The Art of Happiness, Part 3 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of the finall possession and, fruition of Happinesse.
THis World, though of it selfe, it be vntounto Man, but Misery, or Vanity, yet by the Mercy of the Creator, it is made vntounto Man a Nursery vntounto Happinesse. For the Creatour hauing lost his Creation, recouered it by Redemption. And by this Redemption, the World, which otherwise is but troublesome & transitorie, yet it serues to fit vsus for Ioy and Eternity: yea, the troubles and transitories thēselues are imployed to doe much of it: For the troubles of this life beate vsus on to ward future blisse, and the transitorinesse deliuers vsus vp to euerlastingnesse. In this life is the Bride trimmed and dressed; here is she decked for the Day of her Gladnesse, and here being made glorious within, shee goes hence to be made perfectly glorious, both within and without; hauing glorified God by an inward Puritie, shee goes to bee glorified by God, in a shining Eternitie. But what tongue of Man can expresse the Glory of this felicity, which the Heart of Man cannot conceiue? The Tongue must receiue it from the Heart, and the Heart it selfe doth not receiue it. The Tongue is more narrow then the Heart, and the Heart is infinitely too narrow for the receit of these Ioyes; so how narrow must bee Mans relation of this Happinesse, which must issue from that which is narrower, then that which is infinitely narrower then Happinesse? And how can it bee otherwise? for this Marriage is betweene the Creature and the Creatour. And how can the Creature comprehend the Creatour, especially, since wee hauehave here only a little glimpse of Faith, whereby to behold him? Againe, it is a spirituall Marriage, and wee are here more carnall then spirituall; so the tabernacle of corruptible flesh, doth much cloud and darken the Spirit, in the view of incorruptible ioyes. Yet are wee not left here wholly ignorant of that, which here we cannot wholly know; but hee who is our Happinesse, hath shewed some sparkles of that which he is, & hath deliuered it to vsus, in this World of ignorance, by some palpable expressions, fitting rather to our dull capacity, then to his supernaturall Excellency. Too much light darkens and dazles a weak sight: and therefore the full apparance of felicity, is reserued for a perfect & most absolute Purenesse, and Claritie. In the meane time let vsus firmely lay hold on those reuealed Truths which GOD hath set apart vntounto vsus, for our allotted portion of Light, in this darke place, vntill we come vntounto the perfect Day. Among them we find this most certainly proclaimed, That as there went out at first a Word of Creation, so shall there goe out a Word of Dissolution, and therewith also a Word of Resurrection. The mightie voyce of the Lord of Heauen, shall make Heauen and Earth to shake, the Elements to melt with fire, and the World to be dissolued. The face of this Visible frame shal be wiped away, it shal be rolled vp as a Scrol: And al the false happinesses of Man shal passe away into nothing. But the All-seeing Prouidence of the Almightie Creator, who numbreth the haires of our heads, and the sands of the Sea (for without his appointed number they could not hauehave the quantity or number which they hauehave) knoweth all Mankind both dead and aliue, yea, eueryevery part of eueryevery scattered Man; and calleth vp all Men, as hee doth the Starres in their turnes, Arise, ye Mortals, from Death and Mortality, and come vntounto Iudgement. The Earth is but a Ball in the hand of God, whereof eueryevery Mote or Atome was placed by his Wisedome; and the WISEDOME that made all, cannot but know all that it hath made; yea, the thing made, cannot goe out of the reach of the Maker: for it must bee by a Power giuen from the Maker, that it is able to doe those actions, by which it striueth, or seemeth to auoyd his Maker. And this Power can be disposed, but at the will or permission of the Giuer, and so it is still subiect to his reach and comprehension. Accordingly, God, the Infinite cause of all these finite things, fully searcheth and comprehendeth his owne Creation, yea, eueryevery change and varietie thereof, neither can any thing in the World escape his knowledge, whose knowledge is the very Fountaine of all those changes which would seem to escape it. Wherfore if we will allow a Wisdome wise enough to create, wee must also allow a Wisdome wise enough to know, and to master in knowledge the things created. And if we allow a Power able to create without matter, we should much more allow the same Power to bee able to renew of something, what was first created of nothing. Bee this therefore the assurance of the blessed; that the Trumpe shall blow, and the dead shall rise, and that the sruit of this Creation shall return to the hand that first did plant it. As God is the beginning of his Workes, so is he the end of them; all things that went from him with Power, must returne to him with Glory; and the Seed-time of Creation, must be answered with the Haruest of a finall Iudgement. God hath not made the World to no purpose, neither hath hee cast out from him so great a Creation, as a thing contemned and neglected. Hee hath not beene wise in an excellent Creation to no end; he hath not set Man here as a wild beast of the Forrest, only to run after his lusts, neither seeing his Maker, nor seene of him. The Soule of Man had in it the power of a reasonable seruice; it could see, and know, and please his Creatour. And Nature hath truly discouered, that GOD makes nothing for nothing. Therefore the Soule with her Subiect the Body, must come and stand at the Barre of Iudgement, to bee tryed by her workes, whether in the Body shee hath pleased him that formed her. And though many vagabond soules hauehave run from their Maker, and hauehave indeuoured to put themselues out of his seruice & command; yet he will not lose his property in them; they may fly from his Obedience, but neuer from his Power, Iustice, and Vengeance; they shall be forced to serue him, who is the end of all his Creatures, by the sufferings of Iustice, who would not serue him in the Righteousnesse of MercieMercy. Accordingly in this great Day of Trial, their appearance shal be in the vglinesse of Gods defaced Image; their blind, foule and leprous soules shall appeare in a perfect, & naked deformednesse; and their many sins shall come againe to visit them, & shall stand before them, as so many vnnaturall accusers of them that begat them. The pleasure that once encouraged to the commission of them, shall now be stripped from them, and sinnes shall then appeare only sinfull, filthy, and detestable. And so by them, sinners being lothsome to the God of purest Eyes, they shall be carryed from the Eyes whom they offend; yea, the Eyes of MercieMercy and Glorie shall be shut vp from them. But on the contrarie side, the Eyes of Wrath and Iustice shall sparkle out fire against them, and this fire shal seize and feed on their Sinfulnes; for sinne vntounto Iustice, is as fuell vntounto fire. Burne it shall for euer, in a tormenting, but not a consuming flame; It shall hauehave the agony and vexation, but not the consumption and abolition of fire; for the torment must be like the wrath; the wrath of an eternall God, and the torment of an eternall fire. Thus blinde and darke toward the God of Comfort, and the Comforts of God, they shall bee open-sighted toward their owne Guilt, Horrour, and Amazement. Their guilt shall beget feare, and their feare amazement, by reason of desperation, and hopelesnesse of release. What depth of vexation, or rather, how bottomlesse a horror it is when the Soule cannot see beyond torments, but is whol ly swallowed vp of anguish by the contemplation of an immortall miserie? These are they, whose portion is the Creature, and whose Happinesse is in this Life. And as they liued without God in this World, yea, against God, so shall they liue without GOD in the next World, and God will bee against them. Hee who might hauehave beene their felicitie, but was neglected, shall now, because neglected, become their misery; their Habitation shall bee the blacknesse of darknes, and their businesse shall be eternall anguish, vexation, and gnashing of teeth.
But the blessed sonnes and seruants of the Highest God, who hauehave set their rest on their Creatour, and hauehave made him the end of their being, and the meanes to the end, euen a God to rule, a Sauiour to redeeme, and a happinesse to blesse; these arise with the Image of God in their fore-heads; God seeth his face, in the face of their soules, & their workes also testifie the same for them. These are clothed with pure White, the Righteousnesse of Christ, and the Righteousnesse of the Spirit; with the first, the Iustice of GOD is satisfied; with the last, the MercieMercy of God is pleased; and by the last, the first is adiudged to them. They hauehave fed, clothed and visited Christ, in his hungry, naked, and imprisoned members; these workes are the fruits of LoueLove, and LoueLove is the fruit of Sanctification, and Sanctification is an inseparable companion, condition, and witnesse of Iustification. So by the works of LoueLove, they are proued and approued to bee the sonnes of God, who is LoueLove; and if sonnes, then also heires; & if heires, they shall for euer dwell in the house of Glorie, euen in the presence of God. Their right to eternall Glory, is by inheritance, euen by being heires annexed with Christ; but their admittance into their right, is by the Euidences, and Testimonies of the workes of Holinesse. For it is a true Rule, That none but the pure in heart, can see God, and againe, None can be pure in heart, but he must first be new begotten by God, euen a sonne and heire of GOD. And now to these is sounded forth that most blessed voice, which openeth the doore of eternall Felicitie, a voice that consummateth that Supremest Marriage, wherein Man is matched to the highest Essence, the chiefest Blisse: Come yee blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdome prepared for you. In this Kingdome, the ragged and filthy garment of the body of sinne, the diseased infirmities of this sinful bodie, the tears of oppression, yea, all griefe is wiped away. And in stead of these, Man is infinitely purified, sublimated, and so▪ fitted for the presence of the highest Being. In the Puritie of Holinesse, hee is pure without blemish; washed from guilt, by the bloud of the Lambe, and from corruption, by the holy Ghost, yea, there is a new Light, as a new Eye plāted in the vnderstanding, exceedingly quickened and enlarged to a spacious view of Truth, and Glorie. Likewise, new Vertue anoynteth and bedeweth the Will, steeping and seasoning it in a Diuine Nature, by which it excellently agreeth in harmonie with the will of God, and is holy as hee is holy. In the puritie of Substance, the Soule shall be highly clarified, vntill it be capeable of the vppermost and chiefest Light. And the body shall bee lifted vp into a proportion with the Soule; for the body shall then bee a spirituall Body: euen a Body like a Soule; euen so pure shall they both bee, that they shall admit into themselues the beames of the Fountaine of Light, vntill they bee filled with Light and Glorie. God will bee their Sunne, and hee will shine into them as into Christall, and in his Light they shall hauehave the fulnesse of Light. Then shall the Knowledge of Man ascend into Perfection, farre aboue these poore, pieced, and patched knowledges, which we call Arts and Sciences. Euen the highest Degree of knowledge, which in this mistie time of Ignorance & Imperfection, iustly holdeth the highest degree of Eminence, shall then be the bottome and lownes of this new knowledge; and then shall it be knowne that this kind of Learning is of vse, much like to that of a Lanthorne. It may doe vsus seruice in this Night of Mans fall and corruption, but in the Orient brightnesse of the Kingdome of Glorie, the new light by surmounting it, shall make it vselesse, yea, darken and discountenance it. For whereas now wee doe but flutter about the branches, and extremities of Wisdome, then shall we behold Wisdome in the roote: The Glorie and Fabrike of the Creature, shall be seene in the Originall, euen in the Creatour; in whom it was first made within, before it was made without. In him shall wee reade the Resolution of all profitable vnknowntruths; and his Wisdome shall bee a most perfect Oracle, instructing all glorified and blessed Soules. And with this Wisdome shall we also behold an infinite Treasure of Power and Almightinesse. The right Hand, and holy Arme of the Omnipotent God shall bee reuealed vntounto vsus, and then shall wee wonder at this Power alone, and not at the mightie Wonders which this Power hath done: for then shal we plainly see, that such Power might well worke such Wonders. And while wee view and consider this Power, the Power of GOD will point vsus to the louelove of God. For so meane a thing as Man, may well bee amazed at so infinite Power and Maiestie; but that at once with the power there appeares an infinite LoueLove; which tells the Soule, that though Power not matched with LoueLove, be a Terror; yet tempred with louelove, it is the very Safetie, Rest, and Blisse of Soules beloued: For as much power as there is in God, so much is God able to blesse those, whom hee loues; and as much louelove as there is in GOD, so much willing is hee to blesse those, whom by his Power hee is so much able to blesse. Thus from Gods Wisdome, his Power, his LoueLove, and his Light, issue continuall obiects, and spectacles of Ioy. Yet is not this all of that, which cannot all be expressed: For this whiles there flowes from the Deitie, into the Heart of Man, a most pleasant streame of the gladding Spirit, wherein is the extremest power & vertue of reioycing. This is the new Wine of the Kingdome of Heauen, which makes the Soule drunken with high comforts, raptures, and extasies: which inward comforts meeting and clasping with outward ioyes, fill vp a Man with an excesse of Ioy and Happinesse, that he shall be euen swallowed vp and ouer-rauished with Ioy. And yet their Happinesse stinteth not; for there is an addition of a most delectable and soule-pleasing Harmonie. Harmonie is a chiefe pleasure, and the most excellent Harmonie is the chiefest of this chiefe pleasure; and the most excellent Harmonie is the chiefest of this chiefe Pleasure; and the Harmonie of the most excellent Essences, is the most excellent Harmonie; and the most excellent Essences, are Spirits; and the Harmonie of Spirits is in the Kingdom of glory. This Musike of Spirits exceedingly exceedeth the Musike of mortall voices; yea, that chiefe Musike of hearts, which between men is called Friendship, and betweene Man & Wife, is called Marriage-LoueLove, is but a counterfeit resemblance, and carries but some small rellishes of that Diuine and Celestiall Harmony. For in the Quire of Heauen, the Saints and Angels, euen the blessed Spirits, agree in a perfect Vnison of Truth and LoueLove. Their vnderstandings think one thing: their hearts, euen their wils, louelove themselues and their companions with one louelove; They delight themselues each in other, & especially all in God. For as there is between themselues a perfect consent, so there is also a true agreement between these Spirits, and the chiefest Spirit, which is the very top of pleasure and delight. What perfection can be higher then that of the highest Creatour? And how can a Creature bee more perfect, then when he is consorted, & tuned to this highest perfection? God speaketh to the hearts of these blessed Soules, and the hearts of these blessed Soules, thinke and vtter thoughts agreeable to the heart of GOD. God, that saw his Workes of Creation that they were good, and pleased himselfe in their goodnesse; Now beholdeth his worke of Blessing and Glorification, and reioyceth in the rest & ioy which he hath giuen to his Beloued. The glorified Soules behold and admire the Goodnesse and MercieMercy of God, that gaue not only the workes of the six daies, but the rest of the Seuenth to rebellious dust, and sinful ashes. In the infinite LoueLove of God, their louelove still steepeth and drowneth it selfe; and the more it seeth the LoueLove of God, the more it loues God; and the more it loues God, the more it is beloued. And out of the feeling of this surpassing LoueLove of God, breake out those Songs of Ioy, and Voyces of Exultation, Glory, and Honour and Prayse bee to him that sitteth on the throne, & to the Lamb for euermore. And, Halleluiah; For the Kingdome of the Lord God Almightie is come. And, Let vsus be glad, and reioyce and giuegive Glorie to God, for the Marriage of the Lambe is come, his Wife is readie, and shee is arayed in pure and shining Silke. And yet this felicitie is not all; but that it may bee as long as it is large, and as infinite in continuance, as it is in extent, there issues from the Deitie, into the glorified Soules, the sap and nourishment of an eternall Life. The Tree of Life nourisheth eternally the branches of the same Tree; Death is swallowed vp into victory, and it selfe dyeth by the Word which is Life. But the Soules partakers of God, from him who is Eternall, doe sucke Eternitie, and so become that Kingdome, whereof there is no end. And yet this is not all of that inexpressible Felicitie, but the greatest and chiefest is yet left in silence: for that must needs be greatest which cannot enter into the heart of Man. But let the transcendence of that which is vnknowne, be a double spurre vntounto vsus in this Race of Happinesse; one, because it is transcendent, another, because vnknowne. Let the Eminence prouoke our Ambitions, & the Secrecie our Curiosities. Let vsus desire and striue earnestly to enter into that, which now by reason of wonderfull excellence cannot enter into vsus. Let vsus indeuour carefully to walke in the light of Grace, which will bring vsus to the full Reuelation of the yet inaccessible light of Glorie; where Happinesse shall at once bee fully knowne, and fully enioyed.
In the meane time, it may be sufficient for me to discouer, That the Soules seated in Beatitude, passe their time, which shall neuer bee past, in the very top of Blisse and Delectation: They laugh at sorrowes past, and are secure for infinite ioyes to come. God is theirs, and they are Gods, and in this Vnitie is the fulnesse of Felicitie.
FINIS.
End of the text · Francis Rous, The Art of Happiness (1619)