The Sovereign and Final Happiness of Man with Means to Obtain it, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
The last Direction. Earnest Prayer to God, to inlighten our Minds to believe the Eternal World, and effectually turn our Wills, to desire and prosecute the Blessedness to come.
HAving a discovery so clear and certain in the Holy Scriptures of the everlasting recompences in the next World, of the Kingdom of Heaven, (prepared by God to shew his excellent Glory to his faithful Servants) where Love and Peace and Joy dwell for ever, and of the infernal Prison, where despair and Rage and Sorrow, and whatever is signified under the terrible allusions of Fire and Brimstone, are ordained by Divine Justice for the Wicked, it might be justly hoped, that all Men would by a holy violence take Heaven, and by the swiftest Motion flee from the Wrath to come. The instinct of Nature and the light of Reason excite them to secure their most precious Interest. Can there be an Expectation, Desire or Capacity in Man of enjoying a Blessedness beyond what is Infinite and Eternal? And can there be any Evil so formidable as Everlasting Misery? Now both these Objects are set before Men, and propounded to their Choice. And we are infallibly assured from God himself, that all who are sincere and constant in their Choice and Pursuit, shall obtain Heaven, and that none shall be cast into Hell, but those who choose it, and therefore most worthily suffer it. But, O astonishment! if with a serious Eye we regard the course of Mens Actions, 'tis visible that incomparably the greatest number of Christians in Profession love Death, and hate Eternal Life. Not that 'tis possible for the reasonable Creature to do this directly, with an explicit aim, but virtually and by interpretation. They intend Happiness, but choose Misery. For he that voluntarily breaks the Law of God, chooses the known Penalty of its Violation. He that prefers this perishing World before Heaven, rejects it in the most contumelious manner. And such is the depravation of Man since his Fall, the Mind being diverted by vain Thoughts, and the Heart prepossessed with sensual Desires, that till the Spirit of his Mind be renewed, and his original Affections to the Supream Good be revived and restored by Divine Grace, he is regardless of it, and only applies himself to what is pleasing to Sense. Therefore a most necessary Duty incumbent upon us, is by humble and fervent Prayer to address our selves to God for his Spirit, to enlighten our Minds, that we may believe the reality and greatness of the Eternal Reward, and to reform our Wills that we may feel its attractive Force. Both these acts of the Spirit are requisite, that the Love of God, as our chief Felicity, may be the regent Principle of our Hearts and Lives.
1. For this end the Holy Spirit convinces Men thorowly of the reality and greatness of an invisible Happiness. Indeed the Heathens saw something of this as it were in a Dream, they had some transient Glances, and volatile Wishes, concerning it, but miserably weak and ineffectual. And in the most of Christians the convictions of a future State are not so clear and strong as to govern their Hearts and Lives. How many of eminent intellectual Faculties are stupid as to their great Interest, and spend themselves about Trifles, and are equally tractable to Eternal Ruine, as the Ox to the Slaughter? He that is destitute of the illuminating Grace of the Spirit, is blind and cannot see afar off. Now by the Analogy between the corporal and the intellectual Faculties, we may understand in some measure how the Mind is illuminated by the Spirit of God. For as to the act of Seeing, two things are requisite, 1. External Light in the Air, without which the Colours, Figures and Beauties of Objects are not visible to the sharpest Eye, but lie obscur'd under impenitrable Darkness. 2. Internal Light in the Eye in which the visive Power consists: if this be extinguish'd the clearest Light of Heaven is of no use for the discovery of Things. Thus the Understanding is enabled to see Spiritual Things. 1. By the revelation of the Object: in this respect Life and Immortality are brought to Light by the Gospel. Till that bright discovery was made of Eternal Blessedness, it was above the desires and hopes of sinful Man. Coelum, homo nec optare poterat ex ignorantia, nec sperare ex propriae miseriae conscientia. 2. By the inward inlightning from the Spirit of Wisdom, that removes the Ignorance, Prejudice and Inadvertency of the Mind, which as Scales darkned its Sight, and disposes it to perceive the verity and excellency of spiritual and future Things, though not with comprehensive evidence, yet with that assurance, that no doubtfulness or suspence remains concerning them. 'Tis observable that Faith is exprest in Scripture, by Prudence, Wisdom, and Knowledg, whereby a Man knows the grounds and motives of his Judgment and Actions. And Sin is called Folly. For as when the understanding Faculty, either from the indisposedness of the Organs, as in Idiots, or from the disorder of Fancy by the inflammation of the Humours, as in distracted Persons, cannot weigh and compare, and therefore makes a perverse judgment of things; so the carnal Mind by not due measuring and pondering, judges falsly of Spiritual Things. If something no bigger than the Hand were put before the Eye, it would intercept the Sight of the Heavens; and he that not considering the properties of things near and distant, should conclude that piece to be bigger than the Heavens, were justly reputed a Fool. And the Folly of carnal Men is more gross, who prefer things present to Sense, before what is future and of everlasting consequence to the Soul. But there are some actions which if done by a Natural, would be counted Folly, yet being done by those who in the reputation of the World are Wise, are esteemed Prudent, but they are the most deplorable Folly. Now as the restoring the Laesum principium, the broken Mind to its sound State, whereby 'tis able to consider, discern and conclude of things according to their Nature, such is the action of God's Spirit upon the corrupt Mind, clarifying and enlightning it, so that it receives full conviction by the clearest marks of divine Authority shining in the Gospel of the Truth of all the great and precious Promises therein contained, and causing it by a steddy application of the Thoughts to see the vast difference between what is Temporal, and Eternal, how despicably light all the Vanities of this World are found, when put in the Ballance against the infinite inestimable Happiness of the next. In short, the renewed Mind knows Spiritual Things according to their Nature and Qualities, believes, esteems, and determins that they are of Eternal moment, and absolutely necessary for the Happiness of Man. And as when the natural Faculty of seeing is perish'd, 'tis irreparable by human Skill, and without a Miracle can never be restored, so the intellectual Faculty when darkned by sinful Lusts, without the renewing power of the Spirit can never know Spiritual Things as they ought to be known. Therefore as the blind Men in the Gospel who dispair'd of help from the Physicians, hearing of the miraculous Power of Christ, importunately begg'd his healing Mercy, so let us pray to the Light and Saviour of the World, but in a more noble and higher Sense, Lord that we may receive our sight. Let us with the most zealous Affections call upon the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, that he would give unto us the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledg of him, the Eyes of our understanding being inlightned, that we may know what is the hope of his Calling, and what the Riches of the Glory of his Inheritance in the Saints.
2. The efficacious Influence of the Holy Spirit is requisite to change the Will, that with a free and full consent it may desire and prosecute the Spiritual Eternal Good. Without this, the conviction of the Mind is not powerful enough to convert the Soul from the love of the World, to choose Heaven. There may be an inlightned Conscience, without a renewed Heart. Though the Judgment assents that God is the Supream Good, yet till the Heart be circumcised, the sensuality of the Affections taken away, divine Love that directs the Life to God as our blessed End, can never possess it. Suppose that Men had a sensible and strong assurance of the Eternal State hereafter, if all those who lived godly in a visible manner ascended with Elias to Heaven, and if all who continued in their Sins visibly descended into Hell, as Corah and his Company were swallowed up alive by the Earth, before the Israelites, if Men could hear the joyful Exultations of the Saints above, their high Praises of God, and hear the desperate Crys and deep Complaints of the Damned: if one according to the desire of the rich Man were sent from Hell, and with his Fiery Tongue should preach a Sermon of those Torments, not describing them at a distance, but by a sensible demonstration in himself, yet this alone were not sufficient to draw off their Hearts from the deceitful Happiness of this World, and fasten them on the perfect and Eternal Happiness in the next. Indeed they could not then indulge their Lusts so securely, but they would be Strangers to the Life of God, such an inveterate alienation of Heart is in Men from real Holiness. Till the sanctifying Spirit by a directive persuasive Light that represents the Truth and Goodness of Spiritual Things, transforms the Soul, and makes it Spiritual in its Valuations and Affections▪ 'tis inwardly averse from Grace and Glory. The Lord direct our Hearts into the Love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ, when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and admired in all them that believe.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Bates, The Sovereign and Final Happiness of Man with Means to Obtain it (1680)