Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

all Sight of God, yet that cannot hinder the divers Degrees of Pain and Torment. Likewife, all the Glorified in Heaven shall fee God; but this Sight which all enjoy, cannot remove the Inequality of their Glory and Happiness. As when all Men look upon the fame Sun, but feveral receive the Benefit of its Beams in a different Manner; thus we fhall all behold the fame God, but the gracious Afpect of his Countenance fhall be caft upon us varioufly, and produce in us divers Effects. We may alfo make ufe of another Comparison : As when we caft many empty Veffels into the fame Sea, they are filled up; fo that it may be faid of them,. that the Sea is in them all. Yet fome may be more capacious, and receive more Water than others. Likewife, all the Saints fhall enter into the fame wonderful. Ocean of the Godhead, they fhall be all filled up to the Brim with his glorious Prefence; fo that God fhall be all in all. Nevertheless, they shall receive different Measures of the Waters iffuing forth to eternal Life. In a Word, as God will caft headlong all the Reprobates into the fame Lake of Fire and Brimftone, and yet there fhall be divers Degrees amongst them of Punifhments; fo God fhall caufe all the Elect to drink out of the fame River of Pleafure; but there fhall be a Difference amongst their Degrees of Glory. Moreover, this Paffage may be thus understood, God fhall be all in all; that is to fay, he fhall be to us all Riches, Glory, Light, Meat, Drink, Pleasure, &c. In my Judgment we cannot conclude from hence, that he is to be in all equally.

If any have other Thoughts, or is of another Opinion, I fhall not offer to condemn him, nor undertake to contradict him: For I conceive, that fince Almighty God hath hid the Glories and Happinefs of Heaven, and covered them over with a thick Cloud, on purpose to limit our too curious Inquiry, we cannot mention them with too much Modefty and Refpect. Only I muft make another Remark for the Comfort of devout Souls, whofe Thoughts and Minds

are

are in Heaven; that when we affirm, that there fhall be different Degrees of Glory in Paradife, we muft not fancy that this fhall be any Prejudice to the perfect Happiness of the Glorified. For if I may once again make ufe of the Comparison of the Sun-beams, and of the Waters of the Sea, I cannot find any more proper for this Purpose. As all Eyes that look upon the clear Sun, without Cloud or Mift, receive its Ray in a different Manner, yet they have all Light enough to fee to guide themselves. and to rejoice in this beautiful Light that enlightens them; if fome take in a greater Meafure of that Light, this hinders not the Reft from enjoying alfo a Sufficiency: So fhall it be with all the glorified Souls, when they shall behold God the Father of Lights, the true Sun that fhall fhine for ever and ever. If any of them fhall have more or lefs of Light, that fhall not concern or prejudice their fovereign Happiness, for every one of them fhall enjoy as much as they fhall be able to contain, or fhall be neceffary to compleat their Joy, and perfect their Happinefs. And as when we caft into the Sea many empty Veffels, fome greater, fome lefs, the greater contains more Water, and the leffer not fo much; yet they all receive enough to be filled up to the Brim. If the leaft of thefe Veffels had the Knowledge to fpeak, they would not complain of the greater, for containing more than they, because they have all as much as they can either defire or expect. Likewife, when the Saints fhall be admited into that bottomlefs Sea of Glory and Happiness, they fhall be filled all up to the Brim, fo that they fhall not be able to defire any more. They fhall be all according to their different Capacities, perfectly and entirely happy. Confider therefore, Chriftian Soul, that if thou enjoyeft fo much Satisfaction and Delight as thou art capable of, altho' others may have fomething more, thou art no lefs happy for their Overplus. There is none but God alone, who according to the Infinitenefs of his Being, poffeffeth an unmeasurable and infinite Glory and Happiness.

This bottomlefs Source of Glory and Blifs, fhall for ever and ever overflow all the glorified in Heaven, and fatisfy their Souls with unfpeakable Delights.

You may ask, Chriftians, in what part of the great World fhall God caufe us to enjoy fo many rare Pleafures and heavenly Contentments? Where fhall he produce fo many Treafures and Riches? Where will he discover fo much Glory and Splendour? In what Part doth he intend to fhew fo many divine Marks of his gracious Prefence? I anfwer, that this Place is above the elemental World, above all the Heavens, that appear before our Eyes, and that roll about us. If we will understand this, we muft remember, that the holy Scripture makes mention of three Heavens. The firft is the large Extent of the Air, diftinguished by the Learned into three Regions. In this Senfe 'tis to be understood when it fpeaks of the Birds of the Air. The fecond Heaven comprehends the heavenly Spheres, the Globes, that are between the Moon and the Firmament, where are all the fixed Stars; and if beyond this there be any other Sphere, whereof the Motion is fo powerful and fwift, as to carry with it the inferiour Globes, and to caufe them to roll round in the Space of four and twenty Hours. Of this Heaven, David fpeaks in the 19th Pfalm, The Heavens declare the Glo ry of God, and the Firmament fheweth his Handy-work; he hath put in them a Tabernacle for the Sun.

Now a

bove all these heavenly Spheres mentioned by the Aftrologers, (fome reckon up Nine or Ten, and others more;) there is yet a third Heaven spoken of by St. Paul, 2 Cor. 12. I know, faith he, à Man in Chrift, which was taken up into the third Heaven; I know that he was taken up inta Paradife, and heard Words which cannot be spoken, which are not poffible for Man to utter. The Holy Apoftle leaves no Manner of Difficulty; for the third Heaven he names Paradife, where he heard unfpeakable Words, which are not poffible to be ut

tered.

The

The celeftial Globes roll about continually, but this third Heaven, for its Excellency, is ftiled the Heaven, and is fixed in an eternal Settlement. And as much as thefe beautiful Orbs have a greater Light and Glory than the Air and the inferiour Bodies; fo much the more doth this third Heaven excel them. 'Tis my Judg ment, that Solomon means this third Heaven, fituate above all the reft, which exceeds them fo much in Beauty and Glory, when he speaks to God, of the Heavens, and of the Heaven of Heavens, 1 Kings 8. That is to fay, the most excellent, the highest, and the most glorious of all the Heavens are not able to contain thee; and God himself declares, by his holy Prophet, The Heavens are my Throne, and the Earth is my Foot Stool, Ifaiah 66. For in this high Heaven, God hath placed his Throne, where he discovers his Glory, and the Brightness of his luminous Countenance. There the Seraphims fly, and thousand Thousands worship him, and ten thousand Millions ftand continually before him, Ifaiah 6. Dan. 7. Here the blessed Soul of our Saviour Chrift afcended as foon as it had left the Body, according to what he promised to the crucified Thief, Verily Ifay unto thee, this Day thou. fhalt be with me in Paradife, Luke 23. Into this Place our glorious Saviour entered both in Soul and Body, after his Refurrection; and here it was that St. Stephen faw him, when he cryed out, I fee the Heavens open, and Jefus Chrift Stting at the right Hand of God, Acts 7. And to this

Place the Souls of all fuch as die in his Favour are carried up. Therefore St. Paul to the Hebrews, mentions immediately after the Thousands of Angels, The Spirits of juft Men made perfect, and the Church and Congregation of the First-born, whofe Names are written in HeaIn fhort, 'tis the glorious Seat, where we hope that God will receive us both in Soul and Body, at that Day, when we fhall be taken up into the Air, above the Clouds of Heaven, to be for ever with the Lord Jesus.

ven.

Some

Some inquire what fhall become then of this cle mental World? whether this Heaven that appears to our Eyes, and this Earth which fuftains us, thall perifh? Or whether they fhall remain yet after the great Day of Doom?

Certain prophane Atheists are perfwaded, that the. World fhall remain for ever, as it doth at prefent, and that there fhall be no kind of Alteration. The Apoftle St. Peter hath prophefied of thefe perfons and defcribed them in their own Colours; There fhall come at the laft Day Mockers, walking after their own Lufts, faying, Where is the promife of his Coming, for fince the Fathers are afleep, all Things continue in the fame. Manner, fince the Beginning of the World. I need not 'trouble my felf to anfwer fuch Impieties: I fpeak to none but to devout Souls, who reverence the Divinity of the Holy Scriptures, and are fully perfwaded of the Truth of all the Articles of our Creed.

When Men oppofe a falfe Doctrine, they often run from one Extremity to another. Therefore fome imagine, that the World fhall totally perish? and that as God hath made the Heavens and Earth, and the Reft of the Elements out of Nothing, he will reduce them all again into the fame Nothing, and that he intends to create others, more beautiful, more holy, and far more glorious. There are two Sorts of Expreffions that feem to favour this Opinion. The firft fpeaks of the Heavens and of the Earth, as of perishing and decaying Creatures. In this manner David difcourseth of them in the 102 Pfalm; after him, the Apostle to the Hebrews; Thou, Lord, haft eftablished the Earth, and the Heavens are the works of thy Hands; they shall perishs, but thou shalt endure; they shall wax old as doth a Garment, and as a Vefture fall then fold them ир and they fhall be changed. And our Saviour tells us in the 24th of St. Matthew, The Heavens and the Earth fhall pass array, but my words fhall not pass away. pass away. Efpecially, the words of St. Peter, in the 2d Epiftle, and the 3d Chapter, are remarkable. The Heavens fhall pass

away

« НазадПродовжити »