cheefest actions of the soule Seventh reason must be the immediate apprehension possession and fruition of those things which must be the The last end of man must bee the cheefest good that man can attaine vnto last end of man so the cheefest good and best thing which the soule can attaine unto by knowledge can embrace by love can injoy by delight must be his last end and the object of his happinesse felicity Now to thinke of any other thing for this purpose besides God were the greatest dotage that might be imagined For not speaking onely of things sublunary but even the celestiall Gen. 1. 17. themselves what are they all but either images as men and Angells or footings or shadowes of Psa 19. the creator himselfe as all other creatures are And what a vanity were it to thinke that the Image of the Creator should have for the object of her happinesse and last end those things which are onely as footings or darke foote impressions of the Creator Or how vaine to thinke that those things which are made for the use and service of man as all terrene things were should be the end of man Sweetly was this understood by most Intelligent David who ballancing all things that were in the heavens above or on the earth belowe cries out What is there for me in heaven Psal 73. And besides thee what would I upon earth the Gen. 2. 9. Psa 23. 25. 26 God of my heart and portion for ever As if he should have said O thou my God thou thou that A most divine elevation of Davids spirit art my ever and last end the very joy and happinesse of my hart how glorious thou in the heavens above and what happinesse is there provided for me in thee above how then may I or can I take full content or delight in any thing that is here below Basill elegantly compares them that fixe their hearts upon any earthly good thing whatsoever appretiating them before God to him who hearing some exquisite and most divine Doctor preaching or teaching out of a chaire standing in the Sunne should neglecting both the Teacher his words and gestures attend and observe only the shadow of the teacher and such severall motions or gestures as are represented thereby So he very excellently accounting all the best and good creatures of God being compared to God to be no more nor better indeed they are not somuch than the shadow of the teacher and his gestures represented therein are being compared to the Teacher himselfe and unto his actions of life Eightly and lastly as the understanding of Eight reason man is by nature apt and hath an apprehensive power to apprehend all that is cognoscible or may God onely can be the full obiect of mans knowledge and love be knowne or vnderstood vnder the condition of truth so the will of man whose proper object is good as by nature it embraceth nothing but what is good or under the apparance of good so it hath a propension and inclination to pursue all good either to be attained dispersedly in severall creatures or in some one fountaine and roote of all goodnesse which inclinations both of the will and understanding unlesse they be fully satisfied and quieted by that cheefest good and purest truth which is and are the last end and object of their happinesse they shall never be found truly to have attained their last end and finall happinesse But if we consider the most glorious of Gods creatures in no one no in no one million of them can be found all that may be understood by the understanding or be desired and embraced by the will and consequently no one of them nor no infinite multitude of them together can be the full object of mans last end and happinesse no God God alone is this purest truth and cheefest good the full and compleate object both of the wills and understandings of all his Intelligent creatures who being presented to the beautified Soules enabled with the light of glory to see him as he is in himselfe even face to face how unenarrable unspeakeable and incomprehensible is the joy of such Soules so intuitively beholding so joyously possessing of their God and most sweetly delighting in their God Of this Ambrose sweetly What good better then this good What felicity greater then this to live to God in God and to live of God Bernard like himselfe divinely Barnard seâ—m 31 in Cantiâ—a To whom God appeareth they will see nothing more desiredly nor can see nothing more delightfully when then will either desire of seeing lothe or sweetnesse withdraw herselfe or truth deceive or aeternity faâ—le to whom opportunity of seeing and a will to see is graunted for ever and ever how then shall their felicity not be full for nothing is either wanting to them that alwayes see or is tedious to them who have a desire alwayes to see but this vision is not of this present life but is reserved for the last end of man THIRD SECTION Shewing that God onely is the last end of man and his finall happinesse VVHen I thinke of that precept of God knowne by the lawe of nature directed by the law of Moyses renewed in the law of grace Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Deut. 6. 5. with all thy soule with all thy strength and with all thy mind I cannot but make a speedy resolution Mat. 22. 37. who and what is the last end of mans heart his soule his strength and his mind for if God be to be beloved with the whole heart soule minde and strength of man it were a vanity and a dotage to â—â—â—ke any other last end for man then God Nay love as saith Austen very excellently Is my weight and poyse with it and by it I am carried whither to soever I am carried A totall and compleat love then of the whole heart Soule and minde of man and all that is in man cannot other whither carry him or leade him then to that which is the very center of his rest and happinesse Thou fast made us O Lord for thee and unquiet is our heart till it come to thee and Boetius very fitly We must of necessity confesse that God is the very blessednesse of man But when we affirme that God is the last end of man and his finall happinesse we must for the clearer understanding of the same distinguish thus the last end of man and his happinesse may be A necessary distinction considered in two sorts either the last end which or the last end wherewith or thus in other termes the objective beatitude of man or the formall beatitude of man I explaine my selfe The end which is that which is the very thing where in the soule of man doth finally rest and eternally joy it selfe the end wherewith are the cheifest action or actions operation or operations of the soule
unspeakeably delighted But in what respect is God formally the object of beautified Soules That of God to Exod. 33. 19. Moyses I will shew thee all good may seeme to perswade that God in the formality of the cheefest good is the object of mans happinesse That of Christ This is aternall life that they may know thee Ioh. 17 3. the onely true God in the formality of unity and verity that of St. Iohn we shall see him as he is under 1 Ioh. 3. 2. the formality of his infinite essence and nature that of the Apostle face to face under the formality 1 Cor. 13. 12. of Majesty and glory so diversly seemes this truth to be delivered and distinguished unto us yet with reverence my imperfect meditation and apprehension telles me If I misconceave not according to that of God to Moyses I will shew thee all good that God under the formality of infinitely Exod. 33. 19. good good as in power he is able to protect wisdom to direct justice to guide and govern bounty God under the formality of good the obiect of mans happinesse to enrich and satiate but especially as he is in every respect infinitely good in himselfe is the formall object of mans Felicity and last Happinesse And this is all that I can devoutly meditate or dare religiously affirme of this unspeakeable mystery whereinto to dive overcuriously and to be a rash searcher of majesty should deserve rather confusion then illustration Cherubins and Seraphins beholding the divine majesty out of a trembling reverence Isa 6. 2. doe cover their faces what ought wee then do who do dwell in houses of clay I shut Iob. 4. 19. up this poynt with this reverend note An Alleluja Rev. 19. 1. 3. a song of admiration beseemes Gods majesty in Hierusalem above but silence of admiration and devotion beseemes Gods Sanctuary here on earth below and yet not such silence and admiration as must be altogether ocious and idle as though man were in this life onely to consider God confusedly in his creatures for I understand that of Austen of a more cleare and perfect knowledge to be had even in this life though not so fully as in the next Man was created that he August de diligendo Deo cap. 13. might know his cheefest good God knowing might love him loving him might possesse him possessing him might enjoy him For the further clearing whereof we observe in our fourth Section THE FOVRTH SECTION God being the object of mans happinesse and his last end it is shewed by what union he is knitt and united to the Soule and thereby the Soule made happy THe object of mans happinesse and his last end being found to be God onely God it resteth further to be considered by what reall either union or application God is united to man so that he doth enjoy God as the present object of his happinesse and last end And herein Some glorious union necessary that the beatified may enioy God first most cleare it is that some glorious union is required for the same for God being in all his creatures high and lowe Intelligent and unintelligent Sensitive and senselesse in three generall sorts and manners To weet by his Three generall presenâ—ion of God in hâ—â— creatures existence presence and power by his existence intimely and immediately coexisting with them or â—ather inexisting in them by his presence to 〈…〉 â—â—â—â—mely intimely beholding them and every circumstance of them with his all-seeing eyes by his power working in with and by them all it cannot bee I say but that God being in the soules of the beatified as the object of their happinesse and last end must needes bee in them in a more peculiar sort and manner then he is generally in all his other creatures And this glorious union and application must be by the meanes of some new glorious qualities giftes or habits imparted to the beatified soules for God being immutably vnchangeably and essentially No change in God in himselfe alwayes one the same and in the same manner for with him there is no vicissitude Iacob 1. 17. or course of changing being alwayes one he is what he is all the change that is must be in Exod. 3. 14. the glorified and beatified Soules Wherein if wee will arightly consider there is no repugnancy nor difficulty at all to be found For as God in a more speciall sort in the regenerate then he is in the unregenerate Eph. 1. 6. Gala. 6 15. 2 Cor. 6 6. Apoc. 3. 20. God is truely said by the meanes of the supernaturall gifts of faith charity grace and such like to be in the regenerate in a more peculiar sort then he was in them before thy were regenerated for in the regenerate he walkes Dwells and feastes as in his houses temples and Paradises of pleasure but on the unregenerate he looketh as yet distant from him So likewise God with and in his glorified creatures in heaven must needes bee vnited in a more glorious and speciall manner then he was united with them on earth when they were onely regenerate not as yet glorified For the clearer understanding of which truth wee are to make some speciall observations and suppositions * first I suppose that this formal happinesse or immediate meanes The glorious union can bee no extrinsecall thing thereof which by a generall name I have called union cannot be any extrinsecall thing without the soules of the happy For this union being required as a meanes for the attaining and consecution of God which is extrinsecall and outexistent in respect of an infinite naturall distance to the soule if this union should be any thing that is extrinsecall to the soule then should there be required somewhat else to make it inherent and intrinsecall in the soule or else wee must proceed into an infinity untill wee shall finde somewhat inhaesiue and intrinsecall in the soule whereby God may intimely be united unto the same Againe this union and formall happinesse Formall happynesse requires an inhaerent union maketh the beatified happy not onely by imputation but intrinsecally and most inwardly happy and consequently the same must needs be inherent and in-existent in their soules For cleare it is whatsoever thing is extrinsecall to another as it maketh no reall impression in it so it cannot give any formall but onely an extrinsecall An extrinsecall cannot make a formall denomination aâ— inherent denomination unto it by the way of improper denomination and imputation onely which is no more nor no other then a meere relation extrinsecall and it cannot be otherwise For for example how is it possible that for such beauty which is without the face and not in the face the face should be formally denominated beautifull The denominations then which are of this kind extrinsecall are like to the dâ—â—â—minations which are attributed to a 〈◊〉 â—â—â— bâ—eing situate upon the right hand
soule hath a most absolute dominion over them and doth by a redundancy and emanation impart unto them a glorious quickning and vivacity or livelines farre beyond that which any mortall creature in their bodily heavy parts can have And this either by the meanes of a greater perfection of glorified Soules or by the meanes of more perfect instruments for motion then those which corruptible bodies usually have This Agility or Facility for motion although it make the bodies glorified very tractable to the soules for motion so that we may in a sort say with St. Austen Whereto soever the will shal intend August lib 22. de Civit. cap. altimo there presently the body as it were in a momēt shall or may be yet we may not graunt unto the said bodies any instant tanean motion so that in an imagined instant of time I say imagined instant for time hath no true or reall instant either as part or period and end of it selfe they may make any true reall corporall motion or mooving Howsoever diverse Schoolemen may to the contrary have dreamed For doth it not imply in termes and involve contradiction that that motion which is a successiue passing over or in space from place to place as all corporall motion and moving is should be and not in some durance and continuance of time according to the greater or lesse velocity and swiftnesse thereof And yet notwithstanding the corporall motion of glorified bodies may be very sodaine and in as it were imperceptible moments of time like as the Sunne beames the which as it were in a moment because in an unperceivable moment of time doe fill this whole hemisphere with their glorious Aug. epist 44. Sap. 3. 7. Lustre Austen affirmes it and I dare not deny it And so I interpret those words of the booke of Wisdome if they are to be understood of the glorified The righteous shall shine and as Ioh. 20. and 21. Luk 24. sparks among the stubble they shall runne too and fro Whereby I take it their agility and facility for motion is figured And if we arightly consider what is recorded in sacred Scriptures touching the sundry soudayne corporall apparitions and disapearings of our Saviour after his resurrection and how that the bodyes of the beatified shall be made conformable to the Clarity and so answerably Phil. 3. 20. to other glorious qualities of his glorified body there will no just reason be shewed for denying such a glorious agility either to the body of Christ or to the glorified bodyes of his Saints And although we give to the glorified bodyes of Christ and his Saints such a glorious nimblenesse and Agility yet if we observe the phrases of sacred Scriptures we shall finde that the glorified in that glorious state of happinesse are seldome recorded to have used such extraordinary agility and nimblenesse of motion We reade that they shall follow the Lambe whithersoever he Reve. 14. 4. goeth which following is interpreted even by the Lambe himselfe to be a walking which must be so decent and grave as becomes that glorious state For thus he professeth hereof They shall Reve. 3. 4. walke with me in whites for they are worthy Now this walking must be such as beseemes the glorious Majesty of Christ and the honour of his Saints Glorious Grave Divine Magnificent Aud surely it were no lesse then folly once to dreame that the glorified shall have any games or sports in coursing and running up and downe No no such vanities which earthly minds do over highly prise do not beseeme their states of glory and Majesty And yet though we deny them to have any unseemely runnings or dancings we may not affirme them to be so penned up as though they had no glorious restings perambulations and walkings They have doubtlesse their sittings on seates of Iudgement They have their religious and Reverentiall standings up bowing downe prostrations and Ephe. 2. 5. Revelat. 3. 2. Luk. 22. 30. Mat. 19 28. Revelat. 4. 4. 10. and 7. 9. the casting downe of their Crownes before the state of Majestye How then can we deny unto them seemely divine motions And notwithstanding whitherto soever their motions leade them they have the glorious presence of God with them for God by the vertue and immensity of his all-presence being in all his Creatures the glorified Mat. 18. 10. weresover they be they alwayes see his face not onely above in the heavens but even in the lowest bowells of the earth if any occasion of service should require their presence there And can wee otherwise dreame but that those glorious Angells who did minister to Christ in the Mat. 4. 12. wildernesse did there for by definitive presence the substances and natures were in the wildernes not in heaven did there I say behold the glorious Majesty of the Father And surely that which Gregory affirmes of the Angells truely That they Greg. hom 34. in Ezekiel runne as it were within God and in God whitherto soever they are sent may also be truely affirmed of the glorified Saints wheretosoever they roule and wheresoever they abide they abide in God and roulle in God It was truely said by the Poet and afterwards confirmed by the Apostle that in God we live we moove and have our being as certainly Act. 17. 28. it may be said of the beatified that they live moove are and have their glorious being in him live of him by partaking of his glorious life move before him by most prompt and ready obedience alwayes doing his will are in him by a glorious inpresence of God in them and they in God being entered Mat. 25. 23. into his owne glory Againe in him with him and before him with him never to be separated from him in him diving into and swimming in the infinite ocean of his joy before him alwayes beholding and delighting to behold the glory of his Majesty and the Majesty of his glory So likewise God in them with them and before them In them by the glorious bright and light of his countenance illustrating them within with them ever supporting them with the left hand of his protection and filling them with the joyes and pleasures of his right hand of consolation before Psal 16. them for all aternityes by their glorious vision and fruition of him himselfe to satiate them but never to sade or cloy them ever desirous to see and delighting to see O how amourously in longing desire after these things cryed out that sweet singell of Israell Glorious things are spoken of thee O Psal 87. 2. City of God! O thou City of God so glorious are the things which are in thee that no tongue can with sufficiency speake the least part of them and no marvell for what tongue can speake them which Isa 64. 4. 1 Cor. 2. 9. eye hath not seene eare hath not heard neither the heart of man hath conceived neither can conceive in this
state of mortality what God hath prepared for those that love him Clarity THat which the Apostle calls glory speaking 1 Cor. 15. 43. thus The body is sowen in ignoblenes it riseth againe in glory is generally by Divines termed and called Clarity and this nothing at all from the Apostles sense for in the place alleaged he teaching that at the Generall resurrection the Glories of the bodies glorified shal be different and diverse one exceeding the other hee useth this declaration 1 Cor. 15. 45. for the same Like as onestarre differeth from another in Clarity the brightnesse of the starres being more properly called Clarity then glory so shall the resurrection of the dead bee Now what manner of Clarity this shall bee it is not difficult to expesse if wee call to mynd what manner of Clarity and Glory that was wherwith the body of Christ was adorned at the time of his Mat. 17. 2. Transfiguration when his face did shyne as the sun and his rayment was white as the light S. Mark addes that his rayment became shyning exceeding whyte as the snow so as no fuller on the earth can whyten them Mark 9. 3. But cleare it is that our vile and humble bodyes at the daye of the Resurrection shall bee transformed and by a glorious immutation bee made like to the resplendant and bright shinning body of Christ so sayth Paule in his Epistle to the Philippians Phil. 3. 20. And Christ promiseth in the Gospell That the Righteous shall shyne like the Sun in the kingdome of their Father Loe Christs face on earth did shine Mat. 13. 43. and now in heaven doth shyne like the Sun and to the Righteous it is promised that though now they are as the very of scumme of the world yet their faces shall shyne like the Sun in the kingdome of their Father But here note that though it bee sayd that Christs body the Saynts bodies shall shyne like one and the same thing never the lesse this must not bee taken in full equality of Clarity brightnes Chrysost in Mat. Chrysostome excellently But if the face of the Lord did shyne as the Sun and the Saynts shall shyne as the Sun shall then the Lords Clarity and his servants bee equall Not so but because nothing is found to bee more bright then the Sun therefore to give an example of the future resurrection both the face of our Lord is sayed to shyne and the righteous also are sayd to shyne as the Sun Whereby wee cannot but observe how exceeding bright and resplendant the Clarity of our glorified bodies shall bee for if they shall shyne as the Sun and the Sun shall Isa 30. 26. Chrysost in Mat. shyne at the day of Iudgement seventimes brighter then now it doth then may wee boldly with Chrysostome say though there shall bee no chaunge in nature yet there shall be the addition or putting to of an unenarrable Clarity and brightnes Which brightnes and Clarity we may not only conceave that it shall bee a transeunt Light upon the superficies and out syde of the body like as the Suns beames without any immutation internall doe spread themselves upon a wall No no there shall bee a true internall immutation by a glorious Clarity and brightnes which shall make the glorified bodies not only bright and cleare without but also fulgent and shyning within and thoroughout So that the glory of the Soule may thorough the body is it were by a glasse in such a manner bee seene and beheld in such sort as a spirituall glory may bee beheld and seene somewhat in like sort as the Coulour of the body may be seene in a glasse or rather as the life of the soule is seene and observed in and by the vivacity and Livelines which it imparts by action and motion to the outward visible parts of the body And if I misconceane not in respect of this glorious translucency and transparency the brightnes and Clarity of the celestiall Hierusalem is in the Revelation of S. Iohn thus in like sort described And hee caryed mee away in the spirit into an high Reve. 21. 10. 11. and great mountayne and shewed mee the great City holy Hierusalem which I interpret the Glorious state of the Saints Triumphant descending out of heaven from God having the glory of God And her light was like unto a stone most precious even like a Iasperstone as cleare as Chrystall And agayne in v. 18. 19. 20. c. the 18. and other verses following And the building of the wall of it was of Iasper and the City was pure gould like unto cleare glasse and the foundations of the wall of the City were garnished with all manner of precious stones The first foundation was Iasper the second Saphire the third a Chalcedonye the fourth an Emerauld the fifth a Sardonix the sixth a Sardius the seventh a Chrysolite the eighth a Berill the ninth a Topaz the tenth a Chrysoprasse the eleventh a Hiacinth the twelfth an Amethist And the twelve gates were twelve pearles every severall gate one pearle And the streete of the City was pure gould as it were transparent glasse Thus farre the Prophet giving almost in every word a touche and description of some one or other Clarity and brightnes of that Triumphant City O let us pondering and ballancing these things in the scales of our Soules say unto them Arise ye up and be illightened for the Light of the Lord is comming and the glory of God shall appeare both over us and in us if we find truely to feare him sincerely to love him and faithfully to expect his comming Amen I have here set downe more at large the words of the Prophet that the Godly reader may well observe these things first what I have sayd to be most true touching the glorious translucency and splendour of the glorified bodyes described to be like Iasper or Crystal or Saphire or Chalcedon or some other precious pearles or Margarites the excellency and surpassing brightnesse whereof especially of Christ conformable whereunto the glorified Phil. 3. 20. bodyes of the Saints shall be made I gather out of the 23. verse of this said chapter wherein the Prophet having described that the glorious City needeth neither light of the Sunne nor of the Moone and Reve. 21. 23. gives a reason thereof for that the Clarity and brightnesse of God shall illighten the same he adds in the same verse that the Candell thereof was the Lambe Glorious brightnesse of Christs body distusing it selfe Who hath ever observed a candel lighted at noon dayes and bright to have given any light No no the brightnesse of the Sunne obscures the same be the candell never so great And yet the Lambs clarity and brightnesse that is the brightnesse of Christ as man shall through and by his glorified body be so shining resplendant that it shall be as a bright shining Sunne in that Triumphant
operations The estate of happinesse requires that the soules of the beatified should be in a continuall glorified exercise of glorious actions of every power and faculty of the soule nay it is impossible to conceive how there should be a glorious satiety of happinesse if there be not an incessant and never intermitted exercise of glorious operations and a very apprehension of that glorious estate and condition of happinesse wherein the beatified are This truely is most apparent The Cherubins and Seraphins with incessant admiration sing the thrice holy holy holy holy Lord God of Saboth The sweet singer of Israell accounts all those blessed that dwell in the house of the Lord for that they shall for all eternities blesse and sing praises unto the Lord Now these divine cries Isa 6. 3. and elevations of admiration holy holy holy Lord God of Sabboth of the Cherubins and Seraphins these praises and collaudations of the Saints those Alleluias praise ye the Lord praise ye the Lord recounted by the Prophet in the Revelation are they ought else or can they be ought else then thir severall actions and operations of vision love joy delight reverence admiration which the Angells and Saints seeing God have with God in God and of God with God because they are made partakers of the very joy of the Lord in God because they shall see him as he is of God because he is the eternall fountaine of light streaming into the soules and spirits of the beatified a most glorious light whereby they see God and his glorious Majesty most clearely and consequently they cannot but love him but delight in him admire reverence and adore him 〈…〉 bâ—fâ—â—â— him thereby acknowledging him for the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 of themselves of their 〈◊〉 and oâ— all creatures whethâ—r 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 above or on the earth 〈…〉 within the 〈◊〉 of the â—arth beneath Fifthly I suppose that this glorious exercise 〈…〉 in 〈◊〉 glorious 〈◊〉 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 of the 〈…〉 God Some there are who do thinke that there is in the 〈◊〉 an abstractive knowledge of God by his creatures and 〈◊〉 an answerable love arising from the same but without all question they are herein mistaken for seeing the knowledges of God by 〈◊〉 13. 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 as being obsâ—uâ—e in part and imperfect and of God 〈◊〉 are to cause and to be 〈◊〉 when as the clâ—are and iâ—tuitive vision of him 〈…〉 given unto the bâ—â—tified why then shall 〈…〉 knowledge of God by and thâ—ough his creatures whenas 〈◊〉 shall be 〈…〉 is in 〈…〉 whenas he shall be 〈…〉 whenas we shall kâ—â—w 〈◊〉 even as wâ—◠〈…〉 not obseurely in a â—haâ—ow 〈◊〉 clearely 〈…〉 face to face By 〈…〉 vision the spirits and soules of the 〈◊〉 shall be 〈…〉 〈◊〉 and so swallowed up that the pretended abstractive knowledge of God by and in his creatures shall be altogether needlesse yea perhaps impossible if we would stand longer to 〈◊〉 the same And so I come more specially to distinguish the principall actions and operations which the beatified have in 〈…〉 God The first and paine action of the beatified about and on God the fountaine of all the rest is a cleare and 〈◊〉 vision oâ— him as he is in 1 Ioâ— â— 2. himselfe Iâ— is 〈…〉 with God before God and 〈…〉 presence of God thereby not onely The first 〈◊〉 aâ—â— on 〈◊〉 the beatified seeing that which is â—â—nifest of God in regard of his creatures but also that which is manifest of God in himselfe by his owne 〈◊〉 â—â—sential light For God is light and in him there is no darknesse at all And by this intuitive vision of God 1 Ioh. â— the beatified spirits so see God their intellective powers being enabled thereunto by the light of glory that their powers are thereby fully satiated and at rest most sweetely and joyously injoying that which God promised to Moyses I will shew thee all good Out of this presentiall and Exod. 33. 19. intuitive vision of good all good clearly beheld there followeth necessarily a double love of God I said necessarily for it is impossible that good Second glorious action all good essentially good having no evill in it should clearely bee proposed to the understanding and that the will whose proper and formall object is good should not love and embrace the same Now this love is a double tendency or embracing of the soule into and of that infinite goodnesse which is in God first of that infinite goodnesse of God as he is good in himselfe goodnesse it selfe secondly of the very same goodnesse of God as by participation it is imparted and coÌ„municated as their last end and finall good unto the soules and spirits of the Beatified This with reverence I presume to declare by that which the Apostle delivereth in his Epistleto the Corinthians to weet that love never fadeth away whereby it is most apparent 1 Cor. 13. 8. that the love of the regenerate in this life the love of the beatified in the life of blisse and glory is one and the same essentially and in nature the onely diversity is that by an excesse of perfection that of the beatified doth exceedingly surpasse that which is of the Pilgrimes in this valley of mortality If then the love of the Elect whilst they are in the way absent from God and the love of the Elect when they are in their country and at their end present with God be one and the same then must it needs follow that as the love of the Elect in the way tendeth with a double respect to God to love A double kind of glorious love God as he is good in himselfe and to himselfe which is the love of friendship and amity and to love him as he is good to his elect their totall and finall good which is a love of a holy and sacred concupiscence so likewise the love of God in the beatified inclineth them to love God as hee is good to himselfe and in himselfe and as he is most graciously good unto themselves And can there be made any doubt of this what shall the habit of love charity moove incline us most divinely to love God in both respects as he is obscurely seene by faith whilest wee are Pilgrims and travellers in this mortall life and shall not the same habitt of love and charity being now perfected and glorious necessarily and ineviâ—ably moove us to love God in both respects for his goodnesse as it is infinitely in himselfe and for his goodnesse it as it is and as he is by participation communicated unto us Yea this is so apparent that the man according to Gods owne heart professes what his love was in this life of mortality and what he longed for and longed after in that life of glory and immortality thus What is there saith he for me in heaven Psal 73. 25. 26. besides thee and besides thee what would I upon earth