The Felicity of the Life to Come, Part 3
A Rehearsall of the Pleasures which we shall inioy in the world to come.
LET vsus nowe come to the pleasures, whereof we shal be made participant in the life to come. Like as the Geographor by symmetrie and proportion, describes all the Cuntries of the earth, into the bounds of a litle globe, and is accostomed to write throughout the partes thereof: This is a cuntrie, this is a famous Citie, this is a river, these are mountains, this is an arme of the sea, & this is a port or hauening place. Nevertheles, he is so far distant from the likenes, and perfection of the things which hee describes, that if it were possible that the Geographor were transported vnawares into any strange Cuntrie, hee should neither knowe the cuntrie, the cities, nor what way to go betwixt them, for all his Geographie, while it were first shewen & declared vntounto him: Even so, although I be as farre distant, in describing the joies of the Life to come, from the perfection thereof, as a thing vnperfite is from that which is perfite; or the thing finite and bounded, from the thing infinite and without bounds: Notwithstandng, I wil point out as the Geographor doeth, a certaine similitude and likenesse thereof by comparing the same vntounto joies earthlie, and pleasures which may be devised in this life: For if the one appeare notable and great, which is but temporal and imperfit of it self, the other shal appeare farre greater, and shall be easilie conceived to transcend it by many degrees, seeing it is called by the spirit of God, an eternall and perfit felicitie, and therefore lacks nothing that is requisite to perfection. The pleasures which man can receiue in this life, they are either bodily and sensual, whereby the outward senses are delighted: or else, they are inwarde pleasures of the mind, whereby the heart and soule of man is rejoiced: But so long as the body and the soule are joyned togither, there is such an vnion and concord between thē, that that thing which delights the one, delights also the other; and that which is displeasant to the one, is likewise displeasant to the other: That which is delectable to the body and outward senses, is delectable also to the spirit, and makes the heart to rejoice: And that which contents the mind, and rejoiceth the heart, doth likewise recreat and plesure the body after a marvelous maner. To returne then to those pleasures, whereby the outwarde senses and body are delighted: Is it not extreame pleasant to the eies to beholde the face of a Princes Court, and the great assemblies of bewtifull and great personages, both of men and women, apparelled with all kinde of pretious and costly garments, and attyred with riche jewells, togither with all the rest of precious & glistering planessing, which is accustomed to be in the houses of greate Princes, at a solemne feast, or at their first entrie in a potent and opulent Cittie? Or to beholde from the top of an high mountaine, in the time of Sommer, or of Harvest, while the ayre is cleare and purified, the noble & faire Cities adjacent about, the green hilles and dales, the faire woods and forests, the cornes, wines, and fruits of the ground, the fresh Loches and rivers, and the sapheir firmament, the bright Sunne and Moone, and the glistering starres arrayed in good order? Or to beholde a great armie of horsemen, and of foote al in their cleare armour, well arrayed and marching in battell: To see their glauncing harnes, and armour both invasiue and defenciue, their Plumages, standarts and displaied hand seignes, togither with their couragious bairded Horses, Elephants, and Drummodaries? Or to behold a faire Navie of shippes, of Gallies, and of Galliasses, all vnderunder saill on the smooth Sea, with their streamers, flaggs, aires, and great artillerie? Or to beholde a publick Faire or Mercat place, wherein all kinde of bewtiful and pretious wares are exposed and laid forth to be sold? To see the faire bords of divers sorts of viue and liuely portrators, the faire rapestrie of silkes, and cloth of golde, all kinde of cullours of fine and well lustered stuffes for apparelling of the body, the cleare polist vessell of silver and of gold, the fine varnished musical Instruments, with many other proper inventions, and vtensils devised and wrought by subtill handie crafts for the vse and ease of man? These I say, and such like sights, are very pleasant and delectable to the eies, and consequently comfortable and recreatiue to the spirit. In like maner, it were very delectable to the eares, to heare notable and good doctrine out of the mouth of a cunning & eloquent teacher: To heare rehearsed plesant and notable histories, delectable novelties of rare and strange things, glad and good tydings, and to heare thy selfe well reported off, and thy workes rehearsed and praised in thine own presence: To heare the merry interloquutors of facetious Dialogues, pretty and quicke conceits, and rancounters of Comediens, in their comedies, and stage plaies: To hear the singing and natural melodie of the sweet singing birds firdoning their notes after their kinde, and on divers waies, in the time of sommer, or of spring time: but most of all, earlie in the morning as the day begins to dawne, when al is vnderunder great silence, and every thing quiet and at rest, then to heare the pleasant harmonie of Musicall Instruments cunninglie handeled, as of Cornets, or fine Violls: Or to heare the sweet and delicat voices of cunning singers, intermedled with the melodious sound of Lutes, Cisters, Clairshoes, or of other quiet Instruments of that kinde: which I esteeme worthie to be reckoned among the chiefest of earthly pleasures. What thing can be more delectable to the taste & appetite of man, nor to hauehave a table at all times richly decked, with all manner of savoury and delicate meates, finely prepared? as of fat & tender fleshe, rare and delicious fishes, al kind of fruits hearbs, spices, of drogs wet and dry, and other confections pertaining to the Apotecarie: And in like maner to hauehave redie at mans desire, all kinde of delicious and delicate drinks and lickquors? as Milk, meid, hony, sweet and sharp wines, hypocrise, and fined wines, with al manner of fresh refreshing drinks, which may be either agreable to the mouth, or meat for the sustentation of mans body. As to the sense of smelling, it is delighted with pleasant and sweet odours: as of sweete smelling flowers, perfumes, pretious ointments, goomes, and with fine odours mixed and prepared by the Apotecars. And finally, is it not delectable and pleasant to the body of man, when in time of cold he is fostered with warmnes, and in time of heat is refreshed with temperat coldnesse? Likewise when his bodie is annointed and refreshed with balme, and with oyle, or when he is purged and purified in the bathstoffs, or is eased & releeved of his naturall infirmities, by such volupteous pleasures as are naturall vntounto him, and falles vnderunder the sense of feeling? Al these aboue rehearsed are sensuall and bodely pleasures, which man would esteeme a great happines, to injoye alwaies at his pleasure, being very delectable first to the body, and then to the spirit, as vntounto that which hath a naturall & perfit conjunction with the bodie: For if it were separated from the bodie, it would not be delighted with no such sensuall pleasures. But those pleasures which do chiefly content the mind, and inwardly rejoiceth the heart & soul of man, are much more excellent, and doeth farre exceede the pleasures of the fleshe, in dignitie and worthines. Were it not a great contentment to the mind, to hauehave thy body als bewtiful, and of seemlie proportion as thy heart would wishe? And that thou were equall in strength, speed, and agilitie with any other man? Likewise that thou were of such skil and dexteritie at al games and exercitions of the body, aswell these that are naturall vntounto man, as in these which needes art and instruction, (as summing, balling, handeling of thine armour, and others such like) that none were able to outmatch thee? and therewithal to hauehave thy bewtie ever flourishing & never to fade, and thy body never to decay, but ever to remaine in perfite vigour and strength? Moreover, wouldest thou not think it a great felicitie, to be so pregnant & quick of spirit, that nothing could seeme hard or difficil vntounto thee? But that thou hadst the knowledge of all artes and sciences, of all tongues and languages, and with thy knowledge to hauehave a facund and ornate tongue to vtter the conceptions of thy mind? Farther, is it not very delectable to the heart of man to hauehave obtained a great victory, and to hauehave defait the enemies of his natiue cuntrie, & brought the same to libertie and freedome by his owne deedes and vertue (as the stronge Sampson did in subduing the Philistims, David in slaying of Goliah, Iudith in killing of Olophernes, or as the valiant Roman Cockles did) with great praise and commendation of all men? It is also no litle contentment to the spirit, to hauehave found out a singular and subtile devise, which may bring both great pleasure, and great commoditie with it, not onelyonly to the inventor thereof himselfe, but also to the whole estate of a common wealth. Wee reade that Pythagoras for finding out by his own ingyne & study, of a proposition of Geometrie, (which indeed is esteemed to be very excellent, and of great vse in the Mathematicks) and is the 47. Proposition of the first book of the Elements of Euclide: for very joy he came forth of his cabinet, running, and crying with a loude voice, as though he had bene transported: I hauehave found it! I hauehave found it! and thereafter made a solemne sacrifice and oblation of an hundreth Oxen. See we not also howe great rejoycing it is to the heart of him that hath done a notable and noble act, pronounced a wise sentence, or made a cunning & ornat harangue, to the great admiration and praise of the hearers and beholders? And were it not a pleasant thing to be promoved by a greate Monarche, from the estate of a poore miserable cotter, to the estate of a welthie & potent Lord, and to be received in great familiaritie & credite with the same monarche? To be short, I think the greatest joyes which man can wish or imagine, are these: To hauehave all thinges that the heart doth require, and to lack nothing: To hauehave knowledge of all things, and to be ignorant of nothing: To be ever glad, and never sorrowfull: To be ever careles, and without feare, and never careful nor in dread: To be ever in pleasure, and neuer in paine: To be alwaies wel content, and never miscontent nor displeased: To be ever in securitie, and never in danger: To be ever in peace and at rest, and never troubled nor disquieted: To be ever at libertie, and never in thraldome: To be ever in health and in good disposition, and never sick nor diseased: To be ever in a constant and stable estate, and never subject to change nor alteration: To be free from all naturall infirmities of the body, and all passions and perturbations of the mind, but in special, from the thraldome of sinne, and to hauehave an absolute power over all our affections & concupiscenses: To be delighted with every thing, and never to see nor heare that thing which is grievous or displeasant: To hate or envy no man, nor yet to bee hated or envied of any: But to louelove and like all, and to be loved and liked of all men: To be honoured and esteemed of all men: but in speciall to be in the favor of God, and to be reciprocklie beloved of them whome wee louelove most intirelie: and to be sure and certaine never to die, but to liue for ever. What then of al these joies and pleasures? were they ever injoied by any man, or is it possible that any man can injoy them in this life? No certainlie, they cannot be fully injoyed so long as wee dwell here vponupon earth, and remaines in this tabernacle of fleshe and blood: But these are heavenly joyes, pertaining to the life to come, which all the faithfull shall vndoubtedlie injoye: yea, and greater nor these also: For the wit & ingine of man is able to comprehend and vnderstand these joies before rehearsed: But the perfit joy and felicitie of the life to come, passeth all vnderstanding.
But nowe, let vsus see what warrant we hauehave of the word of God against these things, and howe the spirit of God doth certifie vsus hereof. We are first certified by the spirit of God, that in the life to come wee shall be exeemed from all griefe and sorrow, so that our joy and pleasure shall not be mixed with sorrowes, as the pleasures of this life are: For the Evangelist Iohn saith,Revel. 21.4 God shall wipe away al teares from their eyes, and there shall bee no more death, neither sorrow, neither crying, neither shal there be any more pain, for the first things are passed. The former trobles are forgotten (saith the Lord by the mouth of the Prophet) and shall surely hide themselues from mine eies,Isai. 65.16. for Lo, I will create newe heavens, and a newe earth, and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde: But be yee glad and rejoice for ever, in the things which I shall create: For behold, I wil create Ierusalem, as a rejoicing, and her people as a joy: and I will rejoice in Ierusalem, and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying: There shal be no more there a Child of yeares, nor an old man that hath not filled his daies; for hee that shall be an hundreth yeares old, shal die as a young man. Farther, the spirit of God to expresse the joye of the life to come, compares it to a day of mariage, into the which Iesus Christ is the bridegrome, and his Church (that is to say, the number of his elect) is called the bride. The Gentiles (saith the Prophet,Isai. 62.2. speaking of Christs Church) shall see thy righteousnes, and al kings thy glory, and thou shal be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name: Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royall diademe in the hand of thy God: It shal be no more said vntounto thee, Forsaken, neither shall it be said any more to thy land, desolate: But thou shalt be called, HEPHZEBAH, (that is to say, My delight in her) and thy Land BEVLAH, or Maried: For the Lord delights in thee, and thy Land shall hauehave an Husband: for as a young man marieth a Virgine; so shall thy sonnes marrie thee: And as a bridegrom is glad of the bride: so shall thy God rejoice over thee. And in the Apocalips,Apoc. 19.6 Christs flock saith, Halleluiah (that is by interpretation, praise yee God) for our God Almightie hath raigned: Let vsus be glad and rejoice, and giuegive glory to him: for the mariage of the Lambe is come, and his wife hath made her selfe reddy: And to her was granted, that she should be arrayed with pure fine linnen and shining, for the fine Linnen is the righteousnes of the Saints: Thereafter, the Angell of God saith vntounto Iohn:Apoc. 21.9 I will shew thee the bride the Lambs wife: and he shewed me (saith Iohn) the great Citie holy Ierusalem (which is the number of the Elect) descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. This comparison, the spirit of God maketh betweene Christ and his Church, because, that like as the husband and the wife are made one flesh: so are the faithfull made one with Christ, by participation of his body & blood through faith. And as the bridegrome doth procreate Children with his bride: So doth Christ procreat Children in his Church, by his holy spirit, and makes her to be plentiful in bringing forth sonnes and daughters to inherit his kingdome. But to returne to the pleasure of the Elect in the life to come, it is also compared to a solemne banquet by the spirit of God.Isai. 25.6. And in this mountaine (saith the Prophet Esay) shall the Lord of hosts make vntounto all people a feast of fat things: Even a feast of fined wines, and of fat things full of marrow, of wines fined and purified. And Saint Iohn in his Revelation saith,Reu. 22.1. that he saw a pure river of water of life, cleare as Christal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lambe, which is Iesus Christ: and on either side of the River, was the tree of life, which bare twelue manner of fruites, and gaue fruite every monethmonth, and the leaues of the tree served to heale the Nations with. It is also saide in the Apocalips,Apoc. 19.9 Blessed are they that are called vntounto the Lambes supper. And our maister Christ saith,Ioh. 4.14. whosoever drinks of the water that I shall giuegive him, shall never be more a thirst: but the water that I shall giuegive him, shall be in him a well of water, springing vp into everlasting life. Moreover, the Lord proposeth to the faithfull, all the blessings which are contained in the Lawe, and so vnderunder temporall things comprehends the spirituall promises. They shall feede in the waies,Isai. 49.9. saith the Prophet, and their pastures shall be in al the tops of the hilles, they shal not be hungrie, nether shal they be thirstie, neither shall the heate smite them, nor the sunne; for hee that hath compassion on them shal leade them; euen to the springs of waters shal he driue them.Isai. 55.1. Lo, saith the Lord, every one that thirsts come ye to the waters, and ye that hauehave no silver come buy and eat, come I say, buy wine and milke without silver: Harken diligently vntounto me, and eat that which is good, and let your soule delight in fatnes. Likewise, the Lord speaking to his afflicted members saith,Isai. 54.11. O thou afflicted, and tossed with tempest, that hath no comfort, behold, I will lay thy stones with the Charbukle, and lay thy foundation with Saphires, and I will make thy windowes of Emeraudes, and thy gate shining stones, and all thy bordours of plesant stones. And for the farther comfort of his elect, hee proceeds and saith: All thy Children shall be taught of the Lord, & much peace shal be to thy Children: In righteousnes shall thou be established, and be far from oppression, for thou shalt not feare it; and from feare, for it shall not come neere thee:Isai. 54.10.17. For the montains shal remoue, and the hills shal fal downe, but my mercy shal not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace fall away, saith the Lord, that hath compassion on thee: This is the heritage of the Lords servants, and their righteousnes is of me, saith the Lord. And insisting in the consolation of his Church; this saith the Lord to it: Whereas thou hast bene forsaken and hated,Isai. 60.1…. so that no man went by thee, I will make thee an eternal glory, and a joy from generation to generation: Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and suck the brests of kings: and thou shalt know, that I the Lord am thy Saviour, and thy redeemer, the mightie one of Iacob: For brasse wil I bring gold, and for yron will I bring silver; and for wood, brasse; and for stones, yron: I will also make thy garment peace, and thy exactors righteousnes: Violence shal be no more heard off in thy land, neither desolation, nor destruction within thy borders: But thou shalt call salvation thy walles, and praise thy gates: Thou shalt hauehave no more the Sunne to shine by day, neither shall the brightnes of the Moone shine vntounto thee: For the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and thy God thy glory, thy Sunne shal never go downe, neither thy Moone be hid, for the Lord shall be thy everlasting light, and the daies of thy sorrowes shall be ended: Thy people also shal be al righteous, they shal possesse the land for ever: The graiffe of my planting shall be the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. Moreover, the Lord by the mouth of the Prophet comforts his Elect, and threatneth the wicked, in these wordes: Behold my servants shall eat,Isai. 65.13. and ye shall be hungrie: Beholde, my seruants shall drink, and ye shall be thirstie: Behold, my servants shal rejoice, and ye shall be ashamed: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, and yee shal cry for sorrowe of heart, and shall howle for vexation of mind, and yee shall leaue your name as a curse vntounto my chosen: For the Lord God shall slay you, and call his servants by another name: He that shall blesse in the earth, shal blesse himself in the true God, & he that sweares in the earth, shal swear by the true God. These are hevenly consolations and promises, which are partly begunne in this life, but shall not be fullie accomplished while the life to come: Wherevpon the faithfull flock of Christ takes occasion to rejoice, and is prophesied to burst out in these wordes:Isai. 61.10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soule shall be joyfull in my God: For hee hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, and covered me with the robe of righteousnes: He hath decked me like a bridegrome, and as a bride attyreth her selfe with her jewells: For as the earth brings forth her budde, and as the Garden causes to growe that which is sowne in it: So the Lord God will cause righteousnes to growe, and praise before the Heathen. But forasmuch, as the pleasures of the soul, & contentment of the mind, might appear more imaginarie, nor substantiall, where they fall not vnderunder the outward senses, and where the body is not made participant thereof: For the soul is but a spirit, and is delighted with spirituall things; neither can it be rejoiced, or yet troubled with things sensuall or corporall, being free from the bands of the fleshe. Therefore to the effect thou may the better conceiue, & hauehave a more sensible feeling of the joyes of the life to come; I wil assure thee, that not only the soules and spirits of the Elect shal rejoice and be delighted with spiritual plesures;Iob. 19.26 but also the bodies shall bee delighted with bodily and sensual pleasures, which falles vnderunder the senses: In respect, the bodie shal rise againe from death,1. Cor. 15.52. the soule or spirit shall enter againe therein, and reallie and with effect, both the soule & the senses shall be delighted:Mat. 25.46. albeit not with such naturall & corruptible things, (least any man should dreame such an vnperfite delectation) as that where with our mortall bodies are delighted in this life: but with heavenly and incorruptible things, like as our bodies shall then be incorruptible and immortall. And let no man think, that at the day of the resurrection, any of vsus shall resume a fantastical body, of an other forme & shape nor that which we hauehave nowe: but a very corporal and substantial body, which may be seene and felt, having all the senses in greater quicknes, and perfection nor it hath them in this life: but free alwaies, from such fragilitie and naturall infirmities, wherevnto the mortall body is subject. For looke in what maner and with what body our Saviour Iesus Christ rose againe from death,Iohn. 20▪ 17.27. which after his resurrection (but before his ascention, & full glorification) was seene and knowne by his Disciples, conversed with them, and was griped by his Disciple Thomas: In like maner, and with the like bodies shall hee raise vsus vp againe at the latter day: And when we shall be glorified, our bodies shall not be hinderfull vntounto the actions of the spirit, nor a fasheous prison vntounto it, as the body is in this life: but it shal be a pleasant tabernacle, and a necessarie organe vntounto the spirite, reddy to yeeld and obey it in all the offices and functions therof: In such sort, that where the spirit shall desire to be, the body shall be transported with it, as swift as the thought, without any resistance: So that in all our actions, we shal be like vntounto the Angells and celestiall bodies. Our eyes then, I say, shall be delighted with beholding of things bewtifull, our eares with hearing of heavenly sounds and harmony, our taist with such celestiall and Angellike foode as shall be agreable therevnto; our nostrells with smelling of pleasant and delectable odours; and our sense of feeling, with feeling of all kind of volupteous and perfite pleasure: my reason is this, because we shal hauehave a perfit sight of the face of God, and the full fruition of his divine Majestie, which is the consummation & perfection of al pleasures. For he that seeth the face of God, seeth eminently, and after a most excellent maner, the bewtie and perfection of all his Creatures: because from him they receiue all their bewtie and perfection. Therefore, by necessarie consequence, in injoying the majestie of God the Creator, we shal also injoy through him & in him, all the pleasures which can be taken of any Creature which the Lorde hath made, either living or without life. What thing vponupon earth is comparable to the majestie and throne of God, which Iohn saw by Revelation?Revel. 4.3. He that sate vponupon the throne (saith he) was to looke vponupon, like vntounto a Iasper stone, & a Sardine, and there was a Rainbowe round about the throne, in sight like to an Emerande; and out of the throne proceeded lightenings, and thunderings, and voices; and there were seene Lamps of fyre burning before the throane, which are the seaven spirits of God. The rest of the description thereof, for brevitie I omit, and remits the Reader to the place it self where it is described.Exo. 19.16. And did not the whole people of Israell see with their corporall eies, and heare with their eares, thunderings and lightenings, and a thick cloud vponupon mount Sinay, and the sounde of a trumpet exceeding loude, so that they were all afraide? And did they not see mount Sinay al on a smoke, & the smoke thereof, ascending as the smoke of a fornace, because the Lord came downe vponupon it in fyre, and the mount trembling exceedinglie? Likewise, Moses, Aaron, Nadab,Exod. 24.… and Abihu, and seventie of the Elders of Israell saw a part of the Majestie of God, onelyonly in so farre, as their infirmitie and weaknes was able to beare: And vnderunder his feet they sawe as it were, a worke of a Saphire stone, and as the very heaven when it is cleare. And did not the skinne of the face of Moses shine bright, after that God had talked with him,Exod. 34.29. In such sort that the Israelites were affraide to come neere him? Howe then shall wee shine that shall behold him face to face, and injoye his presence for ever? Surely, in beholding the bewtie of his glorious face, we shall be made bewtifull: And in injoying the presence of his Majestie, we shall also injoy all these joyes and pleasures presently expressed, and besides them many other greater, which as the Apostle saith, It is not possible to the wit and toung of man to vtter and declare. We shall be filled with al vertue and perfection, we shall be healthie, wee shall be strong, wee shall be joyfull and glad, wee shall hauehave perfit contentment, we shal be assured and in perfit securitie, we shall be wise, we shall be patient, we shall be constant, we shall be charitable, wee shall be holy, we shall be glorious. All our actions desires, studies, and imaginations shal be good, and we shall not hauehave so much as an intention or inclination vntounto evill. To be short,Apoc. 21.7 as it is promised in the Apocalips, we shal inherit all things, the Lord shal be our God, and we shal be his sons. And as the Prophet Daniel saith, we shal shine as the brightnes of the firmament;Dan. 12.3 and they that turne many to righteousnes, shal shine as the starres for ever and ever. Wee shall receiue a crowne of righteousnes (as sainct Paul saith) which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall giuegive at that day,2. Tim. 4.8 to all them that loues his appearing. Wee shall sing these praises and newe songes, which Iohn heard by Revelation:Revel. 4.8.11. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almightie, which was, and which is, and which is to come: Thou art worthie (O Lord) to receiue glory and honour, and power: For thou hast created all things, and for thy wills sake they are, and hauehave bene created. Item, worthie is the Lamb that was killed,Rev. 5.… to receiue power, and riches, and wisdome, and strength, and honour, and glory, & praise; Praise, and honour, and glory, and power be vntounto him that sits vponupon the throne, and vntounto the Lambe for ever more. Wee shall also sing the songe of Moses, and the songe of the Lambe,Rev. 15.3▪ saying: Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almightie, just and true are thy waies, King of Saints: Who shall not feare thee, O Lord, and glorifie thy Name? for thou onelyonly art holy, and al Nations shall come and worship before thee: for thy judgments are made manifest.Apoc. 19.1 We shall sing Hallel-uiah, hallel-uiah, salvation, and glory, and honour, and power be to the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgements. Thus much concerning the plesures which we shall injoy in the life to come.