That I may continue in the fame Comparison, I may fay, that all Kings have a fovereign Majefty, which acknowledges none above it, but God from whom it prooceeds; and nevertheless,fome have a greater Power and Riches than others: Likewife, all the glorified Saints fhall enjoy a fovereign and perfect Happiness, and receive it immediately from God; but this cannot hinder them from differing from one another in Glory. I answer next, the other Argument taken out of the Parable of the Father of the Family,who at the Evening of the Day rewarded equally all his Labourers that had been employ'd in his Vineyard, giving to every one of them a Peny: That Parables are as Pictures,in which, besides the Thing intended to be drawn, there are many Particulars, which ferve but as Flourishes to adorn the Pieces. If we fhould confider every Particular of this Parable, we might conclude from hence, that amongst fuch as fhall be faved, there fhall be fome murmuring against God, who fhall envy their Companions; which is a grofs Abfurdity to imagine. The Design of our Saviour is not to speak of the Equality of the glorified Saints, but his Intent is to fhew, that those whom God calls firft, fhould not defpife the others; because God, who doth with his own what he pleaseth, is able to make them equal, and to bestow upon them the fame Advantages. Laftly, as every one whom the good Man of the Houfe fent into his Vineyard at feveral Times of the Day, received for their Salary a Peny; in the fame manner, whomfoever God calls into his Church effectually, at any time, nay, at the Hour of Death, they fhall receive from his infinite Bounty, eternal Life; but from hence we cannot conclude any Thing contrary to this Truth, that in Heaven there shall be divers Degrees of Glory.

The greatest Difficulty, in my Judgment, is in this Allegation. That we fhall fee God Face to Face, and that he will be all in all, 1 Cor. xiii. 1 Cor. xv. Nevertheless we may fay, that as all the Damned in Hell fhall lofe

all

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 cast upon us variously, 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 we fhall 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 Brimstone, and yet there fhall be divers Degrees amongst them of Punishments; fo God fhall caufe all the Elect to drink out of the fame River of Pleasure; but there shall 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 shall be to us all Riches, Glory, Light, Meat, Drink, Pleafure, &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 Happiness 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 must 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 must not fanfy that this fhall be any Prejudice to the perfect Hapiness of the Glorified. For if I may once again make use 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 Mist, receive its Ray in a different Manner, yet they have allLight enough to fee to guide themselves,and to rejoyce 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 fhall behold God the Father of Lights, the true Sun that shall shine for ever and ever. If any of them fhall have more or lefs of Light, that shall not concern or prejudice their fovereign Happiness, for every one of them fhall enjoy as much as they shall 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 admitted into the 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 not lefs happy for their Overplus. There is none but God alone, who according to the Infinitenefs of his Being, poffefeth an unmeafurable and infinite Glory and Happiness.

This

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 Pleasures and heavenly Contentments? Where fhall he difcover 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 must remember that the holy Scripture makes Mention of three Heavens. The first is the large Extent of the Air, diftinguished by the Learned into three Regions. In this Senfe 'tis to be understood when it speaks 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 Pfal. xix. The Heavens declare the Glory of God, and the Firmament fheweth his bandy Work; be hath put in them a Tabernacle for the Sun. Now above all these heavenly Spheres mentioned by the Aftronomers, (fome reckon up nine or ten, others more;) there is yet a third Heaven fpoken of by St. Paul, 2 Cor. xii. I know, faith he, a Man in Chrift, which was taken up into the third Heaven; I know that he was taken up into Paradife, and beard Words which cannot be froken, 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 uttered.

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 these 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 Judgment, 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, I Kings viii. 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 Prophets, The Heavens are my Throne, and the Earth is my Footstool, Ifaiah Ixvi. For in this high Heaven God hath plac'd his Throne, where he discovers his Glory, and the Brightness of his luminous Countenance. There the Seraphins fly, and thoufand thousands worship him, and ten thousand Millions stand continually before him, Isaiah vi. Dan. vii. Here the bleffed Soul of our Saviour Chrift afcended as foon as it had left the Body, according to what he promis'd to the crucified Thief, Verily I Jay unto thee, this day thou shalt be with me in Paradife, Luke xxiii. Into this Place our glorious Saviour enter'd both in Soul and Body, after his Refurrection; and here it was that St. Stephen saw him, when he cried out, I fee the Heavens open, and Jefus Chrift fitting at the right Hand of God, Acts vii. And to this Place the Souls of all fuch as die in s 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 Heaven. In fhort, 'tis the glorious Seat, where we hope that God will receive us both in Soul and Body, at that Day, when we shall be taken up into the Air, above the Clouds of Heaven, to be for ever with the Lord Jefus.

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