The Harmony of the Divine Attributes in Mans Redemption, Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Divine Mercy is magnified in the excellency of the state to which Man is advanced. He is inricht with higher Prerogatives, under a better Covenant, entitled to a more glorious Reward than Adam at first enjoyed. The Humane Nature is personally united to the Son of God. Believers are spiritually united to Christ. The Gospel is a better Covenant than that of the Law. It admits of Repentance and Reconciliation after Sin. It accepts of Sincerity instead of Perfection. It affords supernatural Assistance to Believers, whereby they shall be victorious over all opposition in their way to Heaven. The difference between the Grace of the Creator and that of the Redeemer. The stability of the New-Covenant is built on the Love of God which is unchangeable, and the Operations of his Spirit that are effectual. The mutability and weakness of the Humane Will, and the strength of Temptations shall not frustrate the merciful Design of God in regard of his Elect. The glorious Reward of the Gospel exceeds the Primitive Felicity of Adam, in the place of it, the highest Heaven. Adam's life was attended with innocent Infirmities, from which the glorified Life is entirely exempt. The Felicity of Heaven exceeds the first, in the manner, degrees, and continuance of the fruition.
THe Third Consideration which makes the Love of God so admirable to lapsed Man, is, the excellency of that state to which he is advanc'd by the Redeemer. To be only exempted from Death is a great favour: The grace of a Prince is eminent in releasing a condemned Person from the punishment of the Law. This is sufficient for the Mercy of Man, but not for the Love of God: He pardons and prefers the guilty; He rescues us from Hell, and raises us to Glory; He bestows Eternity upon those who were unworthy of Life. The excellency of our condition under the Gospel will be set off, by comparing it with that of innocent Man in Paradise. 'Tis true he was then in a state of Holiness and Honour, and in perfect possession of that Blessedness which was suitable to his Nature; yet in many respects our last state transcends our first, and redeeming Love exceeds creating.
If Man had been only restor'd to his forfeited Rights, to the enjoyment of the same Happiness which was lost, his first state were most desirable; And it had been greater Goodness to have preserv'd him innocent, than to recover him from ruine. As he that preserves his Friend from falling into the hands of the Enemy, by interposing between him and danger, in the midst of the Combat, delivers him in a more noble manner, than by paying a Ransom for him after many daies spent in woful Captivity. And that Physician is more excellent in his Art, who prevents Diseases, and keeps the Body in health and vigour, than another that expels them by sharp Remedies. But the Grace of the Gospel hath so much mended our condition, that if it were offer'd to our choice, either to enjoy the innocent state of Adam, or the renewed by Christ, it were folly like that of our first Parents, to prefer the former before the latter. The Jubilee of the Law restor'd to the same Inheritance, but the Jubilee of the Gospel gives us the Investiture of that which is transcendently better than what we at first possest. Since The Day-spring from on High hath visited us in tender mercy, we are enricht with higher Prerogatives, and are under a better Covenant, and entitled to a more glorious Reward, than was due to Man by the Law of his Creation.
First, The Humane Nature is raised to an higher degree of Honour, than if Man had continued in his Innocent state.
1. By its intimate Union with the Son of God. He assum'd it as the fit Instrument of our Redemption, and preferr'd it before the Angelical, which surpast Man's in his Primitive State.Col. 2.9. The Fulness of the God-thead dwells in our Redeemer bodily. From hence it is▪ that the Angels descended to pay Him homage at his Birth, and attended his Majesty in his disguise. The Son of Man hath those Titles which are above the Dignity of any meer Creature; He is King of the Church, and Judg of the World; he exercises Divine Power, and receives Divine Praise. Briefly, The humane Nature in our Redeemer is an associate with the Divine; and being made a little lower then the Angles for a time, is now advanced far above all Principalities and Powers.Ephes. 1.21.
2. In all those who are partakers of Grace and Glory by the Lord Jesus. Adam was the Son of God by Creation, but to be joyned to Christ as our head, by a union so intimate, that he lives in us, and counts himself incompleat without us,Gal. 2.20. Ephes. 1.23. and by that union to be adopted into the line of Heaven, and thereby to have an interest in the exceeding great and precious promises of the Gospel;Servo ut servo nihil potest donari. to be constituted Heirs of God, and coheirs with Christ, are such discoveries of the dignity of our supernatural state, that the lowest Believer is advanced above Adam in all his honour. Nay, the Angels though superior to Man in the excellency of their nature, yet are accidently lower by the honour of our alliance: Their King is our Brother. And this relative dignity which seems to eclipse their Glory, might excite their envy, but such an ingenuous goodness dwells in those pure and blessed Spirits, that they rejoyce in our restoration and advancement.
To this I shall add, that as the Son of God hath a special relation to Man, so the most tender affections for him. To illustrate this by a sensible instance: Angels and Men are as two different Nations in Language and Customs, but under the same Empire: and if a Prince that commands two Nations should employ one for the safety and prosperity of the other, it were an Argument of special favour. Now the Angels are sent forth to minister for them who are Heirs of Salvation. Besides,Heb. 1.14. in two other things the peculiar affection of the Prince would be most evident to that Nation.
1. If he put on their habit, and attire himself according to their fashion.
2. If he fixt his residence among them. Now the Son of God was cloathed with our flesh, and found in fashion as a man, and for ever appears in it in Heaven; and will at the last day invest our bodies with glory like to his own. He now dwells in us by his Spirit, and when our warfare is accomplisht, he shall in a special manner be present with us in the eternal Mansions. As God incarnate he converst with Men on Earth, and as such he will converse with them in heaven. There he raigns as the first-born in the midst of many Brethren. Now all these Prerogatives are the fruits of our Redemption.
And how great is that Mercy which hath raised Mankind more glorious out of its ruines! The Apostle breaks out with a Heavenly astonishment, Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the Sons of God! 1 Joh. 3.1.that we who are Strangers and Enemies, Children of Wrath by nature, should be dignified with the honorable, and amiable title of his Sons! 'Twas a rare and most merciful condescension in Pharaoh's Daughter, to rescue an innocent and forsaken Infant from perishing by the waters, and adopt him to be her Son but how much greater kindness was it for God to save guilty and wretched Man from Eternal Flames, and to take him into his Family. The Ambition of the Prodigal rose no higher than to be a Servant; wha… an inestimable favour is it to make us Children! When God would express the most dear and peculiar affection to Solomon, he saith, I will be his Father, and he shall be my Son: this was the highest honour he could promise;2 Sam. 7.14. and all believers are dignified with it. 'Tis the same relation that Christ hath: when he was going to Heaven he comforted his Disciples with these words, I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. There is indeed a diversity in the foundation of it: Christ is a Son by Nature, we are by meer Favour; he is by Generation, we are by Adoption. Briefly, Jesus Christ hath made us Kings & Priests unto God & his Father: These are the highest Offices upon Earth, and were attended with the most conspicuous Honour; and the Holy Spirit chose those bright Images, to convey a clearer notice of the glory to which our Redeemer hath raised us. Not only all the Crowns and Scepters in this perishing World are infinitely beneath this dignity, but the honour of our innocent state was not equal to it.
Secondly, The Gospel is a better Covenant than that which was establisht with Man in his Creation: and the excellency of it will appear, by considering,
1. 'Tis more beneficial, in that it admits of Repentance and Reconciliation after sin, and accepts of Sincerity instead of perfection. The Apostle magnifies the Office of Christ,Heb. 8.6. By how much he is a Mediator of a better Covenant, which was established upon better promises. The comparison there, is, between the Ministry of the Gospel and the Mosaical oeconomy. And the excellency of the Gospel is specified, in respect of those infinitely better promisses that are in it. The ceremonial Law appointed Sacrifices for sins of ignorance and error, and to obtain only legal impunity; but the Gospel upon the account of Christ's all-sufficient Sacrifice, offers full Pardon for all Sins that are repented of and forsaken. Now with greater reason the Covenant of Grace is to be preferr'd before the Covenant of Works. For the Law considered Man as holy, and endued with perfection of Grace equal to whatsoever was commanded: 'Twas the measure of his Ability as well as Duty, and requir'd exact Obedience, or threatned extreme Misery. The least breach of it is fatal: A single Offence as certainly exposes to the curse, as if the whole were violated. And in our lapsed state we are utterly disabled to comply with its Purity and Perfection. But the Gospel contains the Promises of Mercy, and is in the hands of a Mediator. Act. 2.38.The tenor of it is, That Repentance and Remission of Sins be preached in the Name of Christ. 1 Cor. 11.3… ▪And if we judge our selves, we shall not be judged. 'Tis not if we are innocent, for then none could be exempt from Condemnation: But if the convinced Sinner erect a Tribunal in Conscience, and strips Sin of its disguise, to view it in its native deformity; if he pronounce the Sentence of the Law against himself, and glorifie the Justice of God which he cannot satisfie, and forsake the Sins which are the causes of his sorrow, he is qualified for pardoning Mercy.
Besides, The Gospel doth not only apply Pardon to us for all forsaken Sins, but provides a Remedy for those Infirmities to which the best are incident. Whilst we are in this mortal state, we are exposed to Temptations from without, and have Corruptions within that often betray us: Now to support our drooping Spirits, our Redeemer sits in Heaven to plead for us▪ and perpetually renews the Pardon that was once purchased, to every contrite spirit, for those unavoidable frailties which cleave to us here. The promise of Grace is not made void by the sudden surprizes of Passions. If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, 1 Joh. 2.Jesus Christ the Righteous. The rigour of the Law is mollified by his Mediation with the Father: A title of Love and Tenderness. God deals not with the Severity of a Judg, but He spares us as a man spares his own son that serves him.Malac. 3.
And as He pardons us upon our Repentance, so He accepts our hearty, though mean, services. Now the Legal, that is, unsinning and compleat Obedience cannot be performed; the Evangelical, that is, the sincere, though imperfect, is graciously received. God doth not require the duties of a Man by the measures of an Angel. Unfeigned Endeavours to please Him, unreserved Respects to all his Commands, single and holy aims at his Glory are rewarded. Briefly, Although the Law is continued as a Rule of living, yet not as the Covenant of Life. And what an admirable exaltation of Mercy is there in this new Treaty of God with Sinners? 'Tis true, the first Covenant was holy, just, and good, but it made no abatements of favour, and 'tis now weak through the flesh: Rom. 9.that is, The carnal corrupt Nature is so strong and impetuous, that the restraints of the Law are ineffectual to stop its desires, and therefore cannot bring Man to that Life that is promised, by the performance of the Condition required. But the Gospel provides an Indulgence for relenting and returning Sinners. This is the language of God in that Covenant, I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins, Heb. 8.and duplicate page their Iniquities will I remember no more.
2. The excellency of the Evangelical Covenant above the Legal, is, in that supernatural Assistance which is conveyed by it to Believers, whereby they shall be certainly victorious over all opposition in their way to Heaven. 'Tis true Adam was endued with perfect holiness and freedom, but he might intangle himself in the snares of Sin, and Death. The Grace of the Creator given to him was alwaies present, but it depended on the natural use of his Faculties, without the interposing any extraordinary operation of God's Spirit. The Principle of Holiness was in himself, and 'twas subjected to his Will: He had a power to obey if he would, but not that actually determined his will, for then he had persevered. But the Grace of the Redeemer that flows from Christ as our quickening Head, and is conveyed to all his Members, enclines the Will so powerfully that 'tis made subject to it. God works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure;Phil. 2.13. The use of our Faculties, and the exercise of Grace, depends on the good pleasure of God, who is unchangeable, and the operations of the Spirit which are prevailing and effectual. And upon these two the stability of the New Covenant is founded.
1. On the Love of God, who is as unchangable in his Will, as in his Nature. This Love is the cause of Election,Rom. 8.35. Isa. 9. Joh. 17.6. from whence there can be no separation. This gives Christ to Believers, and Believers to Him: Thine they were, saith our Saviour, and thou gavest them me. Which words signifie not the common title God hath to all by Creation: for Men thus universally consider'd, compose the world; and our Saviour distinguishes those that are given Joh. 16.17.him from the world; but that special right God hath in them by election. And all those are given by the Father to Christ in their effectual Calling, (which is exprest by his drawing them to the Son) and are committed to his care,Joh. 5.44. to lead them through a course of Obedience to Glory. For them Christ absolutely praies as Mediator,John 17. Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, and see my Glory: And he is alwaies heard in his requests.
'Tis from hence that the Apostle challenges all Creatures in Heaven and Ear…h, with that full and strong persuasion, that nothing could separate between Believers,Rom. 8.38. and their Happiness. For I am persuaded that neither Death nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities nor Powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor heigth, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. His assurance is not built on the special Prerogatives he had as an Apostle, not on his rapture to Paradise, nor Revelations, nor the Apparition of Angels, for of these he makes no mention; but on that which is common to all Believers, the Love of God declar'd in the Word, and shed abroad in their hearts. And 'tis observable that the Apostle having spoken in his own person, changes the number, I am persuaded that nothing shall separate us, to associate with himself in the partaking of that blessed Priviledg, all true Believers, who have an interest in the same Love of God, the same Promises of Salvation, and had felt the sanctifying work of the Spirit, the certain proof of their Election. For how is it possible that God should retract his merciful purpose to save his People? He that chose them from Eternity before they could know Him, and from pure Love (there being nothing in the Creature to induce Him) gave his Son to suffer Death for them, will He stop there, without bestowing that Grace which may render it effectual? What can change his Affections? He that prevented them in his Mercy, when they were in their pollutions, will He leave them after his Image is engraven upon them? He that loved them so as to unite them to Christ when they were strangers, will He hate them when they are his Members? No: His loving kindness is everlasting,Jer. 31. and the Covenant that is built on it, is more firm than the Pillars of Heaven, and the Foundations of the Earth. This supported David in his dying hours, that God had made with him an everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure, 2 Sam. 23.5.for that was all his Salvation.
2. The New Covenant is secur'd by the efficacy of Divine and Supernatural Grace.Heb. 8.10. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, saith the Lord, I will put my Laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a People. The Elect are enabled to perform the conditions of the Gospel, to which Eternal Life is promised. Our Redeemer blesses us in turning us from our Iniquities. Act. 3.26.And although the instability of the humane Spirit, by reason of remanent Corruptions, and those various Temptations to which we are liable, may excite our fear, lest we should fall short of the high prize of our Calling, yet the Grace of the Gospel secures true Believers against both.
1. Whilst we are in the present state, our Corruptions are not perfectly healed, but there are some remains, which like a Gangrene threaten to seize on the vital parts, wherein the spiritual Life is seated. But the divine Nature which is conveyed to all that are spiritually descended from Christ, is active and powerful to resist all carnal desires, and will prevail in the end. For if sin in its full vigor could not controul the efficacy of converting Grace, how can the reliques of it, after Grace hath taken possession, be strong enough to spoil it of its conquest. There is a greater distance from Death to Life, than from Life to Action. That Omnipotent Grace that visited us in the Grave, and restored life to the dead, can much more perpetuate it in the living. That which was so powerful as to pluck the heart of stone out of the Breast, can preserve the Heart of Flesh.
'Tis true, the Grace that is given to Believers, in its own nature is a perishing quality, as that which was bestowed on Adam. Non only the slight superficial tincture in hypocrites will wear off, but that deep impression of sanctifying Grace in true Believers, if it be not renewed, would soon be defaced. But God hath promised to put his Spirit into their hearts, and to cause them to walk in his Statutes, and they shall keep his Commandments. Ezec. 36.27.He is a living reigning Principle in them, to which all their faculties are subordinate. The Spirit infused Grace at first, and enlivens it daily: he confirms their Faith, inflames their Love, encourages their Obedience, and refreshes in their minds the Idea's of that glory which is invisible and future. In short, his influence cherishes the blessed beginnings of the spiritual Life. So that sincere Grace though weak in its degree, yet 'tis in a state of progress, til it come to perfection. The Waters of the Spirit have a cleansing vertue upon Believers, till every spot be taken away, and their purified Souls ascend to Heaven.
2. The Grace of the Spirit shall make true Christians finally victorious over Temptations to which they may be exposed. And those are various: Some are pleasant and insinuating, others are sharp and furious, and are managed by the Devil our subtile and industrious Enemy, to undermine, or by open battery to overthrow us. And how difficult is it for the Soul whilst united to Flesh, to resist the charms of what is amiable, or to endure the assaults of what is terrible to sense? But the renewed Christian hath no reason to be afrighted with disquieting fears, that any sinful temptation may come, which notwithstanding his watchfulness, may overcome him irrecoverably. For,
1. Temptations are External, and have no power over our spirits but what we give them. A voluntary resistance secures the victory to us. And the Apostle tells us, Greater is he that is in Believers, then he that is in the World. 1 Joh. 4.4.God is stronger not only in himself, but as working in us, by the vigorous assistance of his Grace to confirm us, than the Devil assisted with all the delights and terrours of the world, and taking advantage of that remaining concupiscence which is not intirely extinguished, is, to corrupt, and destroy us.
2. All Temptations in their degrees and continuance, are ordered by Gods Providence. He is the president of the combat: none enters into the lists but by his call: in all Ages the Promise shall be verified,1 Cor. 10.13▪ Rom. 8.37. God will not suffer his People to be tempted above what they are able. They shall come off more then Conquerours, through Christ that loves them. And as St. Austin observes;Major quippe libertas est necessaria, adversus tot, et tantas tentationes, quae in Paradiso non fuit dono perseverantiae munita, ac firmata, ut cum omnibus terroribus & erroribus suis, vincatur mundus. more powerful Grace is necessary to fortifie Christians, in the midst of all opposition, then Adam at first received. This is visible in the glorious issue of the Martyrs▪ Who loved not their Lives unto the Death: For Adam when no person threatned him, nay against the prohibition of God, abusing his Liberty, did not abide in his Happiness, when 'twas most easie to him to avoid Sin. But the Martyrs remain'd firm in the Faith, not only under Terrors, but Torments. And which is the more admirable, in that Adam saw the Happiness present, which he should forfeit by his Disobedience, and the Martyrs believed only the future Glory they were to receive. This proceeded only from God who was so merciful, as to make them faithful. Briefly, Unless there were a power above the Divine, the Elect are …ecured from final Apostacy. Our Saviour tells us that his Father is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out of his hand. His Invariable Will and Almighty Power prevents their perishing. Indeed if it were only by the strength of Natural Reason, or Courage, that we are to overcome Temptations, some might be so violent as to make the strongest to faint and fall away: But if the Divine Power be the Principle that supports us, it will make the weakest victorious. For the Grace of God makes us strong, and is not made weak by us.
From hence we may fully discover the advantage we have by the Gospel, above the terms of the first Covenant. Restoring Mercy hath better'd our Condition: We have lost the integrity of the first, and got the perfection of the second Adam: Our Salvation is put into a stronger and safer hand. I give, saith our Redeemer,Joh. 10. unto my sheep eternal Life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. That is an inviolable Sanctuary, from whence no Believer can be taken. Christ is our Friend, not only to the Altar, but now in the Throne: Our Reconciliation is ascribed to his Death, our Conservation to his Life. Rom. 5.10.He that was created in a state of Nature could sin and die, but He that is born of God can't sin unto death: 1 Joh. 3.9.the new birth is unto Eternal Life. In short, As the Mercy of God is glorified in the whole work of our Salvation, so especially in the first, and last Grace, it confers upon us. In Vocation that prevents us, and Perseverance that crowns us: according to the double change made in our state, translating us from Darkness to Light, and from the imperfect Light of Grace, to the full Light of Glory.
I have more particularly discours'd of this Advantage by the New Covenant, in regard the Glory of God, and the comfort of true Christians is so much concern'd in it. For if Grace and Free-Will are put in joint commission, so that the efficacy of it depends on the mutability of the Will, which may receive or reject it, the consequence is visible, that (which is impious to suppose) the Son of God might have died in vain. For that which is not effectual without a contingent condition, must needs be as uncertain, as the condition on which it depends. So that although the Wisdom of God so admirably formed the design of our Salvation, and there is such a connexion in his Counsels, yet all may be defeated by the mutability of Mans desires. And the most sincere Christians would be alwaies terrified with perplexing jealousies, that notwithstanding their most serious Resolutions to continue in their Duty, yet one day they may perish by their Apostasie. But the Gospel assures us, that God will not reverse his own Eternal Decrees: And that the Redeemer shall see the travel of his Soul, Isa 53.11.and be satisfied: and that Believers are kept by the Power of God through Faith unto Salvation.
3. There is an excellent manifestation of Divine Love, in the glorious reward that is promised to Believers, which far exceeds the primitive felicity of Man. Adam was under the Covenant of nature, that promised a reward sutable to his obedience, and state. The manner of declaring that Covenant was natural.
1. External, by the discovery of God's Attributes in his Works, from which it was easie for man to collect his duty and his reward.
2. Internal, by his natural faculties. By the light of Reason he understood that so long as he continued in his original Innocence, the Creator who from pure goodness gave him his being, and all the happiness which was concomitant with it, would certainly preserve him in the perpetual enjoyment of it. But there was no promise of Heaven annexed to that Covenant, without which Adam could attain no knowledg, nor conceive any hopes of it. If there had been a necessary connexion between his perfect Obedience, and the life of Glory, it would have been revealed to him, to allure his will: for there can be no desire of an unknown good. And whereas in the Covenant God principally and primarily regards the promise, and but secondarily the threatning, the exercise of goodness being more pleasing to him than of revenging justice; 'tis said, that God expresly threatned Death, but he made no promise of Heaven: by which 'tis evident it did not belong to that Covenant. For it was easier for Man to understand the quality of the punishment that attended sin, than to conceive of Celestial Happiness, of which he was incapable in his animal state.
'Tis true, God might have bestowed Heaven as an absolute gift upon Man, after a course of obedience; but 'twas not due by the condition of the first Covenant. A natural work can give no title to a supernatural reward. Mans perseverance in his duty, according to the Original Treaty, had been attended with Immortal Happiness upon the Earth; but the blessed Hope is only promised in the Gospel,Tit. 2.13. and unspeakably transcends the felicity of Nature in its consummat state.
This Reward is answerable to the unvaluable treasure which was laid down for it. The Blood of the Son of God as 'tis a Ransom to redeem us from misery, so 'tis a Price to purchase glory for Believers.1 Tim. 2.6. 'Tis called the Blood of the New-Testament, because it conveys a title to the Heavenly Inheritance.Mat. 26.28. Our impunity is the effect of his Satisfaction, our positive happiness of his redundant merit. God was so well pleased with his perfect Obedience, which infinitely surpasses that of any meer creature, that he promised to confer upon those who believe in him, all the glorious qualities becoming the Sons of God, and to make them associates with him in his Eternal Kingdom. The compleat happiness of the Redeemed, is the Redeemers recompence, in which he is fully satisfied for all his sufferings. Now the transcendent excellency of this above the first state of Man, will more distinctly appear by considering,
I. The place where 'tis enjoyed, and that is the Heaven of Heavens. Adam was put into the Terrestrial Paradise, a place sutable to his natural being, and abounding with all pleasing objects; but they were such as creatures of a lower kind enjoyed with him. But Heaven is the Element of Angels, their native seat, who are the most noble part of the Creation. 'Tis the true Palace of God, intirely separated from the impurities and imperfections, the alterations and changes of the lower World; where he reigns in Eternal Peace. 'Tis the Temple of the Divine Majesty, where his exellent Glory is revealed in the most conspicuous manner. 'Tis the habitation of his holiness, the place where his honour dwells. 'Tis the sacred Mansion of Light, and Joy, and Glory. Paradise with all its pleasures was but a shadow of it.
II. The Life of Adam was attended with innocent infirmities. For the body being composed of the same principles with other sensitive creatures, 'twas liable to hunger, and thirst, and weariness, and was to be repaired by food and sleep. Adam was made a living Soul, therefore subject to those inclinations and necessities which are purely animal.1 Cor. 15.45 And although whilst innocent, no disease could seize on him, yet he was capable of hurtful impressions: though he should have been preserved from death, yet he was perishable. His life was in a perpetual flux: 'twas Immortal not meerly from the temperament of his Body, but to be sustained by the power of God in the use of means. From hence it follows that Adam in his natural state▪ was not capable of the vision of God. Heaven is too pure an Air for him to have lived in. The Glory of it is inconsistent with such a temper'd Body. Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. 1 Cor. 15.50The faculties would be confounded with its overcoming brightness. Till the sensitive powers are refin'd, and exalted to that degree that they become spiritual, they cannot converse with glorified objects. Now the bodies of the Saints shall be invested with Celestial qualities. The Natural shall be changed into a Spiritual body, and be preserved as the Angels by the sole vertue of the quickning Spirit. The life above shall flourish in its ful vigour, without any other support, than the Divine power that first created it. And as the body shall be spiritual, so truely immortal, and free from all corruptive change; as the Sun which for so many ages hath shined with an equal brightness to the World, and hath a dureable fulness of light in it. In this respect the Children of the Resurrection, Luk. 20.36.are equal to the Angels, who being pure Spirits, do not marry to perpetuate their kind, for they never die. And the glorified body shall be cloathed with a more Divine beauty in the Resurrection, than Adam had in the Creation. The glory of the second Temple shall excel that of the first. In short,1 Cor. 15.47. the first Man was of the Earth earthy, and could derive but an earthy condition to his descendents: But the Lord Christ is from Heaven, and is the principle of an Heavenly and Glorious life to all that are united to him.
III. The felicity of Heaven exceeds the first, in the manner and degrees of the fruition, and the continuance of it.
1. The Vision of God in Heaven is immediate. Adam was a spectator of God's Works, and his understanding being full of Light, he clearly discover'd the Divine Attributes in their effects. The stroaks of the Creators Hand are engraven in all the parts of the Universe. The Heavens, and Earth, and all things in them, are evident testimonies of the excellency of their Author. The invisible things of God from the Creation of the World are clearly seen. Rom. 1.20.And the knowledg that shined in his soul, produced a transcendent esteem of the Deity, in whom Wisdom and Power are united in their supreme degree, and a superlative love and delight in him for his goodness. Yet his sight of God was but through a Glass, an eclipsing medium. For inferior beings are so imperfect, that they can give but a weak resemblance of his infinite perfections. But the sight of God in Heaven,1 Joh. 3.2. is called, the seeing of him as he is, and signifies the most clear and compleat knowledge, which the rational soul when purified and raised to its most perfect state can receive; and out-shines all the discoveries of God in the lower World. Adam had a visible copy of his invisible beauty, but the Saints in Heaven see the glorious Original. He saw God in the reflection of the Creature, but the Saints are under the direct beams of Glory,1▪ Cor. 13.12. and see him face to face. All the Attributes appear in their full and brightest lustre to them. Wisdom, Love, Justice, Holiness, Power, are manifested in their exaltation. And the glorified Soul, to qualify it for converse with God in this intimate manner, hath a more excellent constitution then was given to it in the Creation. A new edge is put upon the faculties whereby they are fitted for those objects which are peculiar to Heaven. The intellectual eye is fortified for the immediate intuition of God. Adam in Paradise was absent from the Lord, in comparison of the Saints who encompass his Throne, & are in the presence of his Glory.
Besides, 'Tis the peculiar excellency of the Heavenly Life, that the Saints every moment enjoy it without any allay, in the highest degree of its Perfection. The Life of Adam was alwaies in a circle of low and mean functions of the Animal Nature, which being common to him and Beasts, the acts of it are not strictly Humane. But the Spiritual Life in Heaven is entirely freed from those servile necessities, and is spent in the eternal performance of the most noble actions of which the intelligent Nature is capable. The Saints do alwaies contemplate, admire, love, enjoy, and praise their everlasting Benefactor. God is to them all in all.
In short, That which prefers the Glory of Heaven infinitely before the first state of Man, is the continuance of it for ever: 'Tis an unwithering and never-fading Glory. Adam was liable to Temptations, and capable of Change, he fell in the Garden of Eden, and was sentenc'd to die. But Heaven is the Sanctuary of Life and Immortality; 'tis inaccessible to any evil. The Serpent that corrupted Paradise with its Poison, can't enter there. As there is no seed of Corruption within, so no cause of it without. Our Redeemer offer'd Himself by the Eternal Spirit, and purchased an eternal Inheritance for his People. Their Felicity is full and perpetual, without encrease, for in the first moment 'tis perfect, and shall continue without declination. The Day of Judgment is called the Last Day: For Daies, and Weeks, and Months, and Years, the Revolutions which now measure Time, shall then be swallowed up in an unchangeable Eternity.1 Thes. 4.…. The Saints shall be for ever with the Lord. And in all these respects, the Glory of the Redeemed, as far exceeds the Felicity of Man in the Creation, as Heaven, the bright Seat of it, is above the fading beauty of the terrestrial Paradise.