Saints in Heaven, but what shall be Kind and Comfortable. When he was Trans­figured, there appeared Glorify'd men talking with him, Luk. 9.30. What Com­munications there are and shall be, be­tween Christ and the Glorified, We know not; nor shall we until we are among them. But we know, that they have a Blessed Fellowship with the Son of God in Heaven; and that a very great part o [...] [Page 235] their Happiness does consist in that Com­munion. It is Heaven to be with Christ. The happiness of heaven is thus Expressed by our Saviour himself; Joh. 17.24. Fa­ther, I will that they whom thou hast Given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my Glory. The Humane Nature of Christ, in which dwells the Fulness of the Godhead Bodily, is as full of God as it is possible for a Creature to be. There is more of God to be seen in that Man, than in all the Creatures in Heaven or Earth. The Man Christ Jesus, is the most Glorious Object that Eyes can behold. It is Christ's being there, that makes Heaven to be Heaven indeed. Believers who Dy'd un­der the Old Testament were in a blessed Estate, Nevertheless, when the Man Christ Jesus Ascended to Heaven, his coming there was a great Addition to their hap­piness. His Presence filled heaven with a New Glory, beyond what Glorify'd Souls had seen before that Day. It is Christ's being there, that makes heaven to be so desirable. The Apostle therefore said, I desire to depart, and to be with Christ, [Page 236] Phil. 1.23. He does not say, I desire to depart that I may be in Heaven; but that I may be with Christ. To be with Christ is better than to be in Heaven without Him.

III. The Perfection of Blessedness con­sists in Seeing GOD. It is so Expressed in the Scripture, Heb. 12.14. Follow Ho­liness, without which no man shall see the Lord. All the Blessedness of Heaven is denoted by that, of Seeing the Lord. The Glorify'd have a clear and immediate Sight of GOD. They do not see him through the Glass of his Word & Works as is in this World they do; but have an Open, Clear, Full Sight of him; 1 Cor. 13.12. Now we see through a Glass Dark­ly; but then Face to Face: Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as I am known. Here we have but a Dark and Very Imperfect Knowledge of God. Both the Object and our Eyes are covered with Darkness; but in heaven that Darkness is Removed, so that we see clearly; as two men who are near together & behold one [Page 237] another Face to Face. In this Life, our sight of God is by Faith: We Walk by Faith, and not by Sight; But in heaven there is an immediate Vision and Fruition of him. Not that in heaven God the Fa­ther is seen with Bodily Eyes. The Di­vine Nature cannot be seen: He is the In­visible God, whom no man has seen nor can see, as to a Corporeal Vision. But Mental Knowledge is in the Scripture Ex­pressed by Vision. It is an Intellectual Vision of GOD which Saints in Glory are Blessed with: He is seen with the Eye of the Understanding. Not that the Blessed have a Comprehensive Vision or Knowledge of GOD. No Creature can Comprehend the Incomprehensible Being of GOD. Finite has no proportion to In­finite. Therefore no Finite Understand­ing can have a Perfect Knowledge of the Infinite Being: Job 11.7. Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty to Perfection? No Creature can ever do it. Nevertheless, there is an Intellectual Knowledge of God, in which the Essence of Happiness does consist: [Page 238] This all the Blessed have. Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for they shall see God, Mat. 5 8. As to the Degree and Measure of this Vision, it is according to the Pleasure of God, who will doubtless Vouchsafe great­er Manifestations of himself to some Saints in Heaven than to Others, (as he does on Earth) according to the Soveraign Good Pleasure of his Will. But such a Vision of God all the Glorify'd shall have, as will make them happy. And nothing short of that can make the Rational Creature hap [...]py. One of the Ancients speaks with true Devotion, when he says, If thou, Lord, shouldst give me never so much, ex­cept thou wilt give me thy Self, I cannot be satisfied. Nothing will make a man hap­py, but that which will give to his Sou [...] a fulness of Satisfaction. No Create [...] Good can do that: But the Vision & Fruiti [...]on of GOD will do it: Psal. 17.15. I shal [...] behold thy Face in Righteousness; I shall b [...] satisfied with thy Likeness. Nothing wil [...] make a man happy, but that which wi [...] make him Impeccable; that is uncapabl [...] of Sinning. The Beatifical Vision will b [...] [Page 239] attended with that Happiness. An Impos­sibility of Sinning in the Man Christ Jesus, proceeds from the Personal Union of the Humane Nature with the Divine. But in Glorify'd Saints, it proceeds from the Beatifical Vision. They are so filled with the Fulness of GOD, and so taken up with GOD, that it is impossible that they should Sin whilest they are so; and they Will be so for ever and ever. It remains then that the Happiness of the Glorify'd in Heaven, consists chiefly in this Vision [...]f God. Yea, the Happiness of the An­gels is, and for ever Will be in this. When they have finish'd that Course of Obedience appointed for them, they shall be Rewarded. And what shall their Reward be? Surely a Contemplation of the Infinite Perfecti­ons which are in GOD. The Happiness of Christ consider'd as Man, is in this Beatifical Vision. Christ therefore has said, Thou wilt shew me the Path of Life; in thy Presence, or as the Original Words are, in thy Face there is fulness of Joy. Hap­piness in the Perfection and Fulness of it, [...]s in being with GOD and beholding His [Page 240] Face, Psal. 16.11. Yea, the Blessedness of GOD himself, is in Beholding his own Infinite Excellencies and Glory. So has he been most Blessed from all Eternity. This then is that which Elect Angels and Men Will be taken up with in Heaven, through­out the Days of Eternity. It Will be im­possible for them to see to the End of the Divine Perfections; but there is Infinitely more still. After the Day of Judgment, it is said, that God shall be all in all, 1 Cor. 15.28. For the present, Christ is all in all. All comes to us through the Hands of a Mediator: But in Heaven all will come from God Immediately. All the Elect of God shall be satisfy'd from GOD alone. While in this World, they Receive Com­fort from Creatures, from Friends & kind Relations; And Spiritual Comfort from holy Ordinances: They suck Consolation from those Breasts. But in Heaven Go [...] will be instead of all. No need of any thing else to make us Happy. An [...] GOD alone shall be the Object of ou [...] Love. In Heaven we shall Love no Crea [...]ture [Page 241] out of God, but all in God; or rather God in them all.

IV. Blessedness consists in the Eternity of the Enjoyment. When Eternity and Blessedness meet together, that's Perfect Blessedness. It has formerly been declared, and let me now say it again, that to En­joy the blessedness of Heaven, if it were but for One Day, would have more of Consolation and true Happiness in it, than there is in a Thousand Years of the great­est Earthly Prosperity. One Day there is better than a Thousand elsewhere, Psal. 84.10. But what then is an Eternity of that Hap­piness? Could the Saints in Heaven have the least Fear of ever being deprived of so great Blessedness, the thought of that would make them Miserable. For the greater the Happiness is, the greater the Misery in being Deprived of it. But [...]hey know that if once in Heaven, for [...]ver there: Rev. 3.12 He shall [...]o no more out. This the Psalmist knew, [...]nd it was his great Consolation, when [...]alking in the Valley of the shadow of [Page 242] Death; Psal. 23.6. Goodness & Mercy shall follow me all the Days of my Life; and I shall Dwell in the House of the Lord for ever. Heaven is that House of the Lord, in which Believers shall dwell for ever, when the days of their Life on Earth are ended. There is nothing in Heaven but what speaks Eternity. GOD is there: And he is the Eternal: And therefore he speaks, as Deut. 32.40. I lift up my Hand to Heaven, and say, I Live for ever. He is the Ever-living God. CHRIST is in Hea­ven, and he is styled, the Everlasting Fa­ther, Isa. 9.6. Angels are there, and they cannot Dy: And the Saints which are there, are in that respect like them; Nei­ther can they Dy any more. Heaven it sel [...] is an Eternal House, 2 Cor. 5.1. Hence it is called a City that has Foundations, Heb. 11.10. It is not like the Tents which the Children of Israel dwelt in whilest in the Wilderness, which might easily be take [...] down and removed, Numb. 9.17. But i [...] stands on an Eternal Foundation. Tha [...] Beatifical Vision which Glorify'd Saint [...] enjoy, is Perpetual and Eternal. Chri [...] [Page 243] says concerning the holy Angels, that in Heaven they do always behold the face of [...]is Father in Heaven, Mat. 18.10. The [...]ike is to be said of Glorify'd Saints in Heaven: Psal. 41.12. As for me, thou up­ [...]oldest me in mine integrity, and settest me [...]efore thy face for ever. The blessed Pre­ [...]ence and Glory of Christ in which they [...]ake such Soul-satisfaction, in Heaven [...]hey shall enjoy it for ever. 1 Thes. 4. [...]7, 18. So shall we be ever with the Lord. [...]omfort one another with these words. The [...]ife which Saints in Heaven Live, is an E­ [...]ernal Life: Mat. 10.30. In the World to Come, Eternal Life. The Glory of Hea­ [...]en is an Eternal Glory: 1 Pet. 5.10. The God of all Grace has called us into his Eter­ [...]al Glory, by Christ Jesus. The Scripture [...]peaks of an Heavenly Kingdom, 2. Tim. [...].18. The Lord will preserve me unto his Heavenly Kingdom. This Heavenly King­ [...]om is an Eternal Kingdom. It is called [...]he Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and [...]aviour Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 1.11. This is [...] Blessed Truth, and it is Wonderful and [...]mazing. The thought of Eternity is an [Page 244] Astonishing Meditation. If Sinners would be perswaded to think seriously of the E­ternity of that Misery which they are go­ing into, it would Amaze them. Mise­rable Francis Spira, after his Apostasy, Cry'd out in the anguish and horror of his Soul, If I were to be in Hell but for a Thou­sand Years, methinks it might be Endured; but when I think of Eternity, I am Amazed. So would Saints think more of Eternal Blessedness, it could not but Affect thei [...] Souls. A Late Writer (of which I have elsewhere taken Notice) Relates concern­ing an Eminent Minister of Christ, that some who were Conversing with him, observing by his Countenance that he was in a deep Meditation, Enquired of him what his tho'ts might be upon? He im [...]mediately uttered that Word, For ever▪ For ever! For ever! And for near upon a Quarter of an Hour said nothing else but continued Repeating that Word, FOR EVER. His Soul was swallowed up wit [...] the Contemplation of Eternity, and wit [...] thoughts of being For ever with the Lord▪

Doth any one say, But how can thi [...] [Page 245] be, that such Sinners as we have been & are, should be partakers of so great Bles­sedness, & the Enjoyment of it be Eternal?

I Answer. This astonishing Grace of God proceeds from two Causes.

1. From his Free Infinite Love. He is Rich in Mercy, and because of his Great Love, we hope for Mercy unto Eternal Life. The Love of GOD is like Himself. Yea, it is Himself. That Love is Eternal and Unchangeable: Jer. 31.3. I have Loved thee with an Everlasting Love. In­finite Love can Confer a Blessedness in respect of duration Infinite, on Unworthy Creatures.

2. Our Lord Jesus Christ has given an Infinite Price to Purchase this Blessed­ness, for them whom God has given to him. Christ being God as well as Man, His Sufferings and Obedience must needs be of Infinite Worth and Value, Meriting [...]n Infinite Happiness. His Blood is called [...]he Blood of God, Act. 20.28. It is there­ [...]ore Infinitely Meritorious. Man being [...]inite, his happiness cannot be Infinite [...]tensively: but therefore the happiness [Page 246] which Christ has Merited, must be Infi­nite Extensively in respect of Duration▪ otherwise there would be no Proportion between the Price and the Purchase.