The Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law, Treatise · Part 16 – Part 17
From glory to glory.
Wee see the state of Gods children here,The state of grace and glory, both goe under one name. and the state in Heaven, come both under one name, both are glory. The children of God are Kings here, they shall be Kings in Heaven, they are Saints here, as they be Saints in Heaven, there is an adoption of grace, as well as an adoption of glory, Rom. 8. There is a regeneration here, of our soules, there is a regeneration of soule and body then. We are new creatures here, and we shall be new creatures there.
Quest. Why doe all come under one name, the state of glory in Heaven, and the state of grace here, is there no difference?
Answ. Yes, but the difference is in degrees, and not otherwise:Heaven must be begun here. for Heaven must be begunne here, if ever wee meane to enter into Heaven hereafter, we enter into the subburbs here, we must be new creatures here, we are kings here, we are Heires apparant here, we are adopted here, we are regenerate here, we are glorious here, before we be glorious hereafter, therfore beloved, we may read our future state in our present, wee must not thinke to come de scelo in celum, (as he saith) out of the filth of sinne to Heaven, but Heaven must be begunne here, you see both have the same name, grace and glory. Therefore, wouldst thou know, what thy condition shall be afterwards? read it in thy present disposition, if there be not a change, and a glorious change here, never looke for a glorious change hereafter, what is not begunne in grace, shall never be accomplished in glory, both grace here, and glory hereafter, comming under the same name it forceth this.
And likewise it is a ground of comfort,Comfort, that grace and glory have the same name. for why have we the same terme here, when we are in the state of grace, why are we decked and adorned with the same title, as wee shall bee in heaven?
It is partly for certainety, grace is glory as well as the perfection of it is glory, to shew that where grace is truely begun, it will end in glory; all the powers in the world cannot interrupt Gods gracious progresse and way; what is begun in grace, will end in glory, where the foundation is layd, God will be sure to put up the roofe, he never repents of his beginnings, Salomon saith that the righteous is like to the Sun, that growes brighter, and brighter, till hee come to his full strength, so the state of the godly growes more and more, from light to light, till hee come to full strength.Difference betweene the state of the godly and wicked. The state of the wicked is cleane contrary; the state of the wicked is like the declining day, the Sunne growes downe and downe till it bee twilight, and thence to darkenesse, and then to utter darkenesse, so they being darke in themselves, they grow from the darkenesse of misery, and terrour of conscience to eternall darkenesse, blacke dismall darkenesse in hell, but the state of the godly it is like the course of the Sunne after midnight, that is growing up, up still till it come to mid day, so the state of the godly it is alway on the mending hand, it is alwayes a growing state, it is a hopefull condition, they goe from glory to glory, and therefore let us be assured of eternall glory for the time to come, as sure as we are of the beginnings of grace here wrought, you see then a maine difference betweene the godly and others, other men grow backeward proficere in pejus as we say, they take degrees backe from worse to worse, till they end in utter desolation and destruction for ever, but the other riseth by degrees, till they come to that happinesse that can admit no further degrees, all the glory of the world ends in vanity and in nothing, but the glory of a Christian that begins in grace, you see it proceedes from glory to glory, alway growing and amending: If men were not spiritually mad, would they not rather be in a condition alway amending and growing more and more hopefull still, than to bee in a condition alway declining, and most subject to decline when it is at the toppe. There is no consistence in any humane felicity, but it is in precipite neere a downefall when it is at the highest, Gods children are neere rising when they are at the lowest, there is a Spirit of glory lights, and not onelyonly so, but rests on them, it doth not light upon them, and then goe away, it is not as a flash or blaze of flaxe, or so, but the Spirit rests, and growes still upon them, from glory to glory; the state of a Christian it is comfortable that is soundly converted, when he shall thinke every day brings me nearer my glory, every day I rise, I am somewhat happier than I was the day before, because I am somewhat more glorious, and nearer to eternall glory, when another wretch that lives in sinnes against conscience, may say I am somewhat nearer hell, nearer eclipsing and ebbing, and declining than before, so every day brings terrour to the one, and matter of comfort to the other.
From glory to glory.
Grace we see is glory, especially when it is in strength,Grace glorious when it is in strength. and the more grace growes, the more glory, the more it shines the more glory: we say of fire, the more it burnes the lesse it smoakes, the lesse infirmity appeares that may disgrace it, the more grace, the more light and luster, and the lesse infirmity: glory belongs to the growth of grace in this world; for is not a Christian, a glorious Christan, when he is a growne Christian, when he sends a luster as a pearle, when as a glorious light, he shines to the example of others; when he is able, as Paul saith gloriously of himselfe, I can doe all in Christ that strengthneth me, to want, and to abound, cast him into any condition what you will, he is like himselfe; cast Ioseph into prison he is Ioseph still, cast Paul in the dungeon he is Paul still, and is never more glorious, than in the middest of afflictions, so grace growing to some perfection is glorious; Wisedome makes a mans face to shine saith Salomon, so it is true of all other graces in some perfection, they make a man shine, there is nothing in the world so glorious as a Christian that is growne to some perfection, indeed he is so glorious that the eye of the world when it is cast upon him, it stirres up envie, as carnall persons when they see a Christian man unmoveable in the middest of all motions, and unchangeable in all changes, when nothing can alter him, but he goes on, they wonder at the condition of this man, when as indeede his grounds, and resolutions are above all discouragements, or incouragements that the world can afford: David was a King, and a Prophet, and David was a holy man, and David for constitution of body was ruddy, and of a sweete complection, and David for the manner of his Kingdome, was a King of a great people, there were many excellencies of David, oh but what doth David account the prerogative of a man? Blessed is the man whose sinnes are forgiven, in whose spirit there is no guile, that is, that is truely sanctified in Spirit, that is in the state of justification, and as a witnesse of that, of the forgivenesse of his sinnes, hath a spirit without guile, happy is that man, not that is a King or a Prophet, or a strong man, or a beautifull man, or hath this indowment or that, but happy is the man whose sinnes are forgiven, and whose spirit is sanctified.