A Celestial Looking-Glass to Behold the Beauty of Heaven, Part 3
Thirdly, Heauen is deſcribed by the Ioyes.
NOw as Heauen is a moſt glorious place, a Kingdome which hath no end or meaſure, either in power or glory:2. Pet. 1.11 1. Cor. 2, 9 So in the ſame are contained Ioyes vnſpeakeable. As a learned Father ſaith, that it is an eaſier matter to know what God is not, then to know what hee is: It is much eaſier to tell what is not in heauen, then to tell what is there: the ioyes thereof are ſo great, that all the Arithmeticians in the world cannot number; the Geometricians meaſure, nor Rhetoricians with all their eloquence vtter and expreſſe the ſame: it doth exceede the power of our eloquence, and the capacity of all our intelligence.
Saint Paule was rapt into Heauen,1 Cor. 2.9. Eſay 64.4, Pſ. 31.20. and ſaw the ioyes thereof: & they were ſo exceeding great, that his tongue was not able to expreſſe them: Therefore he ſaith, that neither eye hath ſeene, nor eare hath heard, nor the heart of man conceiued the greatnes of heauenly ioyes. They which are there wiſh nothing but they hauehave it before them; they deſire nothing but they enioy it; they dwell in louelove, they liue in peace, and continue in the fruition of all bleſſedneſſe.
Mat. 5.8, Reu. 19, 9, Pſal. 64.4. Ioh. 3.33,Bleſſed is their eſtate, bleſſed their beginning, their preſent beeing, and their neuer ending: They are crowned with ioy and gladneſſe, and remaine for euer in a moſt bleſſed eſtate. As they hauehave beene here members militant, there they are all triumphant, all Kings reigning, and all victoriouſly triumphing. There the King is Verity,Rom. 3, 4. and the law LoueLove and Charity, the honor Equity, the peace Felicity, and the life Eternity.Luk. 9, 33,
If Peter ſaid onelyonly vponupon Chriſt his transfiguration, it is good to be héere: O how much more ſhall the childrē of God reioyce in the Kingdome of heauen, when they enioy not onelyonly Heauens beauty, and the beholding of Chriſt in his glory, but ſhall themſelues bée glorified,Mat. 13, 43 Dan. 12, 3, Mat. 13, 43, and ſhine as the Sunne in the Kingdome of their Father?
All the Ioyes, Pleaſures,1 Cor. 2, 9 Delights, & comforts that this worlde can yéelde, are but ſhaddowes, if they bée compared vntounto the true Ioyes in the Kingdome of Heauen.Eſay 64.4, Phil. 3, 21 Dan. 12.3 The ioyes of our bodyes ſhall be infinite, the ioyes of our ſouls vnſpeakable: Our earthly and vile bodyes ſhall bée made like vntounto the moſt glorious body of the Son of God, like vntounto the brightneſſe of the Firmament, like vntounto the Angels, like vntounto the Sun in his ſtrength.
Reu. 22.4. 1 Ioh. 3, 2, Exo, 34, 30We ſhall ſée God face to face; we ſhall ſée him as hée is; all the parts and powers both of body and ſoule, ſhal be filled with the ſight, preſence, and fruition of God. As the Lords glory reflected vponupon Moſes, did make his face to ſhine vponupon the Mount: So will our Sauiour Jeſus Chriſt refine and beautifie with the perfection of grace,Phil. 3, 21, that they may bee like vntounto his glorious body. It was one of our Sauiors laſt requeſts in the behalf of his Church, Father, I will that thoſe whō thou haſt giuen me, Ioh, 17, 24,be with mee where I am, that they may behold my glory. For the glory of Chriſt is ſo delightfull to be ſéene, ſo ſwéet to bée poſſeſſed, and ſo pleaſant to be inioyed; and his continuall preſence is ſo ioyfull vntounto all the Saints in Heauen, that if the leaſt drop thereof ſhould deſcend into hell, it would ſweeten all the paines of the damned.
The fountaine of Happineſſe is called by Diuines, viſio Dei beatifica, the ſight of God which maketh vsus happy. Haec ſola eſt ſummum bonum noſtrum, this onelyonly ſight of God is our cheefeſt happineſſe: which Chriſt alſo confirmeth whē he ſaith to his Father, This is life euerlaſting,Ioh. 17, 3, that men know thee the liuing God, and Ieſus Chriſt whom thou haſt ſent.
In ſeeing him, wée ſhall know the power of the Father, we ſhal know the wiſdome of the Sonne, and we ſhall know the goodneſſe of the holy Ghoſt; wee ſhall know the inuiſible nature of the moſt ſacred and bleſſed Trinity.
This ſight of God is the full beatitude and glorification of man:Pſal. 16, 11 for in ſeeing him, we ſhall poſſeſſe him; in poſſeſſing him, wee louelove him; in louing him we ſhall praiſe him; and in praiſing him we ſhal liue and reigne with him: for hee is the Inheritance of his people, the poſſeſſion of their Felicity, and the reward of their expectation. He is ſupereminent aboue all, ſuperexcellent beyond all, and moſt abundant in LoueLove to all.
All perſons generally hauehave the participation of ioy, and eueryevery one in particular the fruition of glory. But this one thing let vsus cōſider, that there is a twofold equality of proportion, & quantity of glory, which ariſeth not from the Obiect, Almighty God, which is euer the ſame; but from man, the ſubiect, which is not in eueryevery particular alike capable of glory: Yet happy, and thrice happy ſhall they bee, who ſhall bee partakers of the leaſt of heauenly glory.
They that hauehave leaſt can deſire no more, and they that hauehave moſt, diſcerne no wants in others, but hauehave a contented pleaſure with profit; ſafety with ſolace, felicity with vnity, peace with perfection; and agreement with grace.
Where Chriſt his righteouſneſſe is their holy rayment, and his perfect fulnes their ioyfull contentment: Their drinke is the moſt ſweete water of Life,Reu. 21.6. Angels food their delicate nouriſhment: they ſhall hauehave the bleſſing of the holy Trinity, with all the ſpirituall riches & vnſpeakeable ioyes of heauen, to be powred vppon them.
O who can tel the greatneſſe of this ioy? When & where togither ſhal meete the Head and the Body, Chriſt and his Church, the Prince of peace, and his Spouſe: our two old friends our ſoules and our bodyes, ſhall meete after ſo many yeeres of ſeparation, with Angels, Arch-angels, Cherubins and Seraphins, Patriarches, Prophets, Martyrs, Apoſtles, and all the bleſſed Saints of God: alſo fathers and mothers, huſbands and wiues, maiſters and ſeruants, brothers and ſiſters, parents and childrē, neighbours and friends, all ſhall meete together: what cryes and ſhouts will there be for ioy? what clapping of hands and ſweete embracements one of another?
O great ſhall be our ioyes when we behold our long-deſired purchaſe, which we hauehave ſo often wiſhed for: and moſt great ſhall bée our ioy, more then euer it was, when wee both with body and ſoule, ſhall ſée and behold our Creator as hee is; where wee all ſhall thinke one thing, and all ſhall ſing one ſong, Halleluiah, Saluation commeth of our God. O we ſhal not onelyonly behold our moſt bleſſed Sauiour who ſo deerely bought vsus, but we ſhal alſo reign with him, triumph with him, ſit in the iudgement ſeat with him, & iudge the very Angels with him. O what more hope could be thought vponupon, except it were to bee Gods our ſelues? All the ioyes, all the riches, all the happines that heauen containeth, ſhall be powred vppon vsus. To theſe ioyes, to theſe felicities, and to this bleſſed Inheritance, bring vsus, O Lord, for thy deare Sonne Chriſt Ieſus his ſake.