Dying Thoughts Upon Philippians 1:23, Part 5
V. The Conſtitutive Reaſons from the heavenly Life or Practice.
§ 1. Seeing and Loving will be the heavenly Life: But yet it ſeemeth that beſides theſe, there will be EXECUTIVE Powers, and therefore ſome anſwerable PRACTICE. There are GOOD WORKS in Heaven, and far more and better than on Earth. For, 1. There will be more Vital Activity, and therefore more exerciſe of it: For the Power is for Action. 2. There will be more Love to God and one another: And Love is active. 3. There will be more likeneſs to God and our Redeemer, who is communicative, and doth good as he is good. 4. Our Union with Chriſt who will be everlaſtingly beneficent, as well as benevolent, will make us in our places alſo beneficent. 5. Our Communion in the City of God, will prove that we ſhall all bear our part as the Members of the Body, in contributing to the welfare of the whole, and in the common returns to God.
§ 2. But, What are the heavenly Works, we muſt perfectly know when we come thither: In general we know, 1. That they will be the works of love to God and to his Creatures; that is, ſuch as Love inclineth us to exerciſe. 2. And they will be works of Obedience to God; that is, ſuch as we ſhall do to pleaſe his will, and becauſe he willeth them to be our duty. 3. They will be uſeful works to others. 4. They will be pleaſant to our ſelves and part of our felicity. 5. And they will carry all to God our End.
§ 3. And ſomwhat of them is particularly deſcribed in the holy Scriptures: As, 1. We ſhall in Concord with the whole Society or Chore▪ give Thanks and Praiſe to God and our Redeemer, Rev. 19. 5. 1 Pet. 4. 11. Rev. 7. 4. & 4. 7, 11. & 5. 13. & 7. 12. & 19. 1. Phil. 4, 20. Whether there be any Voice, or only ſuch Spiritual activity and exultation as to Man in Fleſh is not to be clearly underſtood, is not fit for us here to preſume to determine: It will be ſomwhat more high and excellent than our vocal Praiſe, and Singing is; and of which this beareth ſome analogical reſemblance or ſignification. As all Paſſions earneſtly deſire vent and exerciſe, ſo ſpecially do our holy affections, of Love, Joy and Admiration of God Almighty! And there is in us a deſire of communion with many in ſuch affections and expreſſions: Methinks when we are ſinging or ſpeaking God's praiſe in the great Aſſemblies, with joyful and fervent Souls, I have the livelieſt foretaſt of Heaven on Earth: And I could almoſt wiſh that our Voices were loud enough to reach through all the World, and unto Heaven itſelf: Nor could I ever be offended (as many are) at the Organs and other convenient Muſick, ſoberly and ſeaſonably uſed, which excite and help to tune my Soul, in ſo holy a work, in which no true aſſiſtance is to be deſpiſed. No work more comforteth me in my greateſt ſufferings, none ſeemeth more congruous and pleaſant to me while I wait for Death, than Pſalms and words of Praiſe to God; nor is there any exerciſe in which I had rather end my life: And ſhould I not then willingly go to the heavenly Chore, where God is praiſed with perfect Love, and Joy, and harmony? Had I more of a Praiſing frame of Soul, it would make me long more for that Life of Praiſe. For I never find my ſelf more willing to be there, than when I moſt joyfully ſpeak or ſing God's praiſe. Though the Dead praiſe not God in the grave, and duſt doth not give him thanks; yet living Souls in Heaven do it joyfully, while their fleſhly cloathing turns to duſt!
Lord …une my Soul to thy Praiſes now, that ſweet experience may make me long to be where I ſhall do it better! I ſee where any excellent Muſick is, Nature maketh men flock to it; and they that are but Hearers, yet join by a concurrent phantaſie and delight: Surely if I had once heard the heavenly Chore, I ſhould Eccho to their holy Songs, though I could not imita… them; and I ſhould think it the trueſt Bleſſedneſs to be there and bear my part. My God, the voice of thy comforting Spirit, ſpeaking thy Love effectually to my Soul, would make ſuch holy Muſick in me, that would incline me to the Celeſtial conſort; and without it all theſe thoughts and words will be in vain. It is the inward M…lody of thy Spirit and my Conſcience that muſt tune me to deſire the h…avenly Melody. O ſpeak thy love firſt to my Heart, and then I ſhall joyfully ſpeak it to my Brethren, and ſhall ambitiouſly ſeek that communion of them, that praiſe thee better, than ſinful groaning Mortals can: And though my ſins here make a loathed jar and diſcord in my Songs, I hope my groans for theſe ſins and their effects, will make no diſcord: Sighs and Tears have had the honour to be accepted by thee, who deſpiſeſt not a contrite Soul: But if thy Spirit will ſing and ſpeak within me, and help me againſt the diſcordant murmurs of my unbelieving Heart, and pained Fleſh, I ſhall offer thee that which is more ſuitable to thy Love and Grace. I confeſs Lord that daily Tears and Sighs are not unſuitable to the Eyes and Voice of ſo great a Sinner, who is under thy correcting Ro…! What better could I expect when I grieved thy Spirit, than that it ſhould prove my grief! Yea, this is far better than the genuine effects of ſin. But this is not it that is mee…eſt to be offered to the God of Love: He that offereth Praiſe doth glorifie thee! And is not this the Spiritual Sacrifice acceptable through Chriſt, for which we were made Prieſts to God, 1 Pet. 2. 5. I refuſe not Lord to lie in Tears and Groans when thou requireſt it; and do not thou refuſe thoſe Tears and Groans; but O give me better, that I may have better of thine own to offer thee: And by this prepare me for the far better, which I ſhall find with Chriſt: And that which is Beſt to us thy Creatures, will be accepted as Beſt by Thee, who art glorified and pleaſed in the Perfection of thy works.
§ 4. II It is at leaſt very probable that God maketh glorified Spirits his Agents and Miniſters of much of his beneficence to the Creatures that are below them. For, 1. We ſee that where he endueth any Creature with the nobleſt endowments, he maketh moſt uſe of that Creature to the benefit of others▪ We ſhall in Heaven be moſt furniſhed to do good; and that furniture will not be unuſed. 2. And Chriſt tells us that we ſhall be like or equal to the Angels; which though it mean not [ſimply and in all things] yet it meaneth more than to be above carnal Generation; for it ſpeaketh of a ſimilitude of Nature and State as the Reaſon of the othe…. And that the Angels are God's Miniſters for the good of his choſen in this World, and Adminiſtrators of much of the Affairs on Faith, … paſt all doubt. 3. The Apoſtle telleth us … the Saint… ſhall Judg the World and Angels: And Judging in Scripture is oft put for Ruling! It is therefore probable at leaſt, that the Devils, and the Damned, ſhall be put under the Saints, and that with the Angels they ſhall be employed in ſome Miniſterial Overſight of the Inhabitants and Affairs of the promiſed New-Earth. 4. And when even the more noble Superiour Bodies, even the Stars, are of ſo great uſe and influx to inferiour Bodies, it is like that accordingly Superiour Spirits will be of uſe to the Inhabitants of the World below them.
§ 5. But I think it not meet to venture here upon uncertain conjectures beyond the revelation of God's Word, and therefore ſhall add no more, but conclude that God knoweth what uſe to make of us hereafter as well as here, and that if there were no more for us to do in Heaven, but with perfect Knowledg, Love and Joy, to hold communion with God and all the heavenly Society, it were enough to attract a ſenſible and conſiderate Soul to fervent deſires to be at home with God.
§ 6. And here I muſt not overpaſs my rejection of the injurious opinion of too many Philoſophers and Divines, who exclude all Senſe and Affection from Heaven, and acknowledge nothing there but Intellect and Will: And this is becauſe they find Senſe and Affection in the Bruits, and they think that the ſouls of Bruits are but ſome quality or periſhing temperament of Matter; and therefore that Senſe and Affection is in us no better.
§ 7. But, 1. What felicity can we conceive of without any affection of delight or joy: Certainly bare Volition now without theſe doth ſeem to be no felicity to us: Nor knowledg neither, if there were no delight in knowing.
§ 8. 2. Yea, I leave it to mens experience to judge, whether there be now any ſuch thing in us as proper willing which is not alſo ſome internal ſenſe of and affection to the good which we will? If it be Complacency or the Pleaſedneſs of the Will, this ſignifies ſome Pleaſure, and Love in the firſt act is nothing elſe but ſuch an Appetite: If it be Deſire, it hath in it a Pleaſedneſs in the thing deſired as in eſſe cognito, as it is thought on by us; and what Love is without all ſenſe and affection?
§ 9. 3. Why doth the Scripture aſcribe Love and Joy to God and Angels if there were not ſome reaſon for it? Doubtleſs there is great difference between the heavenly Love and Joy, and ours here in the Body: And ſo there is alſo between their knowledge and ours, and their Will and ours: But it is not that theirs is leſs or lower than ours, but ſomwhat more excellent, which ours giveth us ſome analogical (or imperfect formal) notice of.
§ 10. 4. And what though Bruits have Senſe and Affection, doth it follow therefore that we have none now? Or that we ſhall have none hereafter? Bruits have Life: And muſt we therefore have no Life hereafter, becauſe it is a thing that's common …oBruits? Rather as now, we have all that the Bruits have and more, ſo ſhall we then have Life, and Senſe, and Affection of a nobler ſort than Bruits, and more. Is not God the Living God? Shall we ſay that he liveth not becauſe Bruits live? Or rather that they live a ſenſitive life, and Man a Senſitive and Intellectual, becauſe God is Eſſential, Tranſcendent Infinite Life, that makes them live.
§ 11. 5. But if they ſay that there is no Senſation or Affection but by bodily Organs, I anſwered before to that; the Body feeleth nothing at all, but the Soul in the Body: The Soul uniteth itſelf moſt nearly to the Igneous-aereal parts called the Spirits; and in them it feeleth, ſeeth, taſteth, ſmelleth, &c. And that Soul that feeleth, and ſeeth, doth alſo inwardly love, deſire, and rejoice: And that Soul which doth this in the Body, hath the ſame power and faculty out of the Body: And if they judge by the ceſſation of ſenſation when the Organs are undiſpoſed or dead, ſo they might as well conclude againſt our future Intellection and Will, whoſe operation in an Apoplexy, we no more perceive than that of Senſe. But I have before ſhewed that the Soul will not want exerciſe for its Eſſential faculties, for want of Objects or bodily Organs; and that men conclude baſely of the ſouls of Bruits, as if they were not an enduring ſubſtance, without any proof or probability: And tell us idle dreams, that they are but vaniſhing temperaments, &c. which are founded on another Dream, that FIRE (or the Motive-Illuminative-Calefactive Cauſe) is no ſubſtance neither; and ſo our unnatural Somatiſts know none of the moſt excellent ſubſtances, which actuate all the reſt, but only the more baſe and groſs which are actuated by them: and they think they have well acquit themſelves, by telling us of ſubt…le act…d Matter and Motion, without underſtanding what any Living Active-Motive Faculty, or Virtue is. And becauſe no Man knoweth what God doth with the ſouls of Bruits, (whether they are only one common ſenſitive ſoul of a more common Body, or whether Individuate ſtill and Tranſmigrant from Body to Body, or what elſe:) Therefore they make Ignorance a plea for Errour, and feign them to be no ſubſtances, or to be Annihilate.
§ 12. I doubt not but Senſation (as is aforeſaid) is an excellent Operation of the Eſſential faculties of real ſubſtances called Spirits; and that the higheſt and nobleſt Creatures have it in the higheſt excellency: and though God that fitteth every thing to its uſe, hath given, e. g. a Dog a more perfect Senſe of Smelling than a Man, yet Man's internal Senſe is far more excellent than the Bruits, and thereby is an advantage to our Intellection, Volition and Joy here in the Fleſh: And that in Heaven we ſhall have not leſs, but more, even more excellent Senſe and Affections of Love and Joy, as well as more excellent Intellection and Volition: but ſuch as we cannot now clearly conceive of.
§ 13. Therefore there is great reaſon for all thoſe Analogical collections which I have mentioned in my Book called, The Saints Reſt; from the preſent operarations and pleaſures of the Soul in Fleſh, to help our Conceptions of its future pleaſures: And though we cannot conclude that they will not unconceivably differ in their manner from what we now feel, I doubt not but feel and rejoice we ſhall, as certainly as Live (and the Soul is Eſſential Life) and that our Life, and Feeling, and Joy, will be unconceivably better.