Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A43816
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God's eternal preparations for his dying saints discovered in a sermon at Paul's, May the 7th 1648 / by Thomas Hill ...
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Hill, Thomas, d. 1653.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing H2022; ESTC R25713
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29,286
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46
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things can bee yet by a present visible representation to help your sens you shall have the material Elements as it is Austins comparison When a man is upon the ground that bee may bee raised towards Heaven hee must make use of his hands leaning upon the earth So that wee may bee lifted up to Heaven Jesus Christ hath appointed these things sensible to help our Faith and then thirdly There is the Privie Seal of the holy Spirit which by a secree work doth reallize and particularize the two former Grieve not the holy Spirit whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption Ephes. 4. 30. So that it is possible God enabling them fiducially to apply such promises to themselvs and to see the work of grace clearly in their hearts and that the certainty of their salvation shall bee sealed to them 1 Joh. 5. 7. There are three that bear witness in Heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one All the the three glorious Persons concur as to work so to confirm our Salvation The Testimonie the Record is v. 11. That God hath given to us eternal life and this life it in his Son v. 8. There are three that bear witness on earth the spirit and the Water and the Blood and these three agree in one which seem's to bee the Spirits Testimonie in the work of Vocation the Testimonie of Water in Sanctification and of Blood in Justification rather then the Sacraments c. It is a most sweet and excellent thing if you could attain this Brethren it is the very next door to Heaven to bee sure of Heaven the very next thing to the being in Heaven is to have a certainty of Heaven you are in the Suburbs you are in the Porch you have entered Paradise that glorious Palace when you com once to this assurance O sweet it is a very Heaven here upon earth Peace of conscience that passe's understanding and joy in the holy Ghost which is unspeakable and glorious these are the words the Scripture here use's of it as of the first fruits of Heaven Now what is this why it is indeed the beleeving and the eying of those things that are eternal and a certain knowledg as Paul speak's there in that place 2 Corinthians 4. 17. For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Paul a man of great crosses yet you see in the midst of all had the greatest comforts a light affliction hee had told you a sad story before of his troubles that would it may bee sink your hearts and mine yet here light afflictions which were but for a moment they were great and long yet hee call's them light and momentanie what is the reason why they work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory worketh out as the spirit of God carrie's you through not by way of merit a far more exceeding weight of glory as the Spirit of God prepare's them for Heaven so Heaven is prepared for them and you shall finde it is prepared in this method by affliction as in the 1 Peter 5. 10. The God of grace that hath called you to his eternal glory make you perfect after you have suffered a while this Hyperbolical weight of glory which Paul tryed in his afflictions did uphold him It is not moral Philosophers apprehensions that could support them there was Aristides and Socrates and others that might bee called the Puritans among the Heathens who went very far and suffered much Socrates to death yet doubtless if they had nothing but meer morality it would not have comforted them As moral Philosophy wil not carry a man thorow when he com's to suffer so it is not Jesuitical fancies which som Papists have that can yield solid comfort It is a thing worth knowing I would every one knew it it is indeed in Hospinian you wil finde it in the excellent Book of that man of God that now is triumphing in Heaven hee wil tel you how the Jesuits use to raise a man to kil a King som of them the new Romanists com to venter themselvs very far and wil expose themselvs to suffer much to that which they think Martyrdom as the old Roman Heathens and others did who threw themselvs somtimes into the greatest troubles even to death it self Popularitie and Vain-glory and self-respect and such considerations may do much How do they raise a man to kil a King First they bring him to such a place and there they shew him a consecrated Knife and so many consecrated beads hanging upon it and then they deliver it into his hand O heer is the sword of Gideon Jephtah c. and pray to God to bless him and prosper him then they carry him to an Altar there they shew him the picture of Jacobus Clemens that kill'd Henry the third to animate him and then they fain as they can act a part most diabolically and seem to envy him O to what a height of happiness art thou advanced that canst kil a King It is a dangerous Religion whose principles lead to that to eat their Maker and kill their King yet this you see they do and this wil heighten a poor man for a while and som of them are so desperate and proud and vainglorious they wil do it but this wil not last this will not bee a sufficient Cordial the soveraign Cordial of all is to behold Eternitie to see him that is invisible as Moses did and to see the things that were Eternal as Paul heer did One asked the great Duke of Saxonie How came you to bee upheld in so many troubles you have met withall Saith hee I felt the Divine consolations of the Martyrs If God should let wicked men prevail and the disaffected partie of both Kingdoms who now it is clear are joyned and Ireland I doubt in too I am afraid they have all one design if God should suffer them so far and leave the Saints of God so far to themselvs to give advantage to them to suffer wicked men to prevail yet God wil carry on his cause The Revelation wil prove true they cannot undo us they can but send us to Heaven I could tel you a sad storie which I had from the fountain of a Gentleman that had don very good service to his Country in the Parliament who was one of the Eleven came to take his leave of one of the greatest Subjects in the Kingdom by his place said to him this when hee came for a Pass to go over Sea Hee thank'd him for his kindness saying Had the plot prevail'd on the other side you had not been so kindely dealt withal Therefore let us labor to acquaint our selvs with the true yet the divine Consolations of the Martyrs at least som taste of them then let the Devil and all the Malignants in Hell and on
not a joint in the mystical bodie of Christ shall bee lost for this is certain and it is a most sweet truth As by the death of Christ the hypostatical Vnion was not dissolved not the humane Nature separated from the Divinitie so by the death of a Saint the mystical Vnion is not dissolved neither bodie or soul are dis-jointed or separated from Christ the very dust of a Saint is still in Christ's keeping and though in a most mysterious way yet both soul and bodie are united to him though many of your friends may bee lost in the sea and eaten by fishes though many of them shot to pieces with bullets and torn with Cannon c. yet still the mystical Union is undissolved and though it is true Jesus Christ will send for wicked men at the day of Judgment as a Judg send's for a Prisoner the Sheriff or who ever the officer bee when hee intend's to execute him commanding that such a Prisoner bee brought to the place of Execution yet hee raise's his Saints not as a Judg but as an head hee raise's them by vertue of Vnion with himself as a father send 's for his Son home from the Vniversitie that hee may more refresh him and satisfie him and cloth him c. it may bee hee think's hee hath had short Commons there that now hee may com and bee entertained with the fatling even as the Father did entertain his Prodigal son and much more then wee are capable here upon earth but then 3ly There is a day of Judgment when they shall have possession of this eternitie Com yee blessed of my Father enter into the Kingdom heretofore the Kingdom of Christ hath been in them entered into them but now they must enter into the Kingdom heretofore somâ—joy entered into them but now they must enter into their Master's joy bee possessed of joy of a Kingdom and then fourthly and Lastly Jesus Christ himself hath prepared Mansions Joh. 14. 2. Mansions are not tabernacles but durable houses I go to my Father to prepare a place for you and thither you shall com and there are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you a most ingenuous melting speech room enough in heaven for all the Saints though God hath never so many children yet every one shall bee his heir and though Jesus Christ have never so many subjects yet every one shall bee a King why because hee himself is their reward hee himself is their Crown hee himself as Austine saith is their Inheritance every one an house every one a Mansion in heaven yes God himself is their habitation who is eternal Now the Grounds why it come's to pass 1. God and the Father hath resolved it from eternitie it is resolved from eternitie that it should bee so their names are written in the book of life thou John and thou Elisabeth and thou Mary and thou Zacharie you are book'd down there is the particularitie there is the certaintie your names are written in heaven rejoyce in it Luke 10. 20. 2. Jesus Christ hee likewise hath taken care to doe his part hee hath purchased this place for you it is a purchased possession Ephes. 1. 14. As hee did purchase it so hee possessed it hee kept it hee reserveth heaven for you as well as preserveth you for heaven the Crown is reserved for you in heaven 1 Pet. 1 4. 3. The Spirit which is an eternal Spirit a in concurrence with God the Father and God the Son hee hath been preparing and polishing b and fashioning his Saints that they may bee meet for heaven Col. 1. 12. and so you see a joynt concurrence that all their operations may bee of equal extent not as the Arminians would say and their followers that make the death of Christ larger then either the Decrees of God or the Application of the Spirit here the three glorious Persons in the Trinitie joyntly concur that all the Decrees may bee made good that all the promises may bee accomplished and that all your prayers may bee answered and so in this eternal house reserved for you you shall then see all these three effected Now for the nature of eternitie and there I shall onely hint that which is the description of the learned Boëtius Eternitie is such an unbounded possession of life as is perfect and altogether 1. There is a Possession a possession that is a tenure both firm and quiet In heaven you are not subject to any uncertainties to any intercisions to any interruptions you shall never bee turned out of that house it is above Thievs or Robbers Mat. 6. 20. 2. It is a possession of life nothing is properly eternal but that that is living Eternitie being a duration according to immanent acts as the School-men speak and those immanent acts do presuppose life now life for life or life upon life skin upon skin so som render that place in Job indeed the Anatomist's will tell you you have many skins three or four at least life upon life one after another You 'l venture all to save your life which you most esteem Life is most precious it is an high pitch of love when you com to venture it for God it being most dear to you and therefore the fitter to set forth Eternitie it is a possession of life 3. Interminabilis without bounds no end of this happiness God is absolutely eternal both without begining and without end but this shall have no end as much as creatures as much as Angels are capable off it is an unbounded an infinite possession as it were of life and that 4. Perfect whereas now the best of Creatures Angels have but onely an imperfect Eternitie onely an Eternitie à parte pòst for time to com 5. Altogether you are fully entirely and wholely possessed of it and all at once you have whole heaven the first moment you com to heaven Time is Nunc fluens but Eternitie is Nunc stans a standing moment that hath a co-existencie to time past time present time to com that is the nature of it and that house you shall have in heaven shall have this eternitie added to it to the happiness of having the fruition of God himself By way of Instruction Let poor carnal men that wallow in lust and take so much pains to gratifie the Devil in making provision for their flesh consider how dear they pay for them and what they lose Alas poor souls you pamper your bodie you paint your hous you adorn it but all this while you take a great deal of pains to very little purpose for you lose Eternitie Cyprian bring's in in the Devil triumphing over poor carnal people at the last day of Judgment Here are the souls that I never died for and in a way of upbraiding Jesus Christ here are the souls that thou laid'st down thy life for and under-went'st so much trouble