how are we able to comprehend the glory and happiness it felf? Therefore the fame Apoftle tells us in another Place, That God worketh in us abundantly, above that we are able to ask or think, Ephef. 3. I cannot boast of ha ving fpoken with God Face to Face, as Mofes, Numb. 11. of having been ravished, as St. Paul, into the third Heaven, I Cor. 12. God hath not carried me up as St. John, into the celeftial Jerufalem; neither hath he deliver'd to me, as to his holy Angels, a Reed to meafure the holy City. But when I fhould have enjoyed thefe glorious Privileges, this Divine Entertainment, thefe fupernatural Elevations, when I should have walked about, and taken a full View of the celeftial Jerufalem, when I fhould have been in the Company of the Seraphims that fly about God's Throne, when I fhould have beheld God Face to Face, altho' I were the most eloquent of all Men, and spoke with the Tongues of Angels, and had in my Hand the Pencil of an ArchAngel, I fhould not dare to undertake to represent this exceeding great Glory, nor to paint out to you the Brightness of that heavenly Light, whereof the leaft Beam is able to dazle me. St. Paul had been near the Body of this great Light, he had beheld the Riches and Glory of Paradife, yet he confeffeth that they be Things not to be expreffed by any Tongue.

But as those who cannot caft their Eyes directly to look upon the Sun, because it blinds them with its exceeding great Light, behold its Body with more Ease and Leifure in the Water, or in a Locking-Glafs: Thus fhall we confider and look upon the Images which God himself hath expreffed for us in his Holy Word, of this divine Brightness of Heaven, which we are not able otherwise to comprehend. For God hath dealt with us as a Father doth with his young Babes, who babbles with them, and reprefents to them the Light of the Sun, with a black Coal. Or as the Aftrologers, who reprefent the heavenly Conftellations by the Figures of Birds, or four-footed Beafts, and of creeping Things.

For

For nothing can enter into our Understanding but by the Door of our Senfes, therefore fpiritual and celestial Things, are represented under the Notion of corporal and earthly enjoyments, which we paffionately love. And because there is not one Thing here below that can exprefs to us the Glory and Happiness of Paradife; fo many perfections are not to be found in any one Enjoyment: Therefore the Holy Ghoft gathers together all the Excellencies, Riches, and Beauty, fcattered about in the inferiour Creatures, and borrows the Ideas and Notions of thofe Things that are rarest and most glorious, and that give us the greatest Pleasure and Satisfaction, to reprefent to us the Hea→ ven's Glory.

To begin in the first place with the Word Paradife ; it fignifies a delightful and a pleasant Garden; 'tis of ten made ufe of to exprefs to us the Joys and Happinefs of the Life to come, and to make us fenfible that what we have loft by Adam, is restored to us by Jefus Chrift. Our Lord and Saviour, who is Goodness it felf, fhall beftow upon us another Eden, another Garden of Pleasure, watered with living Water. In the Midft of it is the Tree of Life, that brings forth its Fruits every Month. Inftead of an earthly Paradife fubject to change, we fhall find an heavenly and an unchangeable Paradife. The earthly Paradife is no more to be feen; 'tis thought that it was fwallow'd up and destroyed by the Waters of the Deluge; but the heavenly Paradife can never be deftroyed by the fierceft Fire, nor by the moft fwelling Waves. 'Tis above all the Winds, Storms, and Tempefts; therefore St. Peter affure us, That 'tis an incorruptable Inheritance, that fadeth not away. It hath no need of an elemental Water, for 'tis watered every where with the River of Living Water, that proceeds from the Throne of God and the Lamb. And whereas Cherubims armed with a Flaming-Sword, ftood at the Entrance of the earthly Paradife, to hinder Adam from approaching near to the Tree of Life, and from gathering of its Fruits;

now

now whole Legions of Cherubims are to carry us up upon their Wings to the true Tree of Life, which ftands in the Midft of the Heavenly Paradife; and Jefus Chrift himself the Prince of all the Angels, of all the Cherubims and Seraphims, promifeth to admit us to partake of its delicious Fruits, by thefe bleffed Words, To him that shall overcome, I will give him to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the Midst of the Paradife of God,

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'Tis the common Custom of Men to have an high Efteem of beautiful and great Cities, whereof the Buildings are ftately, and the Inhabitants numerous. Therefore the Jews were wont to boast of Jerufalem, and to call it, The City perfect in Beauty the Joy of the whole Earth. Therefore the Holy Ghost represents to us the Glory and Happiness of Heaven, by a City which he names Jerufalem. And St. Paul in his Epiftle to the Hebrews, makes the fame Allufion. For when he had faid, That Abraham by Faith fojourned in the Land of Promife, as in a ftrange Country, dwelling in Tabernacles with Ifaac and Jacob, the Heirs with him of the fame Promife; he adds immediately after, For he looked for a City which hath foundations, whofe Builder and Maker is God; and a little after, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a City, Heb. 11. And in the 12th Chapter of the fame Epistle, he fpeaks to believers in this manner; Te are come to Mount Sion, and unto the City of the living God, the heavenly Ferufalem, and to an innumerable Company of Angels. And elfewhere, We have no continuing City here below, but we feek one to come, Heb. 13. 14.

God is pleafed, not only to defcribe to us our fu ture Paradife under the general Notion of a City, and of Jerufalem, but he discovers to us its Heavenly Beauty, its Glory and Magnificence. You cannot find a richer and more excellent Image than that of St. John, who himself had been a Spectator of the new Jerufa lem, and had beheld all its Rarities and Wonders. For when the Angel who had in his Hand a golden

Reed,

Reed, to measure this glorious City, had faid unto him, Come, I will fhew thee the Spouse, the Wife of the Lamb. He carried him in the Spirit to an high Mountain, from whence he had a Profpect of this great and holy City Jerufalem, which came down from Heaven from God, decked as a Spouse prepared for her Hufband, having the Glory of God and his Light. This faithful Witnefs affures us, that its Buildings, and the Streets of this bleffed City were all of fine Gold, as bright as Chrystal; its Foundations were of precious Stones; its twelve Gates were twelve Pearls ; at each of them ftood an Angel of God. This Holy City had no Need of the Light of the Sun, or of the Light of the Moon, for the Light of God, enlightens it, and the Lamb is the Light thereof, there is no Temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it.

'Tis our Delight to abide in stately and magnificent Houfes, and in rich and glorious Palaces; therefore Paradife is expreffed to us by a Dwelling, and by a Palace which God himself hath built with his own Hands. This is the Picture that the Royal Prophet reprefents to us in Pfalm 65. when he fpeaks of God's Houfe and of the holy Place of his Palace. And St. Paul doth the like in 1 Corinth 5. when he faith, We know that if our earthly Houfe of this Tabernacle were diffolved, we have a Building of God, an House not made with Hands, eternal in the Heavens. And our Saviour when he was ready to leave the World, he comforts his Apoftles in this manner; In my Father's Houfe there are many Mansions, I go to prepare a Place for you. And St. John heard a mighty Voice from Heaven, faying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with Men, he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his People, and God himself fall be with them, and be their God.

Every one defires to be rich, there be fome that efteem it their chief Happiness; therefore the Holy Ghoft reprefents the Happiness of Heaven under the Notion of Riches and Treasure: Our Saviour him

felf

felf speaks of it in this manner, in the 6th of St. Matthew; Lay not up for your felves Treasures upon Earth, where Moth and Ruft doth corrupt, and were Thieves break through and Steal; but lay up for your felves Trea fures in Heaven, where neither Moth nor Ruft doth corrupt, and were Thieves do not break through nor Steal. Therefore when the holy Ghoft defcribes Heavens Glory, and mentions Gold, Pearls, and precious Stones, it hath a Regard to this Notion.

And because Men are for the most Part defirous of Honours, Greatnefs and Dignities, and that there is nothing in the World more efteemed than Scepters and Crowns; therefore the Glory of Heaven is exprefs'd by a Kingdom, by Thrones, Crowns, and Triumphs. Our Saviour fpeaks in this Language to his Apoftles, To you all who have continued with me in my Afflictions, I appoint a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me, Luke 22. In another Place he speaks of all his Church in general, Fear not, little Flock, for 'tis your Father's Pleafure to give you the Kingdom, Luke 20. And at the last Day he will fay, Come ye bleffed of my Fathers inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World, Matth. 25. And to the Angel of his Church in Smyrna, and all faithful Souls, this Divine Saviour makes this Promife; Be thou faithful unto Death, and I will give thee a Crown of Life, Rev. 2. And to the Angel of the Church of Laodicea; To him that overcometh, will I grant to fit with me in my Throne, even as I alfo overcame, and am fet down with my Father in his Throne, Rev. 3. And St. Paul tells us, That we run to obtain an uncorruptible Crown, 1 Cor. 6. And when he faw himself at the End of his Race, he cries out, Ihave fought the good Fight, I have finished my Course, I have kept the Faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord the Righteous Fudge hall give me at that Day, and not to me only, but unto all them alfo that love his Appearing, 2 Tim. 4. And St. James fpeaks in the fame Language, Bleed is the Man that endureth Temptation; for when he is tried, he

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