of it I purpose to Discourse on these Words in this Method I. To consider the Nature of the State and Condition of the Saints in the other World It is here set forth as a State of Light II. The Certainty of it the sure Title they have to it It is their Inheritance III. The Qualifications requisite to make them meet to partake of it IV. How these Qualifications are to be obtain'd that so we may upon good grounds give thanks unto God who has made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light We begin with the First The Consideration of the State and Condition of the Saints here signified by a State of Light Light is the most proper word to express a State of Happiness and set forth to us the Heavenly State and Condition in whatever sense we take the word Light whether 1. In its common or natural Sense for a Bodily Quality a visible Lustre or Glory Or 2. For Knowledge which is sometimes call'd Light Or 3. For Purity and Holiness they are all of them Ingredients of the Heavenly State and concurr to compleat its happiness As to the First If Light be taken in its vulgar sense for a visible Lustre and Glory Light seems in this sense to be essential to the Notion of Heaven for Heaven is the Seat the Country of Light The Sun and Stars are Bodies Great and Glorious yet these are but the Ornaments of the outer Court of Heaven serving to Beautifie and Enlighten the lower World For the Heavenly Palace the New Jerusalem as St. John stiles it the Seat of God and of the blessed Spirits that stands not in need of these Lights they shine not there they have no influence above The Divine Apostle Rev. 21. has collected every thing that appears at present most bright and gay to help us to conceive the Glories of that Heavenly City He represents its Walls and Gates as built of the most glistring Pearls and Precious Stones as paved with Gold that there is no Night but a perpetual Day no need of Sun or Moon for the Glory of God does enlighten it for God is Light and the Lamb is the Light thereof ver 23. The Light of the Sun would sully and defile the pure brightness of that Region that being fitted only to serve the uses of this Elementary World is a gross Light a meer Kitchin-Fire if compared to that most refined Light with which God is Cloathed as with a Garment Light inaccessible to us in our present Capacities but those that shall be thought meet to be admitted into that State of Light I pray God it may be the happy Lot of all here present they shall have their Organs strengthned fitted to approach and enjoy that Light For they themselves shall be Cloath'd with Light and dress'd up in the Habit of the Country their Earthly Tabernacles shall be transform'd into Glorious Bodies such as their Saviour wears now in Heaven Mat. 13.43 for they shall shine then as Suns in the Kingdom of their Father he has assured them Their Bodies shall be like the Glorious Body of Christ tho' not equal to it in Glory Amongst the Saints themselves there shall be Degrees of Magnitude as one Star differs from another in Glory They that turn many to Righteousness saith Daniel 12.3 shall shine as Stars for ever and ever and they especially that have Suffer'd with Christ shall be also Glorified with him They that thought nothing too dear for their God but had the Grace and Courage to Die for their Saviour as he had Died for them their mangled Bodies shall shine next to his in Glory This imperfect Account of that State of Light may suggest to us the Happiness of it for Light is pleasant to behold it is so much the experience of every one that has Eyes to behold it as that I need not quote Solomon for it Light gives Beauty to all things it is the Paint and Varnish of the World it is the Life of it for when Light breaks in upon us it awakens and gives new Life to the Soul it brisks the Spirits and puts them in Tune for Joy and Mirth Whereas on the Contrary by Darkness is signified a State of Melancholy and Misery The Scene of Grief and Sorrow is black the Afflicted shut out the Light and condemn themselves to Darkness Darkness is a sad ingredient of the Miseries of Hell it is the essential Character of that place of horrour for the melancholy abode of the Damned is express'd to us by a Dungeon of Darkness of utter extream Darkness the very blackness of Darkness This makes the Sorrows of that Place more oppressive to the Spirit its terrors more frightful and amazing Besides Darkness gives scope and liberty to the Rage of guilty Consciences We know by woful experience that our thoughts are always most tyrannical in the Dark and sting most severely when any thing lies cross or heavy upon the Spirit Then when the Soul has nothing to do but to think has no Pleasure to divert it nor the too common refuge of Drink to drown its Cares nor the least pretence of Business to employ it for a moment The steady remembrance then of the mad follies of a brutish Life being reflected on in the Dark to all Eternity and continually repeated with fresh vexation of Spirit must of necessity strike deep pierce to the quick and wound to the very Centre of the Soul One Prospect of that State of Darkness one serious thought of it would quickly teach us what abundant reason they have to give God thanks as my Text exhorts who are by the Grace of God made meet to be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light 2. Light is frequently put for Knowledge in this respect also the State of the Saints in Heaven may properly be stiled a State of Light Knowledge is Spiritual Light it has the same influence upon the Eye of the Mind as Light upon the Eye of the Body Knowledge is pleasant as Light it cheers the Soul it brings in Day upon it it opens the World as Light and gives a prospect even to the utmost ends of the Earth It sees into the very Heavens it takes in past and future Ages into its view and by the help of Revelation even Eternity it self Knowledge gives Confidence and Security the understanding Man goes on freely and cheerfully as he that Travels in the Day He is in no danger of being led aside by Shadows and false Lights whereas Ignorance and Darkness hide and shut up every thing in Obscurity The Ignorant Man is like one locked up in a close Room or that walks in the dark Night he has no prospect of Things about him he knows not whither he goes he stumbles and wanders and fears every step all the Dangers that a benighted Fancy can represent Knowledge is often express'd by Light in the Holy Scriptures Particularly the Gospel-Revelation is
by his Folly God has mercifully restor'd to him again by Grace So that he who is by his Natural Birth now a Child of Wrath is by his Spiritual Birth become a Child of God again He is adopted Son and Heir of God not for any desert of his There can be no pretence of merit in being Born to an Estate and truly not more in being adopted Son of God It was meer Grace unprovoked Goodness For whilst Man continu'd in his Rebellion whilst in his Blood and Filth God cast his Love upon him He past by those Noble Creatures the Angels for Reasons best known to himself to make Man his Son and his Heir too by giving him a good Title to the Estate of God his Father who is Lord of Heaven and Earth Who would not be ambitious to be his Heir who has such large Patrimony to bestow not cantled into Portions but every Heir has a Title to the whole He that overcomes shall inherit all things We are assured by the Infallible Charter Rev. 21.7 They shall Inherit the Earth for none have so good a Title to the Creature as those who honour the Creator So much of the Earth they shall be sure of as their loving Father sees best for them and will best consist with their Eternal Inheritance For Heaven is the chief Patrimony of God Here we live like Heirs under Age under Tutors and Governors 'till we are train'd up and fitted to have our Estate put into our hands to be invested with the full Possession of that vast Inheritance Rom. 8.17 where we are to be admitted as Joint Heirs to the Natural Son of God partakers of the same Glories with himself sitting with him upon Thrones Mat. 19.28 In this Life we have given us that ample Security that is fit for Heirs at present to have sufficient for our incouragement our Immortal Inheritance being set before us in a clear Light Eternal Life is not secured to all the Heirs of Salvation by absolute Decree for it is plain that many perish for whom Christ died And it will no doubt be an heavy-aggravation of the Damnation of Christians that they refused that Salvation which they might have obtain'd and sold their Spiritual-Birth-right for a Mess of Pottage It will be the Sting of their Misery that it was by their own fault that they fell short God having given all the Security that is fit for him to give For we have 1. His repeated Promises of Salvation to all that Believe and Repent and sooner shall Heaven and Earth fail than one tittle of what he has promis'd God so loved the World his Promises are so very great to Sinners as that they might appear incredible We might with some colour of Reason stagger in our Faith if we were not well assured of the Reality of his Promise To help therefore our Infirmities that we may not suspect the goodness of his word he has 2. Confirm'd it by an Oath that our Consolation might be strong Heb. 6.18 having two immutable things to support it the Promise and the Oath of God And yet these two things in themselves unchangeable for our more abundant security are 3. farther confirm'd by the Blood of God the Seal of the Covenant of this Eternal Life it being an ancient way of making Covenants inviolable by Sealing them with Blood And lastly If it were possible for all these to fail us this Covenant of God is Seal'd by the Spirit also given as an Earnest of our Eternal Inheritance His Graces are not only Pledges but part of Payment the Glory of the Saints in Light being only Grace in perfection Having so good reason to be well satisfied with our Title to this Inheritance our next Concern then may be 3dly To Consider of the Qualifications requisite to make us meet to partake of it The State and Condition of the Place does sufficiently discover how he ought to be qualified that would be admitted into that Holy Place No unclean thing can enter there none can be happy there The Light will shame and expose its filthiness and render every spot an Object of hatred and abhorrency to all the pure Inhabitants All Works of Darkness would there appear monstrous whatever we either are or should be ashamed of what wants concealment and will not bear the Light can never be fit for a state of the purest Light But yet we need not inquire who shall ascend into Heaven for us to view those Regions of Happiness and bring down to us a Description of the Place and Character of the Blessed Inhabitants All that we need to know in this Case is very nigh us the direct way to Heaven is in the Book of God which we have in our hands drawn out in plain Rules and Precepts and if it be not our fault it is legible in our Hearts also Besides this because Examples are usually more powerful as having more of Life in them than the dead Letter of a Precept we have therefore in the Gospel drawn out to the Life an Heir of Heaven God shew'd us at first what manner of Men we ought to be even such as he made us at first when we came pure out of his hands when we were like himself For it is the Design of Religion to reduce us back again by the Methods of Grace as near as possible to our Primitive Original State to Sanctifie and make us clean even Innocent once again if it might be However to come as near to Innocence as our present State of Flesh and Blood will permit If much of that State of Innocence is not to be learnt from the first Adam by reason of his short continuance in that Original State in the second Adam we have a compleat Pattern it being the great Design of his coming from Heaven at least of his living so long upon the Earth that he might shew the way thither by his Example He gave us therefore the Pattern of a most Holy and for the most part of a very imitable Life A continued practice of those Vertues with which he would have his Followers to be exercis'd and distinguish'd and train'd up for their Heavenly Inheritance We may thence learn the whole Duty of Man towards God and every Person For he did truly Love God as he requires us to do with all his Heart and Soul God was in all his thoughts It was therefore his constant indeavour to do what he knew to be most pleasing to him It was his meat and drink to do the will of his Father to work the work of him that sent him while it was day before the night came When but Twelve Years Old he slip'd from his Secular Parents that he might spend some time in his Father's House or as we translate it be about his Father's Business Knowing what was wrote in the Volume of God's Book he voluntarily came to do his Will seeing it highly pleasing to his Father that lost Mankind
THE Inheritance of the Saints in Light Set forth in a SERMON Preach'd at Whitehall August 11. 1700. By AB CAMPION D. D. Dean of Lincoln and Chaplain in Ordinary to His MAJESTY Publish'd by Order of the Lords Iustices LONDON Printed by J. Leake for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's-Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1700. COLOSSIANS I. 12. Giving thanks unto the Father who hath made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light THESE Words stand here as a great inforcement of Duty to walk worthy of the Lord in all well pleasing And as a Sovereign Cordial to support the Spirits of Christians under their sharpest Trials to bear them not only with Patience but with Joy and Thanksgiving as the Context informs us It is the Christian Faith only that can with good Reason Administer such comfort under the Crosses of this World because how afflictive soever they may sometimes appear to sense or vulgar apprehension yet if compared to the Gospel-Treasures the Joys above they are light very light Amongst all the Afflictions of this Life nothing I think pierces more to the quick than the loss of a Person dear to us especially when it surprizes And yet if God think fit to tear from our bosoms the Delight of our Eyes the Darling of our Souls our Church has directed us in her Funeral-Service so full of Faith is her Holy Office to give God thanks for the Cloudy passage of his Providence It is a strong Combate between Flesh and Spirit when we are ingaged thus to thank him with Tears in our Eyes but Faith will justifie it The Great Disposer of all things has at this time call'd us of this Nation to a Signal Exercise of this Faith by an amazing Providence on a sudden snatching from our Embraces our young Josiah the Delight of the present the great Hope of the future Age. We had not time to think not time to Pray to hold if possible the Almighty's Hand Immoderate Vertue is seldom long-liv'd it is often dangerous to be loved too much The Divine Jealousie will not permit us to be confident in Man for this Reason perhaps not long since we met with a very fatal disappointment of our Hopes This Stroak succeeding the other is so much the more severe we can scarce discern the Fathers hand it looks so very angry And yet we are sure God is always Good whether we are ready with our Reasons or no. Can we then heartily thank God for this We have done it already at his much lamented Funerals and if Heaven exceeds the Earth we had reason so to do We Inhabitants of Earth are apt to be too partial to our present state of Things Such is our fond admiration for Earthly Treasures tho' we are Christians as perhaps to pity the hard Fate of this young Prince for being deprived of so near a prospect to a Crown Foolish pity Such short thinking betrays the sleepiness of Reason as well as Faith not considering the Scene is now so chang'd that whatever Delight He might once take in his Temporal Birth-right Earthly Crowns now appear despicable in his Eye who is admitted into that Heavenly Inheritance of Light my Text holds forth to us The Advance is His the Loss is only ours Many may be the Great Consequences of this Fatal Stroak as to us but it is not my business here to instruct in Politicks or to provoke your Passions by a Panegyrick rather as my Text directs to excite your Faith and descry what Comfort is thence to be derived under this and all our greatest Calamities When our Affairs here afford us no good prospect look up our Faith will never fail us The more tottering our Condition seems here to be the greater reason we have to give God thanks for the hopes of an Eternal Inheritance which in the Gospel is brought to light What Rewards God has treasured up for good Men in the other World was the grand Discovery the Son of God came from Heaven to make He scatter'd the Clouds with which the face of Heaven was covered and assured the World of that Eternal Life of which they had before but faint and wavering expectations Some Philosophers have observ'd that of all the habitable Globes of the World the Earth only is wrap'd in Clouds made thereby a proper Seat for Sinners A fit Emblem of Man's moral State and Condition Those Clouds hanging in the Air as a Curtain drawn to shut them out from the sight of Heaven being also Treasures of God's Vengeance hovering over their guilty heads from whence do sometimes issue Storms and Tempests and many of the most dreadful Calamities which Sin has brought upon the Earth and its Inhabitants But what e'er becomes of this Philosophical Notion the Clouds which do more fatally veil the face of Heaven from the Sinner are those which lie upon his own Heart his Lusts and Passions These do so blind the Eye of Humane Reason as that it can neither discern the Light nor relish the Joys of the Heavenly Mansions nor the beauty of that Holiness which leads thither The Spiritual Happiness of Heaven does no more affect a vitiated Palat than painted Glories And the Conditions upon which the Gospel has proposed its Immortal Crowns are to the Sinner perfect foolishness The pure in heart only see God our Saviour has told us and they only care to see him That this Veil then might be taken off from the Sinner's Heart the chief part of Christ's Salvation was to save his People from their Sins not only by making Atonement and Reconciliation for them but by taking away the Pollution Purging the Soul by Grace and so qualifying it for the State of Light from which he descended to acquaint the World plainly with the happy News of it He that came from the bosom of God 1 Joh. 5.11 and therefore best knew his Mind has assured us upon Record that there is a Life after this an Eternal Life of Happiness beyond expression and present Conception provided for all Saints for all that will live answerable to the holy Profession of Christianity So much of that State and Condition at present is reveal'd as is requisite to excite attention and obedience in all that have Ears to hear It comes with sufficient Evidence to satisfie sober Inquirers that are contented to be wise unto Salvation The Gospel of God has been adorn'd by the Example of many such Children of Wisdom who have gone before us in the Faith many that have suffer'd the loss of all things the worst that this World could inflict the Madness the Wit of Cruelty in hopes of a great recompence of Reward many I say whole Clouds of such Witnesses as the Apostle stiles them by reason of their numbers That by the grace of God we may be enabled at this time to make some advance towards that state of Light and Happiness by becoming in some degree more qualified for the partaking
should be Redeem'd he freely offer'd himself to the Work tho' they were bitter things that the incensed Father required of Man's Surety But so that God might be glorified it pleas'd him to become an Object of the greatest Misery and Contempt To give us an Example of an intire dependance upon the Providence of God and trust in him he made himself poor destitute of Worldly Comfort and Accommodation the Foxes have holes but he had not where to lay his head He could indeed turn stones into Bread but we do not read that ever he work'd a Miracle to sustain his own hunger but trusted himself intirely to his Father's keeping 'T is true he complain'd with loud passion upon the Cross but not from despair or the least mistrust of God's failing him for with considence he commended his Spirit into his hands but a quick sense he had of that unusual change in his Father's Countenance It touch'd him to the quick that the beloved Father should look so full of Anger upon his most beloved Son It was the sting of his Sufferings to see a Cloud and severe Frown upon that Beauteous Face which always used to shine upon him with a pleasing Aspect now especially whilst he knew himself to be performing an Act highly acceptable to his Father Observe yet farther and imitate his Conversation was in Heaven whilst here on Earth his heart always there his Discourses tended thither Heavenly things being ever predominant in his Thoughts he was always ready to take fit Occasions to improve all Occurrences to Spiritual Purposes and raise up the Minds of his Company to the things above He sought opportunities of Retirement that he might have frequent and immediate Converse with God his Father Those hours wherein Nature call'd for Ease and Sleep he very often imploy'd in his Devotions spending whole Nights in Prayer He sat loose from the World perfectly dead to it The great and most difficult Lesson of Religion He had no affection for the things of it they appear'd not worth his thoughts But yet his contempt of them was decent and generous he did not with proud disdain spurn at them as a rude Stoick would have done he did not affront Men of Quality and Title but paid all becoming respect to those Honours of the World which he had not such regard for as to assume them to himself In his common Conversation he was very obliging affable courteous always in good humour conversing freely even with the worst of Men with Publicans and Sinners to make them if possible wiser and better He was always disposed to put the most fair and candid interpretation upon the Behaviour of Men ready to make the best excuses for them that their Case would admit of with any tolerable shew or colour of Reason willing to impute their faults and neglects to infirmity the weakness of their Flesh or Mind rather than to Malice or ill design When the Case would admit of no excuse but he was treated with the vilest usage and ill language yet he reviled not again but by cool and good argument indeavour'd to convince them of their Blasphemy and Outrage How calmly did he receive even Judas himself in an Act of the basest Treachery with the Title of Friend wherefore art thou come When his mind was loaded with grief to that extremity that he sweat drops of Blood no murmuring fretful or discontented word dropt from him he retain'd his Temper as well as his Integrity When he hung upon the Cross in most excessive pain no uneasiness of Spirit appear'd but he was quietly submissive to his Father's Will His whole Life was a constant course of Charity always doing good to the Bodies or Souls of Men healing their Diseases raising their Dead to Life and at last dying himself an accursed Death that his Enemies his Enemies that used him despitefully that hated him to the death might be saved This is our Calling Christians this is our Pattern Let us go and do likewise If we can thus live if we can thus love then are we meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light But if the Case be thus with us we may begin with amazement to cry out who then can or shall be saved We seem to have reason to fear that our Saviour has undone us by his Example has carried the Mark so high and propos'd such Conditions of Salvation as Flesh and Blood can never reach to can never hope upon these terms to be made meet partakers of the Heavenly Inheritance 4thly It highly concerns us therefore to inquire if they be possible How these Qualifications are to be obtain'd In a word it is true that Flesh and Blood Corrupt Flesh and Blood especially can never advance to that pitch of Holiness as to live as our Saviour lived and cannot by its own strength we may be sure fit it self for an admittance into that high and Holy Place But the Comfort is we do not go forth in our own strength we have the same Spirit of God promis'd and given to every baptiz'd Christian which sanctified our Lord Christ himself and inabled him to walk as he walk'd 'T is true he had the Spirit of God given him in much greater measure Heb. 1.9 and was anointed above all his fellows as the Apostle has taught us to speak whether Angels or Men for the advancing and perfecting of all kind of Vertue and Holiness and tho' it may not consist with the method of God's Grace and our present State and Condition that the Spirit of God should act so powerfully in us yet if it be not our own fault he will certainly act as effectually and afford us sufficient strength for the doing of what is requisite in order to Salvation and by degrees will lead us on towards that perfection as will fit us to dwell with the Saints above The difficulty of the Work can give us no just reason to despair when we have a God working in us and will not fail to do his part But yet tho' nothing is impossible with God and he will not fail us there is something for us to do in this great Work there lies our Danger therefore there ought to be our Care The Advice which I shall briefly offer shall be this and so Conclude 1. To be very Constant and Diligent in the use of those Means which the Gospel has prescribed For a Qualification for Heaven is not a Fitt but a lasting Temper of the Mind which is only to be obtain'd by a Constancy in Religious Practice Let every Morning and Evening at least have its fix'd times for Private Devotion with serious application of Mind Let us every day look over and examine well our Account between God and our own Souls This is an excellent Expedient to make short Reckonings at last He that makes even with God every day by Repentance is every night qualified for Heaven and has but one day to account for when ever he dies Read some part of the Word of God digest it well by Meditation this supplies the Soul with its daily Food for Spirits must be nourish'd as well as Bodies be continually fed with good Thoughts or they will languish or which is worse grow Brutish and Devilish In their proper Seasons Publick Ordinances are to be duly attended and more Solemn times of Self-examination fix'd but I lay the greatest stress of Religion upon those private daily Performances In the neglect of these it is impossible to be Religious in earnest and keep up a true Spirit of Devotion It is difficult to perswade to these but they being once secured the rest will easily follow The Gospel-Means are not empty dead Ceremonies like those of the Law they are Living Ordinances they are Bodies with a Soul for the Holy Ghost accompanies the due performance of them which as at first convey'd with the waters of Baptism to the Soul so by every Sermon Prayer or Sacrament rightly perform'd takes fresh possession and comes in with new degrees of strength A diligent use of these means of Religion are therefore necessary as being the only way to obtain and secure this Spirit of God 2. Keep your Eye always fix'd upon your Inheritance having his Eye upon the recompence of the Reward animated our Saviour himself to go through with his difficult Undertaking This is one of the peculiar Advantages of the Gospel that the Gates of Heaven are in a manner set open to us and such a view given into those Regions of Happiness as is sufficient to excite to Duty and keep us in our way thither More knowledge of Heaven might do hurt at present might exalt us into rapture and extasie and make us impatient of tarrying here God has therefore wisely proportion'd these Discoveries to our present Circumstances and Necessities It concerns us to make a right use of this peculiar benefit of the Gospel never to lose the sight of Heaven which it affords All the Kingdoms of the Earth and Glory of them are not sufficient to make an impression upon that Mind that is full of Heaven He walks therefore with the World under his feet having his Heart always with his Treasure above and he that lives above the World at present where should he live but in Heaven hereafter Being by the Grace of God thus made meet to be a Partaker of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light let him give thanks to the Father and with joyful Lips bless his Holy Name and begin his Eternal Praises To God the Father Son and Holy-Ghost be all Honour and Glory now and for Evermore FINIS