can possibly be imagined or enjoyed And to prove this that I assume I shall onely beg you to grant what if you consider you cannot but grant namely that the greatest happinesse possible can have but those parts or properties which in this Text are either explicitely or implicitely affirmed of the Glory of Heaven The first of these is Indolence that is the absence of Greif and security from it This is required as a prerequisite or principle and foundation of the other parts and is implied because the other mention'd properties cannot be where this is not The second part or property is that it hath Joy in possession The very forme essence or substance of that happinesse consists in Joy Nothing can be more suitable to our Natures or appetites than delight Joy or pleasure And this we have an explicite assurance of from this Text. For the Psalmist telleth us expressely That in the presence of God there is joy and at his right hand there are Pleasures The third property of the greatest happinesse is that there be fullnesse of this Joy For Fullnesse implieth the highest degree and greatest measure Neither man nor Angell nor any other Being can be capable of more than fullnesse and this is also explicitely affirm'd of the estate of Glory viz. That in the presence of God there is fullnesse of Joy The Fourth and last property of the greatest happinesse that can be imagined is the Perpetuity or eternall duration of its pleasures and this the Text also giveth us an explicite assurance of For it concludeth That in the presence of God are pleasures for evermore not for a day or a year or ten years or ten thousand But in the presence of God are pleasures for evermore Thus the Royall engraver in this very little piece hath given us all the lineaments of the greatest happinesse and hath directed us where this Urania makes her abode where this Happinesse this perfect and compleat happinesse is to bee found not among Glories or riches or Pleasures of this World but in the presence of God in Heaven O Let the Power of thy Grace O Lord fit us for that presence The first property of that happy estate which the blessed enjoy in the presence of God is Indolence or security from Greifs This is not expressely mention'd in the description but certainly implied For there can be no Fullnesse of joy where pains or sorrows are mixt or fill any part of the Soul For that Soul cannot be perfectly full of joy that is partly fill'd with sorrow And I therefore place Indolence first because an Estate of Joy can stand upon no other Bottome There can be no foundation for it where the place is allready possess 't with greif For as the Scholemen use to dispute that the privation or absence of cold is a necessary requisite for the introducing of Heat so they affirme also that the absence of greif or sorrow is as necessary for the production of delight and Pleasure Secondly this estate of Indolence which is the ground or Basis of delight though it be onely implied in the Psalmists description here yet in other Texts of Scripture is expressely asserted to be part of the Portion of the Blessed in Heaven Wee are Christians we all professe to beleive the Scriptures In them we hope to have eternall life and so if the Son of God be to be beleived before Socinus did the Jewes before us we have the light of that Revelation which the Heathens wanted and would have rejoyced at This would have corrected their Traditions and rectified their confused Expectations We have as St Peter speaketh a more sure word of Prophesy to which we shall do well if we take heed as to a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawn and the day star arise in our hearts that is untill the day come that we shall be admited into the presence of God and shall see him not in a glasse darkely but face to face Till that time come we must borrow all our light from Scripture which came not by the will of Man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. ult St John we know in the time of the Gospell was the great Master of Revelations He was the person whom our Savior chose out of all his Disciples to reveal those things unto that were to come to passe in the End of the world And he hath given us a sufficient Testimony of our Security from greif at that time when we shall enjoy the presence of God in the new Jerusalem He saw the Heavens and the Earth fly away from before the face of God and there was no place found for them Rev. 20.11 He saw also a new Heaven and a new Earth and a new Jerusalem coming down from God richly adorn'd as a Bride in Expectation of her Bridegroome Rev. 21.1 2 3 4. And I heard saith he a great voice out of Heaven saying Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and bee their God and God shall wipe away all teares from their Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither sorrow nor Crying neither shall there be any more pain Here You see we have a particular Revelation to assure us that in the resurrection of the just they shall have the first part of Happinesse which is Indolence or the security from greif Now the manner or solemnity of giving this Revelation deserves to be considered also For least this vision should be without an authentick Notary He who sate upon the throne said unto John Write for the words are faithfull and true This came not like a delphick whisper For he heard a great Voice and that not uttering the mind of God enigmatically as it were in a riddle not in amphibolies or equivocall language and of various construction as the heathen Oracles did who sought out darke speech that the Event might not overtake them in an evident lye but in plain univocall and downright termes There shall be no more Death nor sorrow nor crying nor pain This was a Voice from Heaven This is the eternall decree and covenant of God of which he commanded St John to be the Scrivener This is the enfeofment of the redeemed or in the phrase of the Spirit the words that are faithfull and true and cannot passe away This Text you see is generall and full and can bee meant of nothing else But seeing what is here spoken in generall is in other Texts delivered more particularly It will not be amisse to follow wheresoever the Scripture leadeth and so to take a more speciall account what are the miseries that ill men are subject to and that holy and good men by the mercy of God are redeemed from It is most true that Esdras long since observ'd that Mans condition is not greatly to be boasted
this world you will easily beleive that it is free from the pains of the other world also Heaven were not Heaven if there could be any danger of the second Death or if the pains of Hell might interrupt the delights and Gloryes of the Blessed there The prophet Esay telleth us indeed that there is a Tophet prepared of Old Esay 30.33 and our Savior that there is an everlasting fire prepared for the Divell and his Angels Math. 25.41 a Torment that as St John speaks shall neither have End nor Intermission Rev. 14.11 The smoke of their Torment saith he shall ascend up for ever and ever and they shall have no Rest day nor night The Eternity of this Torment is sufficiently asserted and proved by the Fathers in Opposition to the Heresy of Origen which same proofs may serve to convince all Hereticks and Men of loose principles that now endeavor to Renew the same pernicious doctrine I gave you a particular of them with Answers to the matters objected in another Discourse when I commended unto you the fear and dread of God even of that God who as our Savior declareth is able to cast both Soul and Body into Hell fire And I shall not repeat now what I delivered then It then being granted that the condition of the second Death and the pains of Hell therein are very dreadfull it will be a doctrine worthy of our acceptance that those who are accounted worthy to wear the livery of Christ and to be Citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem shall have security from those pains also David speaks it as well of Himself as of Christ Thou shalt not leave my Soul in Hell For the Souls of the Just are all in the hand of God and no Torment shall touch them Wisd 3.1 The Plagues of Egypt shall not bee seen in Goshen Our Savior who knowes it best hath described unto us the management of that whole affaire and the different portions of the good and the bad Math. 25.30 When saith he the son of Man shall come in his glory and all his Angels with Him All Nations shall be gathered before his Throne and He shall separate the good from the bad as a shepheard separates his sheep from the Goates The good he shall blesse and receive into his own kingdome but unto the wicked shall this sentence be Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divell and his Angels so these shall go into everlasting punishment and the Righteous into life everlasting Give me leave to adde one Observation more It is this That though the damned shall have a sight of Heaven and of the state of Glory yet that sight shall be so far from being any comfort or refreshment to them that it shall greatly augment their torment For that sight shall Cause envy and we know that Envy naturally causeth greif There shall be as our blessed redeemer testifieth weeping and gnashing of Teeth when they shall see Abraham and Isaak and Jacob in the kingdome of God and themselves thrust out This very Circumstance of their seeing Abraham and Isaak and Jacob and the whole company of the professors of Religion men whom they formerly contemned and despised in the possession of that Glorious Happinesse and themselves with all their wisdome and Policy thrust out and excluded this uncomfortable Contemplation shall cause no small accession to their torment Secondly though the blessed have seen sorrow for the time past and shall then see the horror of Hell before their eyes Yet both the Remembrance of the one and the sight of the other shall be so far from causing greif and sadnesse in them that these Contemplations shall greatly augment their Joy Suave mari magno turbantibus aequora Nautis E Terrâ alterius magnum spectare laborem Non quia Vexari quenquam est jucunda voluptas Sed quibus ipse malis careas quia cernere suave est It is a delight saith Lucretius for one that hath escaped to the shore to look back upon the Tempest and to see it break the masts and tear the Sails and create trouble to the mariners who are yet toss't like a Tennis on the waves Not that it is a pleasure for one man to see another toyld but a joy to stand in security and to view so great a danger that He himself in his own particular hath so neerly escaped So likewise the Blessed in Heaven when they are secured in their own particulars then shall they with pleasure remember all the troubles and greifs that they have waded through in the life past and with pleasure look upon the pains of Hell which they see other plunged into but themselves have by the Mercy of God so strangely escaped and thence even from this consideration shall they take Occasion to sing praises to Him who hath placed them in a blessed estate not obnoxious to any of their former greifs and hath also redeemed them from the dreadfull Region of darknesse and brought them to his own marvellous light And now the summe of what I have discours'd is this That there is nothing more desireable to mankind in generall than joy or Happinesse That the greater joy is by all wise men to be prefer'd before the lesse That to the greatest possible joy besides other requisites the absence of all greif is required That the estate of Glory hath this requisite First it is free from all those cares and greifs and pains to which we are here obnoxious by reason of our Bodies For the proof of which I shewed you in particular That though the usuall cares and pains to which we are here obnoxious by reason of our mortality are of Use and necessity in this present world Yet they have no Use nor place nor possibility in the state of Glory Then I shewd you that there shall be none of those pains in Heaven that are purely mentall and last of all That though after this life there is a Tophet of everlasting punishment prepar'd yet that the pains thereof shall not touch the blessed but that the contemplation of them shall even augment their Joy All this have I done to prove that the first condition namely Indolence or security from greifs is one part of the portion of Religious and good men in Heaven But this is but the Negative part but the removing of the Rubbish that there may be a good foundation laid for the superstructure of Happinesse When I shall draw the next Curtain I shall shew You that I may further provoke You to the practice of a Religious and Vertuous life The Glory of the Mansion it self the joy of Heaven the fullnesse of that joy the pleasures of that state even those pleasures that the Psalmist affirmes shall last for evermore Now let the great God of his infinite mercy pardon our sins and purify our hearts and make us first as desirous of his Rewards in Heaven as they are worthy of our Desire then let Him
God hath prepared for those that wait upon Him St John telleth us 1 John 3.2 that it does not yet appear what we shall bee but this we know that when our Lord Christ shall appear wee shall be like unto Him He shall change our vile body and make it like unto his own glorious body according to that mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself There is another doubt also objected from that Parathesis or addition of St Paul But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit For how can it be said that the things that God hath prepared for his servants have not entred into the heart of Man when Christians are men and it is added that God hath revealed them to us Christians by his Spirit This parathesis therefore must be justly not strictly interpreted For it is true that God hath revealed them now much more than formerly He hath revealed them by his Spirit but he hath not revealed them fully not so that St Paul himself could while he lived here adequately conceive the Nature of those heavenly Glories It is most true that since our Saviour preacht the doctrine of the new Testament and since the gift of the Spirit which hath raised Man above his Nature and since the Transfiguration resurrection and Ascention of Christ which are patternes of what shall happen to all Gods servants Now the existence of the future state of Glory is more fully confirmed and its nature much better understood than it was by those who lived in the former Ages when they had no light but from the letter of Moses whose writings were darke in this point or from the Prophets or from the more uncertain Faith and Tradition of the Gentiles And yet notwithstanding the great advancement of our knowledge in this particular It is not so advanc't as to render this text untrue it is not so advanc't as that we may persectly know them For his Rapture into the third Heaven taught St Paul himself that those Joyes are yet unspeakeable and that Humane Nature is yet uncapable adequately to conceive them They are so great that Eye hath not seen them Ear hath not heard them nor have they ever so enter'd into the heart of Man as to be perfectly and fully conceived by Him When our Savior was taken up into Heaven from amidst his disciples in Mount Olivet Act. 1. and a Cloud had received him out of their sight they continued still stedfastly looking towards Heaven but were reproved by the Angels in these Words Ye men of Galilee why stand you gazing up into Heaven Words my Brethren that we may nost properly apply to the present figure of our own thoughts we have been looking not towards Heaven only but upon Heaven it self untill in the midst of our gazing we have lost it Only we cannot so properly say that a Cloud as that a sun-beame or at least a very bright Cloud hath received it out of our sight For we find that Heaven is so wrapt up in its own glory that there is no perfect entrance left to the Eye of our understanding Let us therefore apply to our selves that Angelicall advice and stand no more gazing into Heaven It is proper for us in this case to do as the disciples did to hast away to our upper Roomes First to our prayers then to our work But for our Encouragement we may cast an Eye upon the great Reward that God hath provided for us We may consider so much of Heaven as is revealeable to us and beleive further and expect beyond all that those incomprehensible Glories that are to be enjoy'd with Christ above Nay let us beleive and give thanks for it that there are joyes prepared for us that are not now revealeable and though we can forme no Idea or conceit of them yet let us rejoice and give thanks unto God that there are joyes prepared for us and for all Religious and good Men with us of which we can forme no Idea Christ hath merited this beleif of the world that we should think him able to performe his promises to raise us from the dead and to glorify us with that glory which I have endeavor'd to describe but have been oppress 't in my endeavor by the weight of my undertaking finding the excellent glory and happinesse of that Estate to be incomprehensible and ineffable He that raised Jairus his daughter and the Widdowes son and Lazarus and which is most of all himself from the dead whatsoever Atheists may speak of the Incredibility of that Resurrection shall certainly raise us also I hope by Gods help to give you an account of the Reasonablenesse of the Christian faith in that article at some other time But we that professe Religion professe to believe our Resurrection as certainly as we believe our death I know that my redeemer liveth saith Job Job 19.25 26. and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth and though after my skin wormes destroy this Body yet in my flesh shall I sce God c. And I know saith Martha that my Brother shall rise again in the Resurrection at the last day John 11.24 I shall now adde but one advice more which is this that as we have Evangelicall expectations so we should take the Evangelicall directions that we would endeavour to rise to newnesse of life here that we may rise to eternall Glory hereafter Let the Doctrine of our Resurrection to eternall life have its perfect work so the full belief and actuall consideration of this one Article of eternall life or eternall misery to come may by the grace of God minister to us Christians in giving obedience to our Lord that which we sometimes complain so much for the want of even a power to do all things through Christ that strengtheneth There is no Duty saith Dr Jackson whereunto the belief of this eternall Reward doth not enable and bind us If we do not live in some measure agreeable to our profession and the hopes of our profession we shall be in the End condemned by it and in the mean time we betray it openly that there is now a defect in that principle that should be within us or in the excercise of that Principle that is we believe not or we consider not For what saith St John every one that hath this hope purifieth Himself even as God is pure 1 John 3.3 And therefore he that doth not purify Himself He is but a pretender to this Hope He hath it not at all well grounded in Him or at least he hath it not in actuall excercise and Employment For if there be such a Hope unlesse it be very sleepy if it be a lively and a quick Hope it must be the spring of a Christians joy and glory in comparison of which He will contemn all the Riches all the Honors all the Pleasures of this world as drosse and dung And there is reason for this
ten-thousand years but for evermore He surely can have no further Happinesse to wish nor greater enjoyment to design And St Paul from that Text 1 Cor. 2.9 Where it is said that Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor hath it ever enter'd into the Heart of Man to conceive the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him intimateth thus much That if you could gather together all the riches of Nature and could adde to the heap whatsoever Human Phansy could further Imagine For example Let there be presented the best and Clearest Beauties for the Eye The most Ravishing Musiks for the Ear the most delicate meates for the palate let the choicest entertainment be found out for every Phancy and every Appetite that Nature improved by Human art and study can supply us with Joyn and place in one and the same person all the wealth of the Citty the Grace the Gallantry the Glory of the Court the learning of the University the most desireable conversation of learned and good Natured Men Adde to these the prudence of the Wisest Councels the Courage conduct and successe of the most fam'd commanders all the Regalia that Princes and Emperors enjoy in the fullnesse of their Majesty and power and last of all adde also which is infinitely of more worth then all these the enjoyment of Vertue and the inchoate Grace of God Then make all these enjoyments of the greatest imaginable duration and extend them to his dearest Issue and neerest Relations yet all this is still below the Happinesse good Christians shall enjoy in the life of Glory For all this may be conceived But the state of Glory is so Glorious that St Paul who saw it saith it cannot be conceived It connot enter into the Heart of Man Do you now beleive all this to be true Do you receive this Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles nay of Christ Himself Or do you deny that Article of the Christian Faith that affirmes the being of such a life everlasting after Death If you do beleive it can you think such an Estate not worth the seeking after Do you think your selves wiser then Abraham and Moses and all the worthies of the former ages who quitted their greatest temporall Interests that they might seek this Inheritance Examine your selves my Brethren and first see whether there is not a fault in the very spring whether there be not somewhat defective in your very faith Suppose now that with St Paul you had been rapt up to the third Heaven and there had taken a view of those unspeakable Glories that were then and are now enjoyd by the Spirits of Just men made perfect Would you not think that the obtaining of that Estate and to be made one of those glorified beings would be worth nay infinitely more worth then all the pains you could take and all the labors you could undergo during the Remainder of your short uncertain lives you are Christians and your being so implies that you beleive there are such Joyes your faith if you have any gives you a confidence of them and makes the existence of them evident unto you though you have not seen them as St Paul did For faith as it is defined by the Author to the Ebrewes is the confidence of things hoped for and the Evidence of things not seen But if it be not from any want of faith but from a certain Carelessenesse or Retchlessnesse as some call it that you are lazy and neglect the seeking this your greatest Interests Consider I pray a little further that if you will not concern your self to be thus very happy you then must take the just contrary lot and submit your self to be very miserable If you will not take pains to attain that Glory that is the crown and reward of the just you must expect to fall into Hell even into the Nethermost Hell with the wicked Do you think the Rich Luxurious Glutton mention'd in the Gospell who in his life time cared not for Heaven nor the concernes of the world to come who pamper'd Himself and suffered Lazarus to starve before his door Might such a Man as he I say have the liberty granted Him of a second Tryall and to live over his life here on Earth but once again Would he not rather spend his dayes neatly and soberly in frugality and Temperance which are the Vertues that our Religion commendeth to us and give away the superfluities of his Estate in Charity to the poor then be sentenc'd the second time for his Cruelty and Ryot Vices ill put together into that place of Misery and Wo where during the vast duration of Eternity he may not procure one drop of Water to cool his Tongue Would you know what that death is that they incurre who are not preferr'd unto that Eternall life that Christ hath purchased for His Flames and Brimstone and Wormes the painfull worme of conscience and that Hideous noise of Tophet that is of Continuall howling burning and drumming These are the parts of the second Death Now is it worth no paines to secure your selves from so endlesse so easelesse so Remedy lesse a misery and torment Where is your sense my Brethren where is your Faith Your Faith or at least the consideration of the Articles of your Faith is commonly out of the Way when it should be doing you any good Let me ubraid it as Eliah ubraided the false God 1 Kings 18. Peradventure it is in a journy or else it sleepeth It sleepeth surely and must be awakened Bestirre your minds and consider Is not the very avoiding the Torments of Hell of more consequence then the Enjoyments of all the present Honors or estates that we are capable of in this world of more consequence then either to avoid the miseries of this life or even Death it self Which though it be a most dreadfull thing to flesh and blood yet to use the phrase of the devout Church Poet it is but a Chair a ready easy conveiance into another Estate over which Death it self shall have no power But if you are of that Nice and Curious temper that you must be led only by the silken threds of Example not stratned by Councell nor goaded on by precept Read I pray St Pauls writings and consider his Acts as they are recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles Was his life like the life of a Man that had but a little understanding Do you think your selves wiser then He was If not why do not you why do not we all imitate Him Why have we not all his Zeal and his Resolution Could Tribulation or Distresse or famine or perill or Sword Nay could either life or Death Angell or Divell principallities or powers things present or things to come could either heigth or depth or any other Creature hinder him from pursuing his well chosen Aimes from seeking the life of Glory and from fighting against his Spirituall Enemies that he saw ready to obstruct
Vindicated p. 43 44 Justin Martyr vindicated p. 45 St Gregory Photius Cyprian Prudentius Athanasius and St Hierom considered p. 45 46 47 Justinians letter to Archbishop Menna and the decree of the sixt councell of Constantinople refer'd to p. 47 48 Whether Hell Torments formally such as described if not such greater St Greg. Nyssenes Opinion p. 49 Hell Torments not now understood p. 49 50 God himself is in Hell a consuming fire p. 50 51 Fear of God and his judgement commended p. 51 52 This fear a principall Bar against Vice p. 52 53 Vicious men not to be Envied p. 54 There is a Reward in the End for the Religious SECT II. SERM I. Of the Rewards of Religion Man Naturally desireth Happinesse p. 5 The Greater Happinesse is more desireable then the lesse p. 58 Heathens were sensible of a Reward for Vertue and a punishment impendent upon Vice p. 59 The fears and suspicions of an ill Conscience immoveable p. 60 The joy and content of the Heathens in the practice of Vertue and how this joy was reasonable p. 60 61 The Laws of Nature and sense of God a Rewarder in all Men. p. 61 62 Christians have greater Reasons of their satisfaction and content in the excercise of Christian Vertue p. 62 63 The contemplation of the joyes of Heaven necessary for our encouragement to Vertue p. 63 Psal 16. v. ult commended p. 64 Happinesse in Heaven the greatest possible ib. The parts of the greatest Happinesse explained p. 65 Security from Greif a necessary prerequisite to Happinesse p. 66 Heavenly Happinesse free from pain and Greif p. 67 Mans condition considered in respect of pain p. 68 The use of Cares and Pains in this World p. 69 No Vse of Pains or Cares in Heaven p. 70 The particular Occasions and Causes of our Bodily pains and cares inconsistent with the state of Glory p. 71 72 Of Pains purely Mentall p. 73 The state of Glory free from mentall Pains p. 74 Of Hell Torment p. 75 The state of Glory free from these Torments p. 75 76 The vision of Heavenly joy shall encrease the Torment of the damned p. 76 The vision of Hell Torments shall encrease the blessednesse of the blessed p. 77 Recapitulation and Conclusion p. 78 SERM II. Of the Rewards of Religion His Apology may be pardon'd who is put to describe Heaven p. 79 It is Gods mercy that Heaven is described by Metaphors p. 80 Voluptas in Motu active joyes in Heaven p. 81 And in the highest degrees and greatest quantities ib. Scenes of Spirituall joyes in corporall shapes and figures given us in compassion to our Infirmities p. 82 Heavenly joyes compared to the pleasures of feasting ib. To the joyes of marriage p. 83 To the joyes of Honor. p. 84 To the Glories of a Victor in games of Honor. ib. To the Gl ries of a King p. 85 The statelinesse of the Court of Heaven descibed p. 85 86 The Eternall duration of these joyes and Glories in Heaven p. 86 87 88 Metaphors expresse the Grandeur not the Nature of that Joy p. 88 Glorified Bodies Spirituall like Christs Body p. 89 Ben Maimons discourse of the Reasonablenesse of Gods proposing Heaaven to us under such Metaphors p. 89 90 The Doctrine of Socrates and Plato de Finibus compared with that of Christianity p. 91 92 Materiall senses continued in Heaven for Ornament rather then for Vse p. 93 The Conclusion p. 94 SERM III. Of the Rewards of Religion Why men prefer Worldly Enjoyments before those of Heaven p. 96 The same Attributes given to God and Heaven ib. The happinesse of Both described by Negatives p. 96 97 The Enjoyment in Nature great the Enjoyments in conceit and phancy greater then those in Nature p. 98 99 The Enjoyments in Heaven greater then both p. 99 1 Cor. 2.9 and Isaiah 64. vv 1 2 3 4. compared and explained p. 100 101 The Conflagration of this world in order to the purgation of its Matter for the New Heavens and New Earth and New Jerusalem incomprehensibly glorious ib. Rabbins affirme that from the state of the Messiah we must take the image of our future Glory p. 101 102 The Resurrection of Christ the Image of ours p. 102 How the Glories of Heaven are revealed to Christians by the Spirit p. 103 Advice Stand no more gazing in Heaven p. 104 Christian Faith and Hope commended Christian Practice commended SERM IV. Of the Rewards of Religion The Hope of the Resurrection of the Body and life everlasting the greatest Encouragements to Vertue p. 109 The Existence of the Law of Nature argues Rewards and punishments in another life because they are not equally Distributed in this p. 110 The immortality of the Soul anciently beleived p. 111 Mr Hobbes's his Opinion considered ib. The Doctrine of the Souls Immortality sprang not from the Daemonology of the Greeks p. 112 The ancient arguments for the Immortality of the Soul from Cicero and other Philosophers p. 113 115 116 The Explication of those who make Souls corporeall imperfect p. 114 Mr Hobbes misinterprets Scripture which determines the Soul to be independent from the Body p. 117 118 Reasons why Christians first beleived the Gospell of Christ concerning the Resurrection of the Body p. 118 119 Christs other pred ctions allready miraculously fullfill'd were received as Arguments that his Doctrine concerning the Resurrection shall be fullfilled also p. 119 120 Miraculous instances of his power in raising the Dead p. 120 121 Jairus his daughter and the Widdows son raised p. 121 122 Lazarus raised and the Resurrection preacht p. 122 123 Christs own Resurrection a powerfull argument of ours p. p. 123 124 Objections Obviated p. 125 126 How the Doctrine of the Resurrection was received among the Jews p. 127 Our Saviors Argument against the Sadduces explain'd p. 127 128 How farve the Doctrine of the Philosophers was consistent with the Christian Doctrine of the Resurrection p. 129 130 Application Hope of this Resurection to be cherisht p. 131 This Vertue Hope commended from its Vsefullnesse p. 132 The Antinomians Error who rejects this Vertue deduced from its Originals described and confuted p. 〈…〉 134 The Exercise of Hope commended from the 〈…〉 to it p. 134 The Exercise of Thanksgiving and Worship commended p. 135 SECT III. SERM I. Of the cheifest good Christian Doctrine opposed by Epicureans and Stoicks p. 146 141 142 St Pauls Triumph over his learned opponents p. 143 Philosophers very good and very bad p. 144 145 146 Errours about summum Bonum p. 147 148 No sect could obtain Happinesse in this life p. 149 150 151 Their happinesse designd in this life inconsiderable p. 152 153 Some philosophers prizd vertuous actions to be summum bonum p. 154 Others esteem'd pleasure to be it p. 155 And aimd at that only in this life p. 156 Christians aime at everlasting pleasures p. 157 SERM II. Of the cheifest Good St Augustine under temptation of pleasure p. 160 Difference of lusts p. 161 Religion opposeth
his Animadversions upon obstinate Offenders as his Mercy in shewing kindnesse to the humble penitent Another objection they flourish from that Axiom of Epicuâ—us Si gravis brevis If say they the punishment be very great it cannot be very durable Because it is inconceivable how the Soul should suffer great pains and not be disunited from the Body by reason of them But my Brethren we must be so modest as to allow many things to be true which yet are not conceivable by us I speak a bold word All the Philosophy in the world old and new can never declare the manner how our Souls that are immateriall can be pain'd by the diseases of our Materiall Bodies But yet we find they are so How then should it be thought that we should be able to explain the manner how the Souls of wicked men shall be enabled to endure the great and eternall pains of Hell when we cannot explain the manner how we become sensible of any thing we now feel We believe also that the Constitutions both of the damned and of the blessed shall be altered For as St Paul saith we know not what we shall bee and we dare affirme as little concerning the Nature of the damned as of the blessed Secondly neither do we know the Nature of the Infernall fire I am sure it was anciently believed to be so farr from destroying the Body of the tormented as to give a kind of Incorruptibility unto it and if you will be contented with the doctrine of the primitive Church I may God willing shew you hereafter that it was the Opinion of the Fathers in Generall that such shall be the fire of Hell and such the constitutions of the damned that they shall be capable of paines eternall and yet very great some difference in their greatnesse there may be some beaten with more and some with fewer stripes but none in their duration The Soul shall suffer pain it self by the immediate hand of God and shall be tortured also by the harsh and discordant Motions of the tormented Body whereunto it shall be most firmly and therefore in that time and place most unhappily united It shall feel its tenement uneasy noisome tempestuous but shall find no divorce no way of separation Nor shall those pains be slight that shall immediately be inflicted on it by an Allmighty power Zealous in the pursuance of his just Revenge It is true those pains would quickly extinguish the life of the tormented were their constitutions then not to differ from ours now But the ancient catholick Faith is otherwise Namely that the passive faculties of the Devils and Wicked Men shall be susteyned eternally or eternally repaired to make these patients eternally miserable Mr Hobbes indeed supplies them with an argument against this Doctrine from that text in the Revelation Leviathan part 4. Cap. 44. where the punishment of the Wicked in Hell is called a second Death Whence he argueth that the Wicked shall dy or be annihilated under that punishment But I hope Mr Hobbes will allow St John to be a fit interpreter of his own words Surely he calls the eternall torment of the wicked in Hell by the name of the second Death For if you compare Rev. 14.10 and Rev. 21.8 you wil find that there is a Lake of Fire and Brimstone prepared that the Unbelieving and abominable shall bee cast into it that the smoke of their torment shall ascend up for ever and ever and in conclusion that this is the second Death We affirme further to conclude the Objections that whereas the fireing of Sodom and Gomorrha is made by St Jude a Type of the fire of Hell that there is no necessity that the Type should agree in every particular with the thing typified but that St Jude is so to be understood that what the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha suffered for their lusts in one day that in Hell they and such as follow their lew'd Waies must undoubtedly suffer to all Eternity I must conclude and the conclusion of my present Discourse shall bee this That we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ 2 Cor. 5.11 and there accordingly as our works have been in the flesh be sentenc'd either to everlasting blessednesse or to this everlasting Misery Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord as St Paul speaks we persuade Men that they would live as men and not as beasts that they would deny Ungodlinesse and worldly lusts Knowing the terror of the Lord we are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs steed be ye reconciled unto God Knowing the terrors of the Lord we intreat Men that they would not live unto themselves but unto him that dyed for them and rose again What saith St Paul 1 Cor. 16.11 shall we provoke the Lord to Jealousy are we stronger than He The Judge of Heaven and Earth is a mighty and terrible Judge He spared not his own Son when he found him under the sins of others and will he spare those rebells of his whom he shall surprise Glorying in their sin and shame Are our Muscles Iron or our Membranes brasse Can we break the rod of God or conquer him by suffering all his wrath Can we fly from it or have we my Brethren any Fence against it Whether shall we go from his Spirit or whether shall we flee from his presence If we climb up to Heaven He is there and if we make our Bed in Hell he is there also He is even in Hell to be a consuming fire to the wicked If we say the darknesse shall cover us the darknesse hideth not from him Psalm 139.7 8. What then Can we as the three children did walk in the firie furnace and be untoucht Can we dwell with devouring fire or lye everlastingly in beds of flaming Sulphur and be contented with that condition If we Can neither endure the Wrath of God nor have any defence against it nor can fly from the effects of it there remains only that We use such Caution and live so in these few dayes of our try all here that we may escape that place of torment whereas our Savior hath declared the Worme shall Never dye and the fire Never shall be quenched Oh that there were such a heart in Us that we might fear God and keep his commandments allwaies for then it should be well with us for ever I should now have shewed you that what I have spoken concerning the greatnesse and Eternity of hell torments was the Constant sense of the ancient Catholick Church and comes not from my private interpretation of the holy Scripture But I must leave that argument and the conclusion of this whole discourse untill some other Opportunity Gloria Trinuni Deo SERM. III. PSAL. 34.11 Come ye children and hearken unto me and I will teach You the fear of the Lord. IN my last discourse from this Text I affirmed two
to shew you that whatsoever new Opinions there are now the primitive Faith was otherwise St Cyprian or whoever was author of that Homily de Ascentione Christi that we find among his writings declareth to this purpose That the wicked shall be appointed to dwell in infinite torments That there shall be streames of Teares for ever but for ever to no purpose The flames there shall be utterly inextinguishable and the punisht Souls shall dwell immortally in those infernall furnaces and the most killing part of their torment shall be this that they shall all waies live in a despair of ever being redeemed thence God will no more have mercy then Then confession and Repentance shall be too late For Christ descended into Hell but once and shall returne thither no more to work any new Victory or make any new Redemption Prudentius addeth his suffrage against the Heresy of Origen in those verses Vermibus flammis discruciatibus aevum Immortale dedit Senio ne paena periret Non pereunte animâ His meaning is That both the Soul of the sinners and their torment also their flame and their worme by the appointment of God shall be eternall Athanasius concludes his creed thus Those that have done well shall go into everlasting life and those that have done evill into everlasting fire and he affirmes the same in diverse other of his writings St Hierom as he was a passionate Lover and admirer of Origens learning and Wit Felicibus ingeniis mirum dictu quantopere faverit adeo ut haereticos etiam laudibus ornaret libenter si licuisset fidei vitium eruditioni condonaturus Cum primis autem Origenis quem suum adpellat c. Erasmus in vita Hieronymi ubi narrat etiam ut Origenistae in suae sactionis consortium Hieronymum pertrabere nitebantur so possibly he might take his phancy of a Purgatory fire from Him and yet as well as he loved him he would not follow him in his heresy Diaboli saith he omnium negatorum impiorum dixerunt in corde non est Deus Deus credimus aeterna tormenta We believe that the Devils and Atheists and such as deny God in their hearts shall suffer eternall pains Hieron in c. ult Esaiae And let our Atheists take heed they do not one day find St Hieroms creed truer than their own It were endlesse to give you all the private Judgements of the Fathers dispersed up and down among their writings You may have a good Collection of the arguments anciently used against Origens Opinion in Justinians letter to Menna then Archbishop of Constantinople which letter is yet extant in the third Tome of Binius his Councels I shall therefore conclude the Authorities that affirme the pains of the damned in Hell to be everlasting with that peremptory decree of the sixt councell of Constantinople intended to condemne that very Opinion of Origen maliciously to the Ruin of all good manners now again renewed by the Atheists and Socinians of this loose and naughty Age. And let me tell our Lawyers who as they say begin too much to favor Mr Hobbes's errors that this decree which I shall now repeat was thought of so much use by the ancient Lawyers Vide Baisamon in Photii Nomo canon Tit. de Fide c. 2. l. 5. Basilicâ—â— Tit. 1. c. 1. resp 1. that they caused it to be embodied with the Imperiall Laws and esteemed the authority of it to bee the universall concern of the Empire The words of the decree are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in English thus V. Binius Concil loco citato If any one doth say or hold that the punishment of the Devils and Wicked men shall be but temporary and that after a season it shall come to an End or that there shall be a restoration of the wicked Angels and Wicked men to their former estates and Dignities Let him be accursed I am unwilling so severe a Censure of the Church should come against any man through my mouth Insteed therefore of that Let him be accursed I shall say let Mr Hobbes live and let him be reclaimed and let him not be ashamed to repent of and to disclaim his Errors as I have reason to believe Origen did his before his death And let the Socinians be indeed as Zealous encouragers of Vertue and Opposers of Vice as some of them pretend to bee and then I am sure they will leave off this their daubing with untemper'd Mortar See the lamentation of Origen Heu mihi doctori nec discipuli locum teneo volens alios illuminare mcipsum obscuravi Plangite me quia aeternis paenis condemnotus sum ve eor diem judicii qua in aeternâ poenâ damnatus sum Timeo paenam quia aeterna est c. Ita Origenes in threnois a B. Hieronymo latine redditis this which I may properly call in the phrase of Ezechiel their sowing pillows under every Arme-hole To conclude this then is the uniforme sense of the Catholick Church That the pains of Hell are great The Greatnesse of them is intimated in this that they are represented as the Torments of fire which is the worst sort of Torments by the Torments of a black and dark fire which is the worst sort of tormenting fires Other Circumstances that make this torment formidable are the perpetuity and continuity of it both affirmed by all orthodox writers primitive and Moderne And yet whether these Flames are visible and luminous or the Burnings are intensely great and dark as those of melted metals and Minerals and whether they are palpable or Immateriall are questions which with many others of like Nature are easier to be disputed than certainly decided For as the Joyes of Heaven are set forth unto us by visible and Materiall Emblemes and Representations of the greatest Happinesses that we can conceive and yet we believe them much greater and better though not properly such as those shadows represent So on the other side if we judge the expressions concerning the pains of Hell to bee metaphoricall and do not believe that they are formally such as they are described to bee when they are represented to our present Capacities which was I think the utmost of St Gregory Nyssenes Opinion yet then we must by the same Analogy believe that they are greater and higher miseries than those metaphoricall Expressions can really decipher Surely if there had been a greater kind of torment conceivable than that Torment of fire joined with that blacknesse of darknesse mention'd by St Jude the holy Ghost would have chosen to have made use of those for representations Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdome of God Someanciently and some of late as Casaubon particularly have spoken of Greg. Nyssene as if he had been a Sectary of Origens heresy The chief place they note is the conclusion of his catechetick Oration But the summ of his discourse there is no more than this That as the
us And it was by obeying these Notices that the Heathens are said by St Paul Rom. 2.14 to have done by nature the things that were written in the Law Plato telleth us that God hath diverse sorts of Laws and among the rest that one is Lex humana nostris insculpta mentibus ad veri rectique notitiam affectum It is the Law of human reason wrought and engraven in our minds to forme a knowledge and love of Truth and Right This being laid down as a ground they discoursed further that men ought not to think that these naturall notices were to no purpose imprinted on them by the author of their Natures But seeing they were most proper to direct Vertuous actions they argued that God had appointed them for that End even as he had appointed the Eye to see and the Ear to hear which were only proper for those services and consequently that wicked men crosse the purposes and designes of God and displease him when they make no use at all of those Dictates of Conscience or use them not to the right End and that they must expect to suffer the effects of that displeasure For it was not without reason presumed that to have these Notices obeyed was the pleasure of God who planted them in our Natures and that those pleased him most who obeyed him most in doeing as they directed and that either in this life or in the next they should find the benefit of their Obedience and the wicked the Reward of their Dissobedience tamblic de vitâ Pyth. c. 18. All beings shew their kindnesse where they love saith Pythagoras and God consequently And therefore he and his Schole allwayes concluded that wise Men will apply themselves to do the things that please God and that in hope of a Reward For even the Gentiles beleived that there was a God and that he was a Rewarder of all those that diligently seek Him According to the style of the Apostle Heb. 11.6 If it be askt what do we more than this what advantage then hath the Christian and what profit is there of the Gospell of Christ I answer as St Paul did Rom. 3.2 Much every way chiefly because that to us are committed the Oracles of God We grant that their Notices were pretty explicite that directed what actions were good and what evill Yet their thoughts concerning a Reward though they beleived it in the generall were very confused various doubtfull They saw that in this world good men were often oppress 't and that worse than they govern'd and bare Rule over them This made them resolve that the great and full reward of Vertuous actions was to bee expected in another World But their conceits concerning that other world were so uncertain and their Traditions upon which these conceits were built became at last so mixt with fables that they came to be esteemed but Poeticall Phansyes Heaven was metamorphos'd into the Elysian Fields and the Tales of Styx and Acharon confounded the True Notion of Hell insomuch that little remained of the old Faith and Tradition uniformly consented to more than this That there were Notions in us competently sufficient to direct our Practice That there was a God who made us and planted these Notions in us and that this God was a Rewarder Here then is our advantage The Gentiles they had their Altars erected to an Unknown God Act. 17.23 So then Vertue aimed at an unknown Reward What the best and most considering persons among them conceived confusedly and beleived uncertainly That the holy Gospell to us Christians proposeth distinctly and confirmeth surely And though the Glory and Happinesse which the blessed shall enjoy in Heaven be so great that as St Paul observeth Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor understanding comprehended it yet as the same St Paul observeth 1 Cor. 2.10 God hath reveled it to us by his Spirit He hath shewed us what is the condition of that estate at least so far forth as our earthy natures were capable to understand it And truly it is but necessary for us to be frequent in the contemplation of that happinesse that God hath provided for such as serve him For the Race that is set before us is to be run not without our labors and endeavor And it is the value of the prize that must encourage us to be temperate and strive in it King David though reported in holy Scripture to have been a Man after Gods own heart yet professeth of himselfe that he had utterly fainted but that he beleived verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living Psal 27. And St Paul observeth that it is onely and singly this Hope of Heaven that easeth a Christians life from being of all lives the most miserable to be of all lives the most happy 1. Cor. 15.19 Nor was his consideration of the Recompense of Reward thought either unlawfull or superfluous by Abraham or Moses or our blessed Savior Great were the Joyes that were set before them and great even the same great Delights are set before Us. The most searching wit cannot conceive greater For these are the greatest possible nay we cannot conceive these adequately because they are so great Now that I may not wander too much when I treat of so infinite a Theme I shall designedly confine my present discourse to some few Texts and chiefly to the last verse of the sixteenth Psalm Where the Prophet concludeth that in the Kingdome of Heaven or which is all one in the presence of God there is fullnesse of Joy and at his right hand there are Pleasures for evermore This Psalme is entitled by the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A piece of Davids Sculpture or engraving As our best Poets chuse to have some greater acumen somewhat more excellent and strong for wit and sense in the Closure of their Poems So in the last line of this Psalme in the Bottome of this piece of Sculpture there is engraved in small a good lively Image of Heaven or of that which maketh Heaven to be such Celestiall Happinesse This Urania is a fit piece for every divine Lover and courtier to cast both his Eyes upon And therefore while I discourse to You on this subject to rectify my meditations I shall frequently cast mine Eye upon this very little but very fine piece of the Royall Engraver I layd down in the beginning these undeniable and confessed Grounds First that every man desireth to live without greif in an estate of joy and happinesse Secondly that every wise man desireth the greater Happinesse before the lesse I shewed by the by the Opinions of Heathen Men that Happinesse was no otherwise attainable but by Vertue and the endeavor of Pleasing God But now I assume which I intend for the Argument of this Discourse That in Heaven in his own presence God hath provided for Vertuous men an estate of happinesse that is in all respects the greatest that
our Natures fixt for ever so that no malignant no pestilentiall vapor nor any new and heterogeneous ferment shall be able to alter or corrupt our Constitutions The pestilence that walketh in darknesse propagating it self occultly and the Plague that destroieth at noon day shall have no influence nor power over us Thirdly though the Body and all its parts be strong and the Air wherein we breath be sweet and wholesome Yet Diseases may arise from other causes For example sometimes there happens to be some dissagreablenesse in the matter of our Diet sometimes a mistake in the Quantity sometimes by some other accidents Errors are committed in some of our Digestions which as they happen in the first second or third Digestion to use the style of our vulgar Physiology they cause the pain in the stomach the Colick or the Flux the Obstruction of the Mesentery the fits of an Ague or the pains of a putrid feaver and many more as well Chronicall as acute diseases But all these are accidents of that Nature that they cannot possibly happen to our glorified Bodies St John declares Rev. 7.15.16 That in Heaven Men shall hunger no more they shall thirst no more There shall be none of those stimuli none of those pungent pains for want of meat and drink There shall be no use of Diet nor possibility of Comitting Errors in Diet on Digestions and consequently no surfet nor putrid feavers nor those other diseases that here arise from errors committed in diet and digestion There shall not be any burning feaver No nor so much as a febris ephemera not the least Inflammation of the Spirits from the heat of the Sun So St John proceeds The Sun shall not fall hurtfully upon them neither shall any burning It may be added to compleat the difference That Women which is the half of the rationall world bear children here and it is notorious that they do not bear them without pain and sorrow For to many a disease are they peculiarly and upon that account obnoxious before they can bring a Man child into the world But in Heaven it is Impossible that Women should have any of these Discomposures or that the now Naturall care for Wives and children should disturbe men there For our Savior hath condescended to tell us that those who shall be accounted worthy to attain that world and the Resurrection from the Dead neither marry nor are given in marriage nor can they dy any more They shall have a perpetuity but it shall be established in a better way than by succession of Generations For it followes Luk. 20.35 They are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 equall to or of like immortall Nature with the Angells and are the sons of God Thus you see how that in all things God exalts the honor of his Goodnesse to us He did us a kindnesse in giving us these pains during our Mortality In the resurrection that day of our Jubilee when there shall be no further use of them He will take from us our Diet of bitter herbs and do us a more great and excellent kindnesse He will establish us in such a state that it will bee Impossible any such cares or greifs should fall upon us I have spoken hitherto principally of our deliverance from greifs that are corporall and incident to us by reason of our Bodies But it is too true that we are subject here to those that are mentall also The Spirit of man may bear his infirmities That is such Evills as are incident to his Mans Body may be born by his Spirit Prov. 18.14 but a wounded Spirit who can bear When our strength is weaknesse how great is that weaknesse and when our Releif is Torment how great is that Torment It is for the sorenesse of these pains of Conscience that they are compared even by Heathens to perpetuall whippings to destructive diseases to sore and incurable Ulcers nay even to the Torments of Hell it self And it is most true that no man in this world can be perfectly secure from the pains and troubles of Conscience because no man can here be perfectly just no man can perfectly comply with the Dictates of his Conscience which containes yet a blotted Copy of Gods first Originall Law Nor can any professor of Christianity perfectly comply with the book't or later Edition of Gods Royall Law so as to need no remorse so as to be above the Necessity of sorrowing and Repenting for his sin Though David was a Man after Gods own heart yet there was a time when his heart smote Him And if his heart smote him for cutting off Sauls skirt and for numbring the people what work think you made his heart with Him in the not to be named matter of Uriah How bitter are those crye◠in the 38th Psalms Thine arrows stick fast in mee and thy hand presseth me sore There is no health in my flesh because of thy Displeasure neither is there any rest in my Bones by Reason of my sin For my wickednesses are gone over my head and are like a sore Burden too heavy for me to bear And how full of concern are those prayers in the 51. Psalm pen'd on that very occasion Cast me not away from thy presence Take not thy holy Spirit from me Restore me to the Joy of thy Salvation Deliver me from blood guiltinesse O God And St Peter that great Apostle though his pretended successor pretends he cannot erre yet he erred more than once and for his errors wept I wish I could read of any Popes that did the same for his errors I say he wept as bitter tears as ere were wept by Mary Magdalene But Heaven is above all these clouds and showers There is no trouble of Conscience there is no broken Spirit there there is no greif no sorrow no pain And therefore not the greatest of pains the pain of a troubled mind As in the state of Integrity there was neither sin nor sting of Conscience So shall it bee in the state of perfect Restauration The glorified Christians shall not only be purg'd from all their sins by the blood of Christ and be cloathed with his Righteousnesse but such Grace shall be given them that they shall grow up and flourish in an inherent Righteousnesse of their own The great Master of Revelations tells us that to the Spouse of the Lambe which is the glorified Church of Christ to her it shall be granted that she shall be arrayed in fine linnen which fine linnen as the same St John interpreteth it is the Righteousnesse of the Saints Rev. 19.8 They shall be as the confirmed Angels are secure from falling into any Action that may cause sin or sorrow Their trade shall bee to be ever Glorifying God and this shall adde to their Glory and to their joy that they shall know that this their glorious Employment shall neither have any end nor any Intermission And Having shewed you now that Heaven is free from the pains of
fit us for them and bring us to them even to those joyes that Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor have entred into the heart of Man to be conceived To the God of Joy and peace who is able to do for us more abundantly than we can ask or think be Glory Honor and Adoration for ever SERM. II. PSAL. 16.11 In thy presence is fullnesse of Joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore FOR Ministers to make Apologyes in the Pulpit when they are not absolutely necessary is generally judg'd to be uncomely and below the Gravity of their place But there are subjects sometimes to be treated of in which there is so just Occasion of some Preface that to omit it were token enough of a proud and presuming Nature And such I take to be the argument which I must consider from this Text which leadeth me to the consideration and Description of that Estate which I can neither fully understand nor speak And if God should give me the Tongue as he gave St Paul when he was rapt up into the third Heaven the Eyes of an Angell yet ye would not be able to understand neither the Nature of heavenly glory unlesse the same God should likewise give unto you Angelicall Intellectuals Such is the grossenesse of human sense that when we desire to give Heaven its due esteem yet all our thoughts are both besides it and below it We are not capable of any true Idea's of it We cannot bear the least ray of the starrinesse of its Nature It is therefore the great Mercy and Condescention of God that since we could not arise to the Contemplation of Heaven in its true and Native lustre he hath considered our Natures and by the use of familiar Metaphors and allusions made his heaven stoop to us and cloathed it for our present Comprehension with the Air and livery of this lower world And we are further to adore his Bounty that hath made heaven too great and too glorious an estate to be described Philosophically in affirmative univocall Termes It will be sufficient if I can any way expresse it though in phrases Metaphoricall and borrowed from subjects below it self and though they are as they must needs be full of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and undervaluations of its true and frequently alien from its essentiall and genuine dignity I shew'd in the foregoing discourse among other things that the greatest Happinesse possible can have but these four parts or properties 1. Indolence or security from greif which is required as a prerequisite and foundation of the other parts 2. That for the essence nothing can be desired more suitable to our Natures than Delight joy or Pleasure 3. That for the Degree man is capable of no more than Fullnesse 4. For the Extent that nothing can be longer or larger than Perpetuity or pleasures for evermore I went then only through the Negative part and without figure or Metaphor proved it from Scripture clearly distinctly that the state of Glory shall be free from pains and greifs bodily mentall temporall eternall Now I come to the positive part and to prove that there is not only in Heaven the state of Indolence or security from greif which answers that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Voluptas in statu so much valued by some of the ancient Philosophers but also that Voluptas in Motu preferred by others namely all those stirring and pleasant Airinesses and commotions of the mind which are concomitants of the greatest mirth For so though generally under figures and metaphors is that estate represented to us If you ask by what Authorities of Scripture we entertain this hope of an active joy in Heaven besides that of my Text which affirmes joy and fullnesse of joy to be had in the presence of God I shall refer you to what the Psalmist affirmeth in the 125 Psalm viz. That he who in this world goeth on his way weeping and beareth good seed shall doubtlesse come again with joy the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Greek that is with an Ovation or great exultancy of active joy Nay there is so much of this in Heaven that the state of Glory is simply styled by the name of Joy For the forme of words to bee used by our Savior when he shall admit his Religious and faithfull servants into Heaven is no other but this Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. But I have yet a further Conclusion to be prov'd from divine Revelation namely that there is not only a security from greif and some active joy in Heaven But that there are the greatest degrees and quantities of that joy There shall be plenty of it even as much as our refined and exalted Natures shall then be able to contain Nothing is capable of more than fullnesse and we have a ready testimony from the Text that in the presence of God there is fullnesse of joy Now to comply with our Natures and to make us esteem the reward that is proposed to us and to entice our affections after it that are generally too carnall and to represent the fullnesse of this joy so as to give it a power over us that are yet earthy minded the holy Ghost hath chosen to represent the pure and in their own Nature incomprehensible joyes of Heaven by sensible representations of the most eminent earthy delights and pleasures He saw our Infirmity that we cannot well Judge of delights that are purely intellectuall and spirituall and therefore he hath so much condescended to our Distempers as to distemper Heaven it self for our sakes and to draw us some scenes of Heavenly joyes in the corporall shapes and figures of our fullest earthy pleasures Such are those of feastings Weddings the possession of Riches Honors and the like so Luke 22.30 This Heavenly joy is represented by that of a Royall feast with God by eating and drinking at the Table of the king of Heaven And our Psalmist hath given us the like figure of Celestiall Happinesse in the thirty sixt Psalm v. 8. which we read thus They that trust in thee shall be abundantly satisfied with the fulnesse of thy House and thou shalt give them to drink of the River of thy pleasures that is thou shalt give them to drink plentifully of thy pleasures as out of a River It followes For with thee is the Well the never ceasing spring of life And in thy light shall we see light Every particular is very considerable First Inebriabuntur ubertate domus tuae so the vulgar latine agreeably enough to the Originall and best Translations In Textum Inebrtabuntur ubertate domus tuae torrente voluptatis tuae potabis eos dicunt Interpretes quia suavior in poculentis voluptas quam in esculentis ideo per inebriationem summam laetitiam hie intelligi v. Euthymium Nicephorum â—uin Philosophi instantiam voluptatis iâ— motu eam potantis
post sitim inducunt inde per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Veteres quidam ut Orpheus perpetuam inebriationem Virtutis mercedem dixerunt Now by that or the like phrases learned Men have chosen to represent that Voluptas in Motu that active and stirring pleasure in which they placed the greatest Happinesse Secondly those Phrases they shall be abundantly satisfied and they shall drink as out of a River signify the greatest plenty of that pleasure or to use the stile of the Text a great fullnesse of this Joy And though these representations for our sakes are Corporeall yet there is one in the close more Intellectuall Spirituall and harder to be understood In thy light shall we see light Let the foundation of light and life so purify and then exalt our Natures that we may see that light and live It is most certain that the Joyes of Heaven are in their own Nature highly Intellectuall and Spirituall and yet to exhibite a full delight and shape its idea to our present affections It is frequently in Scripture Compared to the pleasures of a Marriage and which is a high Honor to Matrimony to that of a Bride upon her Wedding day That we know is the Time of her great joy and there is reason it should be so seeing at that day she is emancipated from the corrections of childhood and youth she is freed from the commands of her Governesses she is made Mistresse of her self she receives a Blessing and a portion from her father smiles and Gratulations of joy from her whole family and kinred and which is above all she taketh then a perfect assurance of full satisfaction to her Naturall desires and makes an everlasting settlement of her own and takes an everlasting assurance of her Husbands love In these colours therefore doth St John typify unto us the estate of the blessed in Heaven Revel 21. Then saith he that is in the first appearance of the state of Glory the triumphant Church shall come prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband as the Bride rather than as the Bridegroom because if there be any difference her Joy is esteemed generally the greatest And then as it is express't Rev. 19. the Blessed Angels shall sing for Joy those divine Scripture Epithalamiums Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to the Lord for the marriage of the Lamb is come and the Bride hath made her ready and that song of Loves Psasm 25. Hearken O princesse and consider encline thine Ear forget also thy own Countrey and thy Fathers house then shall the King greatly desire thy Beauty for he is the Lord thy God and worship thou him To which the Bride shall make Responsals like that penned by Isaiah cap. 61.10 I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my soul shall be joyfull in my God for he hath cloathed me with the garments of salvation hee hath covered me with a robe of Righteousnesse even as a Bride richly adorned with her Jewels But because Glory and honor to some more Intellectuall Complexions is matter of their greater delight than those sensuall of meat and marriage to comply with the Notions of these men also concerning Happinesse Heaven is elsewhere express't to be an appearance in Glory Col. 3.4 and it is in holy scripture particularly compared to the pleasure that men of great Spirits take in Honors gotten by noble and excellent Atchievements Among the triumphant Glorys mentioned in History V. Natalis Com. lib. 5. Mythologiae cap. 5. Morere Diagera Non enim in coelum ascenderes Lacenis Gratulatio ad Diagoram duos filios Victores olympiae habentem Tusc Quaest l. 1. and of use in former times there were none Causes of greater Joy than those accustomed upon a victory at the Pythian Nemaean Isthmian or Olymphick Games where he that got the victory was crowned with an honourable garland and carryed on the shoulders of the chiefest Cittizens not into the Gates but through triumphant Pageants or Arches even over the walls of their Cittyes In the chief places of which there were Inscriptions engraven or statues erected to the honour of the Conquerour sometimes therefore the estate of Glory is compared to the transport and Joy of these triumphant victors So by St Paul 1 Cor. 9.24.25 to that or a Crowne or prize gotten by those who strive for Mastery at the Race But that which is above all in point of Honour and more universally resented as the most full ample and greatest attainment that is possible in this world is to be the Fountaine of Honour to be a King in possession of a reall Crowne or throne By this therefore the Glory of Heaven is most frequently exemplifyed to him that overcometh saith our Savior Rev. 3.21 will I give to sit with me in my throne and St James telleth us that the Lord hath promised and the Blessed shall receive a Crowne of life James 1.12 and Math. 24.24 and Rev. 1.6 It is said that the Blessed shall be Kings and Priests unto God Nor shall they have these honours in an obscure place For the glory of that Court to compleat the fulnesse of our Joy is exprest to be of a most unimaginable slateliness beyond that of any Princes palace in the world Socrates in one of Platoes discourses tells us that all the ordinary herbage of the Superiour world is as glorious as the brightest part of the most beautifull flower upon Earth and that the vast mountains of that world are entire Rubyes and Diamonds whereof those gems which we wear and value are as it were but small scattered Chips and fragments I will not accuse Socrates for these Hyperboles his meaning might be sober and the words intended onely to expresse a great glory in the world above For even the slatelinesse of the Heavenly Jerusalem is typified in the Revelation chap. 21.19 by Ministring unto our Corporeall phancyes a not unlike representation For it said that the wall of that City as it was represented to Him was made of Jasper the foundation consisting of divers other precious stones that the Citty it selfe was all built of a substance that had the purenesse and other qualityes of perfect gold and which is the only quality that can be added to make gold it self more precious the clearnesse and transparency of glasse That the streets were paved with the same most precious mettall That every Gate was one entire Pearle that the presence of God and of the Lamb were a constant light and Glory and as it were a temple in the midst of it Now if this should be literally true and in kind even as it is exprest what an overflowing fullnesse of delight must he bee possest with that is continually ravish't with these Enjoyments that is a King or a prince in such a place as this and we cannot deny to admit these Comparisons so far as they were intended namely to joyne with the Text in confirming the proposed Truth That there is delight in
the greatest quantity possible though not of so grosse a kind that there is fullnesse of Joy and Glory in Heaven I might instance in other similitudes as where it is compared to the possession of a great treasure which to some men is a most great and sensuall delight but I shall chuse to passe to the last particular The Measure or duration of the greatest Happinesse And truely I think the learned Fathers of the primitive Church were sound Philosophers in this point with whom it is a frequent assertion that such a life cannot be most happy which is not secure of its own Eternity If therefore any thing be designed for the full satisfaction of human Nature it must be a delight that shall last for ever and that is such that it must needs be satisfactory seeing no man can wish for more than eternall Happinesse Eternity hath no end at all neither is there any duration nor can be in Nature no nor can be projected in Human Phancy longer than for ever nay the Imagination cannot extend so far The power and goodnesse of God hath provided for us beyond the utmost stretch of our own Conceits For he hath meted out the duration of our Glory by no other measure than that infinite Eternity My text comes home to the proof of this point also For it asserts That in the presence of God there are pleasures even for evermore Merito Philosophorum non obscurus Euclides qui fuit conditor Megaricorum disciplâ—nae dissentiens a caeteris id esse summum bonum dixit quod simile sit idem semper Intellexit profectò quae sit natura summi boni licet id non explicaverit quid sit id est autem immortalitas nec aliud omnino quicquam quia sola nec imminui nec augeri nec immutari porest Senecâ— quoque imprudens incidit ut fateretur nullum esse aliud virtutis praemium quam immortalitatem Laudans enim virtutem in eo lâ—bro quem de immatura morte conscripsit Una inquit res est virtus quae nos immortalitate donare possit pares Diis facere sed Stoici quos fecutus est negant fine virtute effici quenquam beatum posse Eâ—go virtutis praemium beat a vita est fi virtus ut recte dictum est beatam vitam facit Non est igitur ut aiunt propter seipsam virtus experenda sed propter vitam beatam quae virtutem neceslario sequitur Quod argumentum docere eos potuit quod esset summum bonum Haec autem vita praesens corporalis beata esse non potest quia malis est subjecta per corpus Epicurus Deum beatum vocat quia incorruptus quia simpiternus est Beatitudo enim perfecta esse debet ut nihil sit quod vexare ac minuere aut immutare possit Nec aliter quicquam existimari beatum possit nisi fuerit incorruptum Incorruptum autem nihil est nisi quod est immortale Solaerga Immortalitas beata est quia Coâ—rumpi ac dissolvi non potest Quod si cadit in hominem virtus quod negare nullus potest cadit Beatiâ—udo Non potest enim fieri ut sit miser qui est virtute praeditus si cadit beatitudo ergo immortalitas cadit in hominem quae beata est Summum igitur bonum sola immortalitas invenitur quae nec aliud animal nec corpus attingit nec potest cuiquam sine scientia ac virtute id est sine Dei cognitione ac justitia obvenire cujus appetitio quam vera quà m recta sit ipsa vitae hujusce cupiditas indicat quae licet sit temporalis labore plenissima expetitur tamen ab omnibus optatur hanc enim tam senes quam pueri tam Reges quam Infimi tam denique sapientes quam stulti cupiunt Tanti est ut Anaxagorae visum est contemplatio coeli ac lucis ipsius ut quasâ—unque miserias libeat sustinere Cum igitur laboriosa haec brevis vita non tantum hominum sed etiam caeterorum Animantium consensu magnum bonum esle ducatur manifestum est eandem summum ac perfectum fueri bonum si fine careat omni malo Denique nemo nunquam extitisset qui hanc ipsam brevem contemneret aut subiret m rtem nisi spe vitae longioris c. apud Lactantium de falsa sap lib. 3. c. XII ubi etiam concludit Summum Bonum quod facit beatos non posse esse nisi in eá Religione ac doctrina cui spes immortalitatis adjuncta est Cui simule est iliud St Augustini Beatissima Vita effe non poterit nisi quae fuerit de aeternitate suâ certissima De Civitate Dei lib. 10. c. 30. Cujus est illud Quicquid ad hoc corpus spectat immortalitatis est expers vanum sit necesse est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Posidippus And here all our Comparisons are outgone Our feastings are for an hour our Weddings for a day a Week or a Moneth the enjoyment of Riches honours kingdoms with us in this world are but short and momentarie but in heaven there shall be not only a Feast but an eternall Feast an Eternall Appetite and eternall satisfaction to it The Iubilation of the Lambs Nuptials shall not be measured by a day or dayes by a Moneth or Moneths but shall be extended to the vast duration of the eternity of God There shall be new Epithalamiums and new songs the Gayety shall be everlasting the Lamb and the Bride shall alwaies marry and shall alwaies be given in marriage There shall be glory that shall be alwayes fresh that shall not grow into oblivion or disrepute there are those Crownes and garlands to honour our Mastery that are as St Paul speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as fade not away there only are those everlasting kingdomes and those stately pallaces which cannot be removed but do stand fast for ever There only are those treasures which are eternally secure where neither Moth nor Rust doth corrupt and were Thieves cannot breake through and steal And thus much being led by severall texts of scripture I have adventured to speake by way of Metaphor concerning that blessednesse and I think I have evinced that it is an estate not only of security from griefs but of the most great and most full delights and of delights that shall last for evermore But here give me leave to interrupt you with an advertisement Namely that those expressions and scripturall Resemblances of heavenly Joy to the delights of sense are only intended to expresse the grandeur and compleatnesse but not the Nature or kind of the Joy of Heaven otherwise the Paradise we expect might be thought as sensuall as that of Mahomet is commonly represented And indeed it was the great goodnesse and Wisdome of God to use unto us such familiar Resemblances for we are earthy constitutioned men
our Mistake concerning the Vanity of the things of this world but our Ignorance or Infidelity concerning the Things of the next The whole Nature and all the Qualities of that Happinesse while we are here We shall never perfectly know But God hath given us such a portion of Revelation concerning it as may sufficiently commend it to us And indeed in these and many other Texts very excellent things are spoken concerning a glorious state to come a state of Happinesse which Religious and good Men shall enjoy in Heaven I may speak in the phrase of the Psalmist very excellent and glorious things are spoken of thee thou City of God Heaven is a place of so great Glory that it hath gotten some of the prime attributes of the great and glorious God that dwelleth in it God is infinite and so is the Happinesse of Heaven God is incomprehensible and so is the Happinesse of Heaven The excellence of God Himself Naturally and the Glory in that Heaven which he hath prepared for his own Mansion and for the future Mansion of his servants are too great to be expressed truly and without a Metaphor otherwise than by Negatives It was true without a Metaphor what we declared in the first part That in Heaven there shall be no greif no sorrow no pain But how shall we speak the positive parts of Heavenly glory by way of Negatives Why we may speak as the Church anciently did by the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard what that is what positive parts of Glory God hath prepared for those that wait upon Him And St Paul goes further in the same Way when he telleth us that Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor which is somewhat beyond what is contained in the expression of the Prophet Esay have those things entred into the heart of Man that God hath prepared for those that love Him The Eye of a man that is gentile and curious sees much and the Ear of the same Man heareth much more than his Eye ever saw and his Phancy conceives beyond them both But the heart of a Man if we take it for his will and Desires enlarge themselves infinitely and exceed all For a man may will and desire all happinesse indefinitely even that which he never saw nor perfectly conceived But the things that God hath prepared for those that love Him are so great and containe so much of Happinesse and delight that St Paul affirmeth they have not entred into the Heart certainly not into the imaginative part and it may bee not perfectly into the appetitive part of the soul of Man But suppose that St Paul spake only of the understanding Phancy or Imaginative faculties when He saith that the Glories of Heaven have not entred upon mans heart It is surely a very high commendation of that Glory which Christ hath purchased and prepared for his servants and which the spirits of just men made perfect shall enjoy in Heaven when he telleth us that it is greater than any that our externall or internall senses greater than any that our animal or rationall faculties can apprehend more great more perfectly excellent than did ever enter into the understanding or Imagination of Man Great surely are the riches and ample is the dominion of Nature But greater and more ample that of human Phancy The enjoyments in Nature great there are Beauties of Art and Nature to please the Eye There are the delicate Enchantments of Voices and other Musick to delight and Ravish the Ear. Nature for the Tast hath afforded us variety of pleasant meats and drinks and the studied and Curious Arts of Luxury have found out many more Every sense hath its entertainments fitted for it and the world is not so poor but that there is somewhat what in it to answer allmost every Phancy and every appetite of Man In the Citty there is wealth In the court there is rich apparrell the gracefull Meen gallantry and glory In the University there is learning and good Natured men there is that great pleasure of wise and excellent Conversation With Councellors there is civil prudence with Commanders there is courage and Conduct with other professions other excellencyes to be admir'd There are in the world Royalties Primacies Principallities Empires for such as are ambitious of them But which are of ten thousand times more value than all that I have mention'd There are yet further such precious attainments to be had even here below as vertue and the inchoate grace of God inchoate I say for in heaven onely shall our vertues and our Graces together with our glory bee made perfect These and many other enjoyments and delights there are which have been respectively seen by the Eye or heard of by the Ear or apprehended by Man And though few men have attain'd to all or the most part of these Yet a man in his heart or mind by the consideration of the parts may without difficulty conceive all these great delights to meet in one and the same person And further it is at least conceivable that all those pleasures may continue with Him and with his children and descendents in his sight any finite number of years even the greatest that can be counted by Arithmetick and even what he cannot conceive or understand with his Mind he may indefinitely wish for or desire with his heart as an unknown Happinesse But if we take up in the narrower Interpretation and confine this word Heart to the Understanding faculties It must needs be confess 't that it were a strange portentous state of delight and Glory if all these known and conceiveable parts of Happinesse should thus accrue to any one in particular and indeed it would be so great that rightly to conceive this Estate if it were only as great as any that can enter into the understanding of Man one had need of a knowledge not only like that of Salomon comprehensive of the Nature and use of all plants or of any one Species of things but of the Nature and advantages of all Objects whatsoever and so rather like that of the first Man Adam who knew all the Excellencies of all the Creatures and gave them names accordingly But yet St Paul telleth us which is the consideration that I would enforce That even such an Estate it being seen with the Eye and heard of by the Ear and having entred into the heart of Man is of a much baser and lower Nature than is the true Est te of that Grace and Glory which the Blessed in Heaven shall be possessed of Adam himself who knew so much of the Nature of all things yet knew not perfectly the Glory of this estate and St Paul who in his rapture into the third Heaven saw it yet confesseth that it was unspeakeable And here he does not only tell us from the Prophet Esay that Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard but hee addes nor have those things entred
into the heart of Man that God hath prepared for those that love him They are greater than his mind can fully comprehend and it may be greater than ever his heart did distinctly or perfectly desire There is I confesse some doubt concerning the sense of this Text 1 Cor. 2.9 explained and what writing it is that St Paul doth here cite in this place For he saith It is written Eye hath not seen Nor Ear heard Vide Drusium Zegerum Grotium c. in 1 Cor. 2.9 The criticks generally assert from ancient and grave Testimonies that in the Apocryphall bookes of the Prophet Eliah the words here cited by St Paul are found and are willing to referre us thither for them And Grotius affirmes that the Jewish Rabbins have such a common proverb or sentence as this which they doe also expound of the future life This we may be sure of that if St Paul here citeth the Apocryphall bookes of Eliah or any other of the old Jewish writings that He commends what he citeth and hath given it a countenance and Authority by that Citation And why may he not doe that to the Jewish writings which he hath done things well written by the Heathen Poets Acts 17 28. Tit. 1.12 But it seemes to mee more probable that the marginall references in our English Bibles direct us not amisse when they referre us to the Text read unto you out of the 64th ch of Esay where it is said v. 1. by way of prayer for the second Advent or Glorious coming of Christ in Judgement Oh that thou wouldest rend the Heavens that thou wouldest come down that the Mountaines might flow down at thy presence As when the melting fire burneth the fire causeth the liquors to boile c. Wee beleive that at the end of the world there shall be a generall conslagration of all things when not the mountaines of the Earth only but the Elements of Heaven also shall melt with fervent heat And it is not improbable that the Prophet may intend that conflagration when he makes this prayer and then the sense will be Oh that the great day of doom were come when all the mountaines of the Earth shall burne and smoake at another rate than Mount Sinai did at the giving of the Law At that time one or two Mountaines smoked and were ready to flow down before his presence The conflagration of the world in order to the purgation of its matter But oh when will that time come when the whole systeme of Nature shall be melted down and flow together in its owne infinite space as in a great melting Furnace For this is the Operation that must passe through the mighty hand of God that so the feculent Matter of this world may be purged of its drosse and rust and bee made a fit materiall for the new Heaven and the new Earth and the new Jerusalem that God shall then prepare for those that love him He proceeds then to shew the Reason why he desired this dissolution of all things namely that it might make way for a better Resurrection For saith he ver 4. since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the Ear Nor hath Eye seen O God besides thee what he hath prepared for those that wait upon him So that the summe of the sense is but this Oh that this world might be dissolved and melted down that wee might arise into a new and better world even into that Glory that Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard For such a Glory hath God provided for those that wait upon Him But this text as it extends not our heavenly Glory as St Paul doth to be beyond the comprehension of the heart So there is a Parenthesis in it not mentioned by St Paul For it is said Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard O God besides thee what he hath prepared Rabbins affirme that from the state of the Messiah they were to learn the image of their future glory But this parenthesis besides thee was not omitted by St Paul because dissagreeable from his doctrine For even according to the Rabbinicall Interpretation this text together with the Parenthesis will agree with the Analogy of St Pauls doctrine and that of the christian Faith For this was hence the Notion of learned Men among the Jewes that in the future life there was for good men a state of great glory provided but that they were to take the Image of their future Glory from what should happen to the person of the Messiah so that according to their doctrine we must make this paraphrase of this 4th v. O God the son our Saviour and Messiah For to him this whole prayer seemes to be address't Besides thee that is besides the evidence and patterne of our Resurrection and glory that we have in thee we as yet see not nor can we understand what he that is what God the Father hath prepared for those that wait upon him Ben Maimon the most judicious of their Rabbins telleth us that it was the Intention of the Prophet Esay here to declare that the glory of the world to come cannot bee comprehended by Corporeall senses and that his Brethren the Hebrew doctors make this to be the sense of the Text that the Prophets only exhibite and declare the state of the Messiah and his Glory and that from him must be taken the Image of the glory in the world to come So saith he Seculum futurum sensibus corporeis nequaquam apprehendi indicat Propheta hocipsius dicto Oculus non vidit O Deus praeter te quid faciat expectanti ipsum Ad quod explicandum dixerunt Magistri Omnes propherae universim non prophetarunt nisi de diebus Messiae At quod ad Mundum futurum Oculus non vidit praeter Te c. Maimonides in poriâ Mosis Pocockiana p. 154. in p. 150. Neque voluptas illa in partes distribuitur neque enarrati potest neque reperitur similitudo aliqua quacum comparati possit verum uti dixit Propheta ejus magnitudinem admiratus quam magna est bonitas tua quam obscondisti Timentibus Te c. ib. they interpret this text Eye hath not seen O Lord besides thee what God hath prepared for those that wait upon Him that is in short Men know no more of Heavenly glory than what they learn by those things that God hath declared concerning the exaltation of the Messiah And we have no reason to contradict this Exposition of the Rabbins though of the Jewish Religion and not of ours seeing it is a Gospell Truth that the Image of our Resurection is the Resurrection of Christ The Image of our Glory is the Glory of Christ we have no manifestation of what we shall be but such as ariseth from the consideration of what He is And so we may truely say in their sense Eye hath not seen O Christ Nor Ear heard besides thee what
preference because as St Paul doth more than once assert so great is the glory that shall be revealed that to it nothing in this present world is worthy to be compared It was the Hope of this Happinesse that made the primitive Christians leap into the Flames and suffer Martyrdome with joy Now though we through the Mercy of God have no flames of Martyrdome to seap into yet we may take this note from the Psalmist Psal 125. that those who are said to return with joy had a Time of going on their Way weeping and bearing good seed or this from St John That the Bride must have her wedding Garments prepared before hand She must not be like the foolish Virgins she must not be to provide her Ornaments when her wedding Hour is come She must be arrayed in Fine linnen and this Fine linnen is the Righteousnesse of the Saints Revel 19. We must know that Christians are to bee arrayed not only with the Righteousnesse of Saints inherent We may learn from St Paul 1 Cor. 9. That those who obtain this Crown of Glory in Heaven are temperate in all things and prepare themselves before hand and then also run and strive that they may obtain For it is so ordained that no man shall come to that great glory either with the assistance and Grace of God or without his own faithfull Endeavor Complement alone will never do it Our Savior hath protested Matth. 7.25 That not every One who professeth this Religion Not every one who saith unto Him Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of Heaven but he only who doth the will of his Father which is in Heaven Now to the king of Heaven and to the Lord our Righteousnesse by whose merits only we can have Entrance into that kingdome and to the Spirit of Holinesse who can only give us title to those merits c. SERM. IV. Of Happiness in Heaven shewing In Opposition to the Atheist The Reasons why we believe Rewards and punishments in another life The Immortality of the Soul The Resurrection of the Body I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaak and the God of Jacob God is not the God of the dead but of the living Math. 22.23 ACTS 26.8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible that GOD should raise the Dead AS the Fear of that Punishment The Hope of the Resurrection of the Body and life everlasting the greatest Encouragement to Vertue that God hath prepared for Wicked men is apt to deter them from the continuall practices of Vice So the Christians Hope of the Resurrection of the Body and everlasting life in Heaven is the greatest encouragement to the Excercise of Religion and vertue I have allready shewed you the excellence and Glory of that Estate which we Hope for and in the next place I think it may bee seasonable in Opposition to the Atheists of our Time to clear unto you the foundation of this Hope namely the Credibility of the Resurrection it self which I propose to do in this method First to shew you that from Naturall Reason much hath been granted towards our faith in this particular Secondly that the world had reason to receive and we have reason still to continue the belief of the doctrine of our Savior delivered us in this Article All this I mean to do as it were historically by giving you the ancient state of the doctrine delivered in it and some of the old arguments that continued this belief against the Atheisticall Reasonings of former Ages And these old arguments of proof that have withstood the Batteries of Atheisme hitherto I am not only contented with but indeed I prefer them before those fine but untried ones of New Invention The existence of the law of Nature argues rewards and punishments in another life because they are not equally distributed in this First this was part of the Naturall Mans creed that there shall be hereafter in another life time and place for Blisse and Punishment This all considering persons have argued from the Notions of the Law of Nature that men generally find implanted in them If a law say they then there must be a Reward and Punishment else that Law will be to no purpose But we find a Law written in our Hearts and yet vertue hath not its Reward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. apud Platodem in Phaed. nor vice its Punishment allwaies in this life and therefore it must bee lookt for in another How many vicious livers are there who have escaped correction from all Mortall Men and how many poor vertuous persons have there been who for their generall practice of vertue and patience in Honesty and upright dealing have received nothing but Envy Reprocah Despite and Oppression in this life V. Plutarchum de serâ numinis vindicta Platonem in Gratillo Gorgia and therefore we argue now as they did anciently that there is wanting that Order and providence in the Government of the Rationall world that is visible in all things of lesser moment unlesse as we believe there shall bee indeed another life wherein according to our merits we may receive Rewards and punishments And upon this Expectation Solid and Wise Men still held that the Practice of Honesty and the Observance of the Laws of Nature were to be defended and preferred even before the preservation of their present lives Which had been irrationall and foolish for them to have done had they been without a Reasonable Hope of a just Recompence in another life Secondly another thing that we have received from Arguments of naturall and Human Reason is the doctrine of the Immortality of our Souls And since the Soul according to the Platonique and Peripateticall and all other Philosophy Detrchere aliquid alteri hominis incommodo suum augere commodum magis est contra Naturam quam Mors quam paupertas quam dolor c. apud Ciceronem de Off. 3. Ad Carthaginem rediit Regulus cum neque ignorabat se ad crudelissimum hostem atque exquisita supplicia prosicisci quod Fidem servandam putabat Cicero eod Justum tenacem propositi virum Non civium ardor prova jubentium Non vultus instantis Tyranni Mente qualit solidâ Si fractus illabatur Orbis Impavidum ferient ruinae Hac arte Pollux vagus Hercules Innixus arces attigit igneas c. apud Horatium carm lib. 3. Ode 3. is the great constituent Principle of our Being and Individuation if that bee granted to bee immortall it must bee granted that the greatest and most considerable part of every Individuall Man is immortall And this will well conduce to expedite our other doctrine concerning the credibility of the Resurrection of the same Body It is most true Mr Hobbes's opinion considered that the Author of the Leviathan affirmeth that Men before the time of our Savior were generally possess 't of an Opinion Leviathan p. 4. p. 340.
Christians were without this Hope and all their Expectations were confined to this life only St Paul affirmeth that they were of all Men the most miserable 1 Cor. 15.19 We have indeed a joy that exceeds the joy of the worldly man in his Corne and Wine and Oyl but our Hope is the foundation of this our joy We rejoice saith St Paul in the Hope of the Glory of God Rom. 5.2 We have love that is a great and a cordiall Christian Vertue a Vertue amiable to God and usefull to Men. But Hope is the Principle and ground of Love Quantum quis sperat Bernard de pass Dom. c. 43. saith St Bernard tantum amat we love our Neighbor because we love God but we love God because we expect and hope for all our Happinesse from Him Every good Christian hath a tree of life that springeth up within him the Root of which is Faith the Stemme Hope the Branches Love and the Fruit good Works He therefore that goes about to take away Hope goes about to ruin the inner Man by cutting off the Tree at the very Stemme Hoc ipsum quod Christiani sumus Fidei ac spei res est saith St Cyprian V. Cyprianum de bono Patientiae The very being of our Christianity depends upon our Faith and Hope There is an Error crept in Christendome in Opposition to the Excercise of this great Vertue which I think sprang originally from the unnaturall and forced Rhodomontades of the proud Stoick who as I shall shew when I compare their Ends in Philosophy with ours in Religion vapor'd in a Wisedome that was errant folly and boasted of a Vertue he neither had nor meant to have From the Stoicks it pass't into the Contemplatives or perfectionists in the Church of Rome and from these down to our Antinomians or Brethren of the Family of Love This is the genealogy of their Error and their Error this They would have no Christian act from any Principles either of Hope or Fear They think it below them to cast so much as an Eye to Heaven they would have us to go to Sea without a Wind and to war without a Helmet They would have the poor professor of Religion go on his way weeping and bearing good seed without hoping for a harvest when he shall return with joy and bring his sheaves with Him They would have Moses Chuse to suffer affliction with his Brethren Heb. 11.26 rather than be accounted the son of Pharaoh's daughter and that without any respect to the Recompense of Reward These Men are certainly more nice in their speculations than the simplicity of Christian wisdome requireth them to bee Must wee needs exceed the example of our Master It is well surely if we come up in any good proportion neer unto it And yet we read that he for the joy that was set before him endured the Crosse Was this joy set before Him Heb. 12.2 and may it not be set before us also It hath been the care and wisdome of God to draw us to himself by the proposall of great Rewards These are the Magnetismes of Gods appointment and yet they are called by the Prophet Hosea the cords of a Man I drew them saith God with the cords of a Man and with the Bonds of Love Hos 11. These are the waies of Attraction fitted by God to work on Human Nature These are the Bonds of Gods love and Bounty whereby he endeavors to draw his people to Himself shall we then be so hardy and venturous as in favor to our own conceits to break his Bonds in sunder and cast his cords from us We have his warrant and order not to cast away our Confidence we have his commad to gird up the loins of our Minds to be sober and hope to the End 1 Pet. 1.13 And where we have our commands and directions from the Oracles of God with what pretence can we scruple whether it be lawfull to Obey Is not his word a sufficient Warrant for our practice He is so loving a Father that he will not offer his children a stone for Bread nor a Scorpion for an Egge Why then should we be so presumptuous as to sever those things by Niceties and speculative distinctions which God hath conjoyned and which the son of God whilest he lived upon Earth hath by his practice and Example commended to us Some Antinomians to disparage this vertue have told us that there shall bee no use of Hope in Heaven What then shall we not therefore use that Vertue which is so necessary for us while we are upon Earth And how do they know that there shall be no use of Hope in Heaven Learned and studied Men are of another Opinion namely that the perfected Saints and Angels ever love God because they have an assured Hope that they shall ever be continued in that Station of serving and praising God in Glory They cannot infinitely at once enjoy their eternall Happinesse and what they cannot infinitely at once enjoy why may they not hope for in continuance Surely could they want of this Hope or this assurance their love in the same measure would want of its perfection Thus you see though the use of Hope in this life is enough for our purpose yet they can never prove that it is alltogether unusefull or unnecessary in the next But besides this The reward of Hope from the usefullnesse of it I have another argument which may move you to continue and cherish your hope and that is from the Reward that God hath annexed unto it in the world to come This is the very Motive of the Apostle Heb. 10.35 Cast not away your confidence which hath great Recompense of Reward God hath appointed this lively Hope as an excellent Instrument to assist us and to conduct us safe to Heaven and then he rewards us for making use of this help and assistance that he hath ordained for us and given to us For we have it not of our selves It is as all other Christian vertues are the gift of God And this is ever the way of Gods infinite goodnesse He appointeth those things that are most excellent and usefull to our Advantage and then for serving our own Interests in that Way that he hath appointed he heapeth yet more and extraordinary rewards upon us Another use that we must not forget to make is this That we in the whole course of our lives give thanks giveing worship and Adoration to God who hath bestowed upon us immortall Souls and so put a difference between us and the beasts that perish and so also in respect of the glorious Resurrection which he hath promised to our Bodies we ought according to the style of St Peter blesse God even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath begotten us to a lively Hope of our own Resurrection as by other means so especially by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead I shall exhort you
It was an Angel of light but it left its first Estate and degrees in this with Lucifer and those other high Intellectuall Spirits that it had its fall from Pride For the professors of it growing proud in their own conceits and affecting fame by the heigth and singularity of their Notions when they by the Wisdome that they profess't would not know that is would not own nor acknowledge God but left his providence out of their Philosophy and grew too learned to bee humble thankfull or Religious Nay when God had suffered them so long untill some of them made it the buisnesse of their Philosophy on purpose to oppose Religion Then it was time for God to appear in defence of his own existence Providence and Worship and against all their Philosophy he then sent forth a company of foolish preachers as they were esteemed like Gideons Army against the Midianites with their trumpets lamps and pitchers but indeed extraordinarily assisted by his own Spirit and by this meanes it pleased God through the foolishnesse of preaching on the one side to save them that believe and on the other to shew the Variety of that profession of Wisdome or in St Pauls phrase to destroy the Wisdome of the Wise and to bring to nought the understanding of the prudent The case to speak it distinctly and particularly was this before that time and untill the Reign of Philosophy in Greece It had been the commun uninterrupted Faith of the whole world that there was a God and that he was a Rewarder that there should be hereafter in another world Time and Place for blisse and punishment that then it should bee better for the just than the unjust for the good than for the bad These principles encourag'd vertue kept vicious Men in awe and made all attend to observe the then acknowledg'd Laws of Nature and these were own'd as sound and pious Traditions and studiously defended as such by Pythagoras Socrates Plato and others of the ancients among the Philosophers themselves But afterward the more Philosophy flowrish't in repute and the more it was courted as an accomplishment the more the professors of it grew into Emulation Then they began to think it no Mastery to tread in those old and beaten paths Then nothing was so honorable as a New Hypothesis And the Notions they had received were thought too commun for Philosophicall Wits to get credit by and therefore all these were judiciously cast of as rusty Traditions of the Vulgar whom it is no wonder if the Modes in Philosophy counted barbarous The learned Men and Curiosi at Athens who as St Paul observed waited for and courted those Opinions that were new and singular had conceits that should render mankind more lusty and independent Aristotle bespeaks himself a great Name by broaching a New Hypothesis that the world was eternall and not made by God Epicurus by another that there is no providence and that God is no Rewarder The Traditions of Heaven and Hell which in part as then reported indeed were so were totally and unjustly without distinction rejected as poeticall and fabulous Vertue was to bee its own Reward and Men were to expect no other And this was look't upon as a great service done and a great Improvement of Mans Empire for by making vertue which was to be learn't by an Art they taught self sufficient to happinesse Every mans felicity was taken out of Gods power and put into his own V. Plutarch 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 virtus ad vivendum bâ—atè sufficit perfecta divina virtus quid ni sufficiat imò supersluit Sen. de vita beatâ c. 16. Thus by turning all the ancient catholick doctrines and every Truth of God into a Lye whatsoever their Intentions were this is most certain that they practiced most destructively to the ruin of all goodnesse by thus undermining the very foundations of Morallity and Vertue But by the just judgment of God they were infatuated and became vain in their imaginations Virtutum omnium praemium in ipsis est non enim excercentur ad praemiuÌ„ rectè facti fecisse merces est Sen. epist 81. For when they had cast off those old and sound traditions before reported their new Reasonings were infinitely confounded as the tongues of the rebellious world were first at Babell All their designes were for Happinesse and the chiefest good But the opinions were all most innumerable into which they were divided in the search after it St Augustine out of Varro reckons 188 sects or divisions of them Insomuch that many who had a mind for fashion sake to be Philosophers Alii voluptateÌ„ finem esse volueruntquorum princeps Aristippus qui Socratem audierat unde Cyrenaïci Pòst Epicurus cujus est disciplina nunc notior neque tamen cum Cyrenaicis de ipsa voluptate consentiens Voluptatem honestatem fines esse Callipho censuit Vacare omni molestia Hieronymus hoc idem cum honestate Diodorus ambo hi Peripatetici Honeste autem vivere fruentem his rebus quas primas homini Natura conciliet vetus Academia censuit ut indicat scripta Polemonis quem Antiochus probat maxime Aristoteles Ad vos nunc refero quem sequar modo ne quis illud tam inetuditum absurdumque respondeat Quemlibet modo aliquem Cupio sequi Stoicos licetne Omitto per ipsos Aristotelem meo judicio prope singularem per ipsum Antiochum qui appellabatur Academicus Erit igitur res jam in discrimine Nam aut Stoicus constituatur sapiens aut veteris Academiae Utrumque non potest Et enim inter eos non de terminis sed de totâ possessione contentio Nam omnis ratio vitae definitione summi boni continetur de qua qui dissident de omni ratione vitae dissident Cicero Academ quaest lib. 4 yet could not tell whom they might follow Yet two great Errors and mistakes there were that run through all these sects and divisions One was this that they would have their happinesse or summum Bonum in this life Secondly they would have it so within themselves so in their own power that neither God nor man should be able to hinder them of it This was their designe but their lot from God was otherwise and Christians triumph over them in these particulars First because they never for all their proud boastings could secure to themselves the happinesse which they designed in this life and so they must confesse before God and men that they have ever miss't of their Aim Secondly the Utmost aims that these Philosophers in their severall sects and divisions were forc'd to sit down with are poor and mean in themselves the highest Encouragments that they can propose to their great and laborious Vertue are inconconsiderable if compared to their Ends of that Naturall Religion which they opposed much more inconsiderable than the End of our true and perfect Religion which hath been delivered us by
esse non debent si nullum praemium quod eâ dignum sit in terra reperitur quandoquidem cuncta quae fragilia sunt caduca spernit quid aliud restat nisi ut caeleste aliquid efficiat quia terrena universa contemnit ad altiora nitatur quia humilia despicit Id vero nihil aliud esse potest quam Immortalitas Quod Argumentum docere Philosophos potuit quid esse summum bonum Beata igitur vita quam Philosophi quae siverunt semper quaerunt nulla est ideo ab iis non potuit reperiri quia summum bonum non in summo quaesiverunt sed in imo c. apud Lactantium lib. 3. de falsa sapientia cap. xii Plutarchus aperte de Stocio sapiente 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De pugna Stoic Cicero Stoici eam sapientiam interpretantur quod adhuc nemo mortalis est Consecutus in Laelio imo seneca rarum dicit sapientem tanquam Phaenicem semel anno quingentesimo Epist 42. Quin ipsi prosessores sapientiam quamquam profitebantur despicatui habebant Quare cultius tibi Rus est quam Naturalis usus desiderat Cur ad prescriptum tuum non caenas Cur tibi nitidior supellex c. Nunc hoc respondeo tibi Non sum sapiens ut Malevolentiam tuam pascam nec ero Senec. de beatâ vita c. 17. it were but trifling for their game was but childrens play The Academicks Prima Naturae The ten parts of the Felicity of Aristotle and the Peripateticks the Indolence of the Epicureans the Pleasures of Aristippus and the Cyrenaicks the Chimaeras and Airy Castles of the Stoicks if when enjoyed as much as our Natures are capable of yet they weigh Nothing or if it were possible lesse than Nothing when compared to that Immortality and Glory proposed to all Christians let us to prove this divide and separate these sects of Philosophers who are all in the choice of their Ends divided from us because they will place their Expectations in this life only First the Stoicks and Aristotle as in all publick Schools he is now represented who take their definitions of felicity from his Ethicks and not from his Rhetorick where his Opinion stands as represented by Cicero and the ancients and the generallity of Morall Philosophers all directly affirme That there is no Reward of vertue to bee lookt for but the bare Action Honesty say they is its own price and must pay it self nor will they allow us any End of doing well besides our very doing so Ask them what End had Epaminondas in the defence of his Citty with the losse of his life what Reward had Hercules who is their great Example of Heroick vertue when he went about doing good purging the world of Monsters and gratifying mankind with his twelve renowned Labors It was the commun beleif that he got his place in Heaven by them But these Philosophers were of an Opinion that he had only his Labor for his pains Operatio sec virtutem was all his work and the same Operatio sec virtutem was all his Happinesse and Wages So that these propose no Encouragement that may compare with the Ends of our Religion or that state of Immortality which though we do not understerstand yet we believe to be full of a great a glorious and an Eternall joy Another sect of Philosophers there were of another Opinion namely that it would not agree with the reall design of a Wise Man to practice the great and hazzardous actions of vertue upon no other account besides than the Action it self and therefore considering the troubles that did continually harrasse the vnlgar sort though they were not with Aristippus for the Itch of Pleasure yet they thought very well of the state of Indolence they resolved therefore that it was the cheifest attainable good and ought in prudence to be the End of every wise Mans actions to endeavor in this world to be rid of all greif and trouble and to this Estate they gave the names of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Indolence To enjoy which I say not Joy but Indolence only for the term of this life was the Totall summe of their utmost design But to this estate no man in this life could ever yet attain No Philosopher was ever so good a Physitian of the mind as to be able to prescribe such a Nepenthes as could remove all greif and sorrow from the sense But if Philosophy could give Indolence yet this is but the first part this is only the Entrance and beginning of ours It comes short of joy most of all short of such joies as we pretend to which are so great that nither their Nature nor their duration can be comprehended by us It is true that Aristippus and a sect of Voluptuaries there were who advanc't higher and condemn'd this state of Indolence as too low for the greatest Scope and End of vertue too small for the highest intention of a Man being as they phrased it but dormientium felicitas a sleepy Happinesse a life for Trees that grow in all stormes and continue indolent and insensible though a flash of Lightning consume them to ashes And yet it was a state not competent to Man neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laertius in vita Aristippi as Epicurus the admirer of it must needs have found by his own Experience For notwithstanding all his skill in Physicks He was not Physitian enough to defend himself from most violent fits of the Stone V. apud Plutarchum in moralibus compendium comentarii quo ostenditur Stoicos qua poetas absurdâ—oria dicere with which he was frequently tormented and in one of which He is reported to have died And not to seem sensible but to professe Indolence in such a Case would appear like a Stoicall Rhodomontade or groundlesse ostentation of a power beyond what really can be found in the Nature of Man therefore some of them affirmes Aristippus I mean and other voluptuaries of that School that to enjoy actuall delight and joy for the present to be sure of some pleasure in this uncertain World is the best and greatest design of a Wiseman But how much joy will serve this wisemans turn how much is his utmost Aim enough to make Him as happy in his own judgment as his great Philosophy could make him No man can be more punctuall in any thing than the Epicurean Zeno is in this determination who gives this to be the true dose or measure of it That it must be a continued pleasure for the greater part of this life That if any vehement greif intervene it must be short or if it be long and Chronicall It must have more Intervals of Delight than fits of Pain The utmost design of the most Indulgent Philosophers you see is only for some pleasue and that in this life only so much as may a little preponderate and outweigh the fits of greif that shall endeavour to oppresse