The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven, Treatise 11
THE GHVESTS ADMITted by our wise God (the sole Lord of this heauenly Inne) to enter and to lodge within it; be those alone who being members of his dearest Sonne Iesus Christ, be made in time by him true Christians, and so Prophets, Priests, and Kings vntounto God their Father.
THis Inne of heauen being the verie paradise and pleasant garden of the Lord our God, none can possibly be transported towards it but the trees of righteousnesse, who being the planting of God do here on earth glorifie his Maiesty.Esay 61. 3. This Inne is the sheepfold of that great Shepheard Iesus, and therefore none can enter into it but those who be the sheepe of Iesus,Iohn 10. 7. 14. 27. 28. hearkening to his voice, knowing his voice,Luk. 12. 32. following his voice, and refusing to here the voice of a stranger. This Inne is the wedding chamber of that glorious Bridgrome Iesus, that eldest Sonne, and heire of the great King of glorie. And therefore none can be admitted to enter within it,Mat. 25. but those who being wise virgins, hauehave their lampes alwayes readie, and their oyle in them, attending in faith, and yet in feare, his comming. This Inne is the house of Christs Father, and therefore none can be suffered to enter within it, (albeit there be many dwelling places in it) but those who be the sonnes and daughters of God the Father,Iohn 14▪ 2. and so the brethren and sisters of Iesus, carefull to separate themselues from the wicked, and not attempting to touch any vncleane thing. But who contrariwise do cleanse themselues from all filthinesse of the flesh and of the spirit,2. Cor. 6▪ 17 18. & 7. 1. growing vp into holinesse in the feare of God, and alwayes (out of that hope they hauehave at length to lodge in this Inne) purging themselues more and more,1. Iohn. 3. 3. as God their Father, and Lord of this Inne is pure; for no vncleane thing can possibly enter into it, but such onelyonly who hauing washed their long robes, hauehave made their long robes white in the bloud of the Lambe, and whose names are written in the Lambes booke of life.Reuel. 7. 14. 15. And so in a word, this Inne being the royall palace of Christ that great Prophet, that high Priest, and that soueraigne King of Gods elect, none can possibly be honoured with it: but these who through this Christ are made Christians,Reuel. 1. 6. by the vertue of his Spirit, & meanes of his word and Sacraments: and consequently Prophets, Priests, and Kings to God the Father. Would I then, ô my soule, after my wearie labours here, be possessed with that worthie rest in heauen? I must studie necessarily before death to become a Prophet (for no ignorant shall come there) acquainted with the knowledge of God in his Sonne, and of my selfe in nature, and in grace, and so eueryevery one who lookes for that Inne of heauen must know themselues to be miserable because of sinne; must know God to be mercifull, and readie to forgiue sinne, in his Sonne Iesus Christ; and must know that Christ dyed for them, and that his death became meritorious, deseruing and procuring remission of sinnes, and life euerlasting to them if they can beleeue in him, and repent. The sense hereof moued Paul to crie out: This is a true saying, 1. Tim. 1. 15and by all meanes worthy to be receiued, that Christ came in the world to saue sinners. 2. Cor. 5. 21And againe: He hath made him to be sinne for vsus, which knew no sinne, that we should be made the righteousnesse of God in him. Yea, our Maister in a word packing vp the whole matter of mans saluation doth say:Ioh. 17. 3. This is life eternall, that they know thee to be the very onelyonly God, and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. Wouldst thou, ô my soule, after death liue within this Inne, before death I must be a priest offering vp to God my Father, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, not a dead, but a liuing, not a reasonlesse, but a reasonable sacrifice; yea not another beside my selfe, but my selfe vntounto his Maiestie, remembring and reuerencing that holy charge sweetly giuen to me by that chosen vessell of Christ:Rom. 12. 1. 2. I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God, that ye giuegive vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice, holy, acceptable vntounto God, which is your reasonable seruing of God▪ And fashion not your selues like vntounto this world, but be ye changed by the renewing of your minde, that ye may proue what is the good will of God, aud acceptable and perfect. Thirdly, wouldst thou remouing from thy tent on earth be receiued within that Inne of heauen, ô my soule, which is the palace of this great King, which carries this Motto vponupon his thigh, The King of kings, and Lord of Lords: I must be a king, for this Inne is for no men but those who be kings, is for no women but those who be Queenes, and so who be true Christians. But what sort of Kings and Queenes be these, ô my soule, who shall rest within this Inne? men & women made kings and Queenes, not by God the Creator of the world, but by God that sole Redeemer of mankinde, and so by Iesus Christ who hath loued them, and washeth them from their sinnes in his bloud, and made them kings and Queenes vntounto God,Reuel. 1. 5, 6. euen his Father. And so I see, ô my soule, that there shall not so much as one man, as one woman be admitted within the doores of this Inne of heauen, but he who is a Christian, but she who is a Christian, and that not so much as one true Christian shall be debarred from it. Thou art a king, but not a Christian, and therefore thou must stand without, & hauehave thy portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. Thou art a Queene, but not a Christian, and therefore thou must stay without also, to be tormented with thy king. Thou art a countrie clowne, and yet a Christian, and therefore thou must not stay without, because thou art a clowne but must go in because thou art a true Christian. But because in these our dayes there be such a world of men and women called Christians, and holding themselues for good Christians; I would hauehave thee, ô my soule, to trie who if these be Kings and Queenes made by Christ, & so fit ghuests for this Inne of heauen? Hearken vntounto me speaking with a warrant of Gods word. None can be such Kings and Queenes, but those who can be seruants, and will be seruants; who cannot be seruants, nor will be seruants; who can be seruants, and will be seruants to him, who being the Lord of all, was heartily content to become a seruant for them; and so to that blessed and sweete Lord Iesus: who cannot, nor will not vponupon any condition be seruants to any besides his Maiestie. Can the true Christian forget that ransome wherewith he was redeemed, and can he thinking on it be a seruant either to diuels or to men? No no, for he can neuer forget that of Paul. Ye are bought with a price, be not the seruants men. 1. Cor. 7. 23.Ye were once darknesse, but now are light in the Lord, Eph. 5. 8.walke as the children of light. And thus the true Christian sees all these whom he sees in Christ, and cannot possibly see any out of him; he can honour and serue his king, his parents, his neighbours, alwayes in Christ, and for Christ but no wayes against Christ. And therefore he can mocke all honour, but that wherewith Christ is honoured; all pleasures, but those wherewith Christ is pleased; and all wealth, whereby his spirituall treasure is lessened, yea not augmented; and all life, but that life whereby his life Iesus Christ is conquised, and conserued by him: yea, he doth not onelyonly misknow, but denie all friends and kindred, but those who in Christ be neare vntounto him: in this resembling his blessed Maister who did all that he did for him; who suffered all that which he suffered for him; holding none for his mother, his brother,Mat. 22. 50. and sister, but those who do his Fathers will which is in heauen: and accounting all such who did this his will, for his mother, brother, and sister. Could this be considered, ô what a shame should couer the face of ye Christians of this age! ô what a feare should possesse the hearts of the Christians of this age! O man thou wilt be a Christian, but not a king ouerruling the diuell? Thou wilt be a Christian, yet not a king maistering this wicked world, either alluring thee to euill by faire offers, or drawing thee from God, driuing thee to euill by threatnings, and punishments, but maistered by it? and that most willingly not eschuing sinne which thy Sauiour came to slay, but delighting in sinne which put thy Sauiour to death. Were that Marty Blandina Blandina.liuing to this day, sure I am she would say, albeit there be many men in the world now, yet there be wonderous few Christians in the world now. For in the midst of her torments she did crie out to the hearing of her Torturers.Clem. Alex. in orati ad gentes. Christiana sum, & nihil mali apud nos geritur: I am a Christian, and there is no euill thing done against vsus. Sure I am, were Clemens Alexandrinus liuing, he would subscribe with her: for describeth he not a Christian thus? Is solus, qui pius est, ac religiosus, Christianus est: That man alone who is holy and religious, is a Christian. Oh, ô my soule, shall not these Christians who liued in the dayes of Eusebius arise in iudgement against these of this our time. These in their liues were so religious,Euseb. Eccles. Hist. lib. 4. cap. 8. holy, chast, temperate, modest, that the verie fame of their liues, being brought to the eares of men, moued all sorts of people, casting off their natiue superstition, & forme of liuing, to turne to Christ; yea, the verie sauage Barbarions, by the report made vntounto them touching the Christians, layed aside their barbaritie, and fiercenes, and embracing Iesus Christ, learned of him to be meeke and lowly in heart. Yea, what shall I say, ô my soule, if the Christians, in this our age find not grace in time to looke about them; the verie ambitious, curious, auatitious men among whom they liue, and whose carriage is knowne to them, shall accuse and condemne them. What ambitious man can content himselfe with the honour he hath gotten, and ceasse to aspire vntounto a greater? what curious man can satisfie his eye with seeing, or his eare with hearing? Yea, what couetous man is heard saying, I hauehave enough, I will hauehave no more? And yet alas, ô how many blind senslesse Christians, deceiued by Satan and their owne lusts, and willingly deceiuing thēselues dreame that they be alreadie sufficiently furnished with that future Inne, prepared for Gods children, albeit they hauehave neither oyle in their Lamps, nor a Lampe in their hands. Historie telleth me that Marcus Marcellus a Romane dedicated a Temple to the goddesse of Honour, but with all Historie tels me, that the way to that Temple of Honour was by the Temple of Vertue; and canst thou, ô man calling thy selfe a Christian, looke to be receiued within that onelyonly honourable Temple, which is the mansion of that onelyonly Lord, to whom all honour doth belong, & in whose presence true honour is onelyonly to be found, vnlesse thou reserue (treading the way of vertue and valour here) to fight against the diuell, and to seeke and to serue thy God?Hier. part. The sense hereof moued Hierom to say.3. tract. 4. Portae duae sunt, porta Paradisi, & porta Ecclesiae; Epist. 20.per portam Ecclesiae intramus portam Paradisi. There be two gates, the gate of Paradise, and the gate of the Church; by the gate of the Church we enter into the gate of Paradise. Yea, this moued Bernard to say. Non rectised peruersiest animi, Bern.antea quaerere gloriam, quam excercere virtutem, & velle coronari qui legitime non certauerit; virtus gradus est ad gloriam, verus mater est gloriae. It is not the nature of an vpright, but of a froward wicked mind, to seeke glorie before vertue be exercised, and to heare him desiring to be crowned, who hath not fought; vertue is a degree to glorie, yea, vertue is the mother of glorie. Bern. in Cant.And againe: Quid mihi cum victoria si non in praelio fui? impudētissimè mihi arrogo, aut gloriam absque victoria, vel victoriam sine pugna. What hauehave I to do with victorie, if I hauehave neuer bene in the battell? O how most impudently do I ascribe to my selfe, either glorie without vertue, or vertue without a fight. Learne therefore, ô my soule, in time to know Christ, in time to know what it is to be a true Christian, to the end that I may be perswaded that one day that onelyonly glorious Inne of heauen shall receiue me, and receiuing me shall retaine me for euer; and so see that without delay thou learne to desire, betwixt the pretious and the more pretious, and so betwixt things seene which be temporall, and betwixt things vnseene which be eternall. O how manie called Christians shall be condemned of Iacob in that day of iudgement, and shut for euer out of the doores of this Inne of glorie! Iacob being to receiue his brother Esau, when he feared, sent first before him his sheepe, oxen, and camels, after them he placed both his maides and their children, after them Leah and her children. But Rachel and Ioseph (as his most pretious and estimable treasure) he placed nearest himselfe, in the safest place: testifying hereby that he had rather loose all the rest, before he had loosed them. But alas the Christians of this our time, ô my soule, expose the onelyonly best things (that is these heauenly graces which must leade them towards that heauenly Inne) vnderunder danger, and proue onelyonly curious about the keeping of the perishing things of this world nearest them; testifying thereby that they had rather want Christ, and part with Christ, then any other thing beside him. Yea not onelyonly shall they hauehave Iacob to condemne them who was the Lords holy confederate, but the verie brutish serpent, wanting soule, wanting reason; for natural prudence teacheth him to hide his head carefully when he is pursued, and to yeeld the rest of his whole bodie to the smiter, to the end that that being lost which is of smallest weight, he may happily keepe that which is of greatest valour. But, alas, ô my soule, our onelyonly blessed, and glorious head Iesus, is offered by vsus at all times to danger, and we do keepe these things which cannot keepe vsus, and which we shall not be able for our verie hearts to keepe long. O when shall men with Paul learne while they are here to know none,1. Cor. 1. to know nothing but Christ, and him crucified; to the end that in the day of challenge they may receiue this testimonie of Christ.Luke. 16. Thou hast chosen the best part which shall not be taken from thee. Bern.When shall that of Bernard written on these words: Behold we hauehave forsaken all things and followed thee, be considered by vsus, Nec mutilis commutatio, pro…eo qui supra omnia est, omnia reliquisse; nam & simul cum eo donantur omnia, & vbi apprehenderis eum, erit vnus ipse omnia in omnibus, qui pro ipso omnia reliquerunt; omnia sane dixerim, non solum possessionis, sed etiam cupiditatis. Neither is it an vnprofitable chance to forsake all things for him, who is aboue all things, for with him all things are giuen also, and so soone as thou apprehendest him, he himselfe alone shall be all things, to all those who for him hath left all things; yea, euen all things I say truly, not onelyonly of possession which a man can hauehave, but of desire which a man can wish. Thou seest then, ô my soule, that thou must seeke thy God in this wildernesse of thy pilgrimage, if thou wouldst be found of him in that wished Inne of his glorie; that thou must serue him abroad as it were amongst strangers, yea, amongst sworne enemies, if thou wouldst reigne with him at home with his owne onelyonly deare children thy friends. But here I will hauehave thee grauely to consider two things. First how shouldst thou serue thy God here? Secondly, wherefore shouldst thou serue him thus? Thou must serue him, ô my soule, frankly, and with ioy: and so neither from a grudging heart, nor with an auerse or froward countenance. Thou hast, I thinke, long ago acquainted thy selfe with the third petition of the Lords Prayer, Thy will be done in earth euen as it is in heauen: Hereby first confessing that thy God should be serued by thee here on earth, as he is by those celestiall spirits in heauen. Secondly, earnestly begging grace from his hands that thou mayst serue him so. Now couldst thou, ô my soule, learne to consider, and considering to take to heart three things, ô how carefull wouldst thou be that thy God were alwayes serued by thee here on earth, faithfully, freely, heartily, and diligently, as he is by his Angels in heauen? First, couldst thou remember how these three sacred persons of that glorious Godhead concurred to make man, saying: Let vsus make man to our owne Image? Secondly, couldst thou remember how heartily and gladly, that sweete meeke Lambe of God Iesus, offered himselfe to the death for thee, ô how heartily wouldst thou seek thy God, ô how gladly wouldst thou serue him? He is without Ierusalem, and if it had pleased him he might hauehave stayed without it: alwayes saith he not vntounto his disciples:Mat. 8. 21. I must go vntounto Ierusalem and suffer many things of the Elders, and of the high Priests and Scribes, and be slaine. And when Peter tooke him aside, and began to rebuke him saying: Maister pitie thy selfe, this shall not be vntounto thee. Vers 22.Turneth not blessed Iesus backe this saying vntounto Peter: Get thee behind me Satan, thou art an offence vntounto me, because thou vnderunder stands not the things which are of God, but the things which are of men. Telling vsus by these two things: first, that he knew very well what would befall him at Ierusalem: Secondly, that he went vp most willingly thither, to the end that he might suffer these things there. Hast thou not, ô my soule, considered the 15. and 16. verses of the 22. of Luke? Then he said vntounto them, I hauehave earnestly desired to eate this Passc…uer with you before I suffer, for I say vntounto you hence forth I will not eate of it any more, vntill it be fulfilled in the kingdome of God. Telling his disciples hereby, that albeit he had eaten some Passeouers before that time with them, yet he neuer longed to eate any of those as he longed to eate this immediatly going before his suffering, so ready and willing was he to suffer. Hast thou lent thy eares to that prayer made by thy Maister vntounto his Father? Father saue me from this houre, Ioh. 12. 17.but therefore came I into this houre. Yea, to close this point, pained it thee euer to reade and to weigh that conference (with those things fell out vponupon it) thy blessed Sauiour hath with those who came to take him, registred by Iohn, in the 4. 5. 6. 7. and 8. verses of his 18. Chapter? yea, canst thou with this thinke vponupon that speech spoken by this Iesus thy sweetest Shepheard: I lay downe my life that I might take it againe: Ioh. 10. 17. 18.No man taketh it from me, but I lay it downe of my selfe. Shouldst thou not then seeke this Iesus, serue, this Iesus, both of purpose and with pleasure, who of purpose and with pleasure came to seeke and to serue thee? Thirdly, couldst thou consider, ô my soule, how frankly and willingly wicked men do serue the diuell, wouldst thou not be ashamed, yea afraid, if thou finde not thy selfe seruing thy blessed maker and sweet Redeemer, as frankly and willingly, as these do serue that euill one? Hath any wicked man receiued that, from that euill one, which thou, ô my soule, hast receiued from thy good God? Hath that euill one done or suffered that for any wicked man, which thy God hath done and suffered for thee? yea can any wicked man expect that from the hands of that euill one, which thou, ô my soule, mayst expect and must expect from the hands of thy God? The sense hereof moued Chrisostome to say: Turpe est impios diabolo tam strenuò seruire; Chrysost.Christianos Christo, pro pretio redemptionis nihil respondere, It is a shame that wicked men should so diligently and carefully serue the diuell, and that Christians should recompence Christ with no good seruice, for the price of their redemption. Fourthly, couldst thou remember, ô my soule, how willingly, how ioyfully, thou seruedst thy owne lustes before thy conuersion, and so before thy God called thee from that damnable darknesse of ignorance, of infidelitie, and of impietie (vnderunder the which thou layest being in the first Adam) vntounto this marueilous light of knowledge, of faith, and of begunne holinesse, wherewith thou art now happily adorned, being in that second Adam; wouldst thou not be ashamed not to serue thy good holy God after thy conuersion, as willingly and readily as before thy cōuersion thou seruedst thy wicked and vile flesh? O would to God that eueryevery man had that grace bestowed vponupon him, wherewith Paul was happily inriched before his conuersion, when he knew not Iesus, he ranne on foot and horse in eueryevery place where he came like a furious lyon presenting those who called vponupon his name. But after his conuersion I thinke he was as forward to preach Iesus for the conuersion and sauing of Christians; as he was furions before his conuersion to persecute them for the profession of his name. Bernard thinking vppon this point, directs his speech thus to thee ô my soule: Erubesce anima, conuersa ad Dominum, Bern. ep. 34.minori affectu sectari iustitiam, quam iniquitatem antea sectata es: Causa enim est valde dissimilis, pudeat proinde negligentius in vitam, quam prius in mortem ire, & minori studio salut is acquirere, quam perauionis aug…mentum. Be ashamed, ô soule conuerted to the Lord, to follow after righteousnesse with lesse care and affection then before thou followedst after wickednesse: for the cause is verie vnlike, wherefore let it ashame thee to runne more negligently after life, then thou walkedst before after death, to seeke the increase of saluation with lesse care then thou soughtst before the augmentation of thy owne perdition. Bernard againe out of the sense of this doth crie sweetly and chearfully: Curramus non passibus corporis; sed affectibus, sed desiderij…, Bern. Med.sed suspirijs. Quoniam non solum Angeli, cap. 6.sed Angelorum Creator, nos expectat; expectat nos Deus Pater, tanquam filios, & haeredes, vt constituat nos super omnia bona sua; expectat nos Deus tanquam fratres & cohaeredes, vt fructum suae natiuit atis & pretium sui sanguinis Deo Patri offerat: expectat nos Spiritus sanctus, cuius templum sumus. Let vsus runne not vponupon the feete of our bodie, but vponupon our affections, but vponupon our desires, but vponupon our sighes and sobs, because not onelyonly the Angels, but the great maker of the Angels expects and awaites for vsus. God the Father expects and waites for vsus, as for his sonnes and heires, to the end he may make vsus maisters of all his goods. The Sonne of God awaites for vsus, as for his brethren and heires annexed with him, to the end that he may offer and present vntounto God his Father the fruite of his natiuitie, and the price of his bloud. The holy Spirit awaites for vsus, as for his temple in the which he dwelleth here. O when shall the loose Christians of this our time take that to heart which Bernard wrote long ago for the wakening of sleeping Christians, and for the punishing of such toward that Inne of heauen, who looking for it step neuer a foote forward to the end that they may obtaine it? Qui in schola Christi non profecit, Bern. ep. 34.eius indignus est magisterio; praesertim tamen cum simus ibi vbi nihil in eodem statu permaneat, & non proficere sine dubio deficere est. Nemo igitur dicat satis est, sic volo manere; in via residet qui eiusmodi est, in scala subsistit vbi neminem Patriarcha vidit, non ascendentem, aut descendentem. He who profits not in the schoole of Christ, is vnworthie to hauehave him for his maister, but specially seeing we are there, where nothing remaineth in that same estate: and where if men profit not by going forward, they must receiue hurt by falling backward. Let no man therefore say, it is enough I will abide as I am; he who is such an one sits still in the way, and stayes, without any motion on that ladder, where that Patriarch saw none but such, who was either going vp or going downe. Let me be carefull therefore, ô my soule, to walke with God with Enoch, to walke before God with Abraham, while I liue here; denying vngodlinesse and worldly lusts, and liuing holily, righteously, and soberly in this present world, not regarding where I die; not regarding how I die: for that is a taske almightie God hath not committed to my consideration but which he hath absolutely kept in his owne hands, willing me to be alwayes carefull to trie how I liue, but no wayes to be curious where, or after what manner I shall die. For I assure thee, ô my soule,August. that that of Augustine shall euer stand vndoubtedly true. Vndecunque mors piae, bona est. W…ence so euer death cometh to the godly soule, his death is good: & therefore Augustine most wisely and louingly,August. doth thus strengthen and incourage the honest heart of the religious Christian walking with God, before God, against all feare of all death, and euerie sort of death. Noli timere, non potest male mori qui bene vixerit. Feare not ô good Christian he cannot possibly die euill, who hath liued well.
THE CONCLVSION.
Let it not grieue thee then, ô my soule, y• that same day is hid vp from thee; that in some place vnknowne to thee, thou must lay downe this dustie tabernacle, wherewith thou hast for some yeares bene cloathed, as with a garment. But see that thou (being now happily ingrafted in Christ and through his grace dying to sinne daily for the which he died, and liuing to him who died for thee and rose againe) euen with an holy desire (submitting alwayes thy will to the good will of God) long for that day with that great Apostle, and when that day shall draw neere. I charge thee, ô my soule, that in that day thou lift vp thy selfe, and reioyce. What wise man being wearied all the day long with laboures abroad, will grieue to draw home at night; first to refresh himselfe with some entertainement, and therefore laying aside his garments to go to his rest; knowing that (so pleasing God) when the morning shall arise he will find his garment againe. And darest thou, ô my soule, be aggrieued when that night of death shall approach, all thy wearie labours sustained by thee here being finished, to lay downe thy clay bodie, and to hauehave thy selfe conueyed by those Angels of God vntounto that refreshing palace of that Paradise which is aboue now, wide open to receiue and to retaine thee, because of the obedience of that same Adam who died for thee? Yea, darest thou, ô my soule, be grieued in that night of death, to hauehave this clay bodie conueyed to that resting bed of the graue, sweetly now perfumed by the buriall of the sacred bodie of thy gracious Sauiour Iesus? for knowest thou not, when that glorious bright shining morning of Iudgement shall approach, in the which that mightie God thy Sauiour, whom the heauens do now containe, shall manifest himselfe in glorie, accompanied with thousands of his Angels, and of the sound of the last Trumpet, that thou shalt not onelyonly find that wanted garment of thy bodie, but take it vp againe, and put it on againe? alwayes not as men take vp their garments here in the morning, after their rest in the night, but farre otherwise; more comfortably, ioyfully, and profitably, by a thousand thousand degrees; as men here lay aside their garments at night going to their rest, so they take them vp in the morning, and taking them vp they go forth againe, either to their wonted or to some new labour. But I must tell thee, ô my soule, to thy great comfort, that thou shalt take vp this tabernacle of my bodie, in that shining morning of Iudgement, in a farre more excellent estate then it was layed downe in the chamber of the graue.1. Cor. 15. 42. 43. 44. It was layed downe in corruption, it shall be taken vp in incorruption: It was layed downe in dishonour, it shall be taken vp in glorie: It was layed downe in weakenesse, it shall be taken vp in power: It was layed downe naturall, it shall be taken vp spirituall. Could this be well considered, ô my soule, would I cease while I liue here, to employ all the members of my bodie holily, and when death should approach me, would I not be heartily contented with ioy to lay downe this earthly tabernacle? Againe I will assure thee, ô my soule, (because so hath my Lord, and Maister Iesus, by the sweetest words of his owne sweetest lips assured me) that thou hauing in that day of Iudgement taken vp, and put on that garment of this bodie, shalt neuer go forth to any old, or new labours againe; but shalt alwayes rest in endlesse rest for euermore, free of all suspition of future griefes, and filled with a verie sea of inexpressible glorie; for in that day thou being happily presented a chast virgine, well decked and trimmed with the ornaments of thy glorious husband Iesus, before thy glorious husband Iesus, shalt hauehave that marriage now contracted with him, solemnized and perfectly consummated; and then thy blessed husband hauing wiped away all teares from thine eyes, shall take thee into his most secret cabinate of glorie,2. Cor 11. 2. there not onelyonly to see but to possesse for euer, that glorie which he possessed before the world was made. Could this be well weighed by thee, ô my soule,Psal. 42. 1. wouldst thou not crie with Dauid? As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of waters so panteth my soule for thee ô God. My soule thirsteth for God, euen for the liuing God; when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God? yea, wouldst thou not crie with Paul. Rom. 7. 24.O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this bodie of death, I desire to be loosed and to be with Christ, which is the best of all. Yea, wouldst thou not crie with Augustine, August. sol.Eia Domine, moriar vt te videam, cap. 1.videam te vt hic moriar; nolo viuere, volo mori, dissolui cupio & esse cum Christo, mori desidero vt videam Christum. Viuere renuo vt viuam cum Christo. God my sweet Lord, Let me die to the end I may see thee; let me see thee, to the end I may die here. I will not liue, I will die here, I desire to be desolued and to be with Christ. I desire to die to the end that I may see Christ, I refuse to liue, to the end that I may liue with Christ. And to conclude, ô my soule, (praying my God to blesse thee with the longing and earnest desire of Dauid, of Paul, & of Augustine) wouldest thou not crie vncessantly with the Church, Christs bride, Come Lord Iesus: Euen so, come quickly. Amen,
FINIS.
End of the text · David Lindsay, The Godly Mans Journey to Heaven (1625)