Moses Choice, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 44
CHAP. XLIV. The glory that ſhall be put upon the Saints at the Great Day.
SEcondly, the glory that ſhall be put upon them at the day of Judgement.
Firſt, the glory of the day it ſelf ſhall be their glory; for it ſhall be nothing elſe, but the ſolemnity of the marriage of the Lamb: Here there is a contract between the Lamb and his Bride, but the ſolemnity of the marriage is reſerved to that great day, and all the glory of the day ſhall be to ſet out the ſolemnity of it; and God himſelf ſhall appear in his glory to make the day glorious. As the Parents upon the marriage day, appear in as much glory as they can, that they may honor the day; ſo God ſhall appear in his glory in the ſolemnizing of the marriage between Chriſt and his Spouſe: And as the Bridegroom comes forth in his glory, ſo Chriſt will come in his glory, with all his Angels in their glory. As all the ſervants of the Bridegroom put on their beſt array upon the marriage day, ſo all the Angels ſhall appear in their luſtre and beauty; and this ſets out the wonderful glory of the Saints that ſhall be at that day, notwithſtanding all the glory of the Father, and Chriſt, and the Angels that ſhall be then, yet they ſhall not loſe their glory. The Stars loſe their ſhining luſtre when the Sun riſes, becauſe their light is nothing in compariſon of the great light; but the luſtre of the Saints ſhall be bright ſhining and glorious, even in the preſence of the glory of the Father, and of Jeſus Chriſt, and of all the bleſſed Angels.
Great things will be done that day; there will be the Great Supper that God will make for the ſolemnizing of the Marriage, and the great meeting of the Saints with Chriſt: O what ſalutations can you imagine will there be between Chriſt and his members! and being met, the ſentence of Abſolution ſhall be pronounced before men and Angels: Chriſt ſhall honor the Saints before all the world, and ſay, Theſe are they, theſe are the men for whom the eternal counſels of my Father did work to make them glorious; theſe are they for whom I came into the world, and ſhed my blood, and laid down my life; theſe are they in whom I am to be glorified for ever. Again, the glory of the day ſhall be in ſetting of the Saints with Chriſt upon thrones, in judgement, to judge the whole world, the Monarchs and great ones of the earth; and ſo to be honored in the eyes of thoſe that were their enemies, and contemned, and reproached them, and vilified them before; and likewiſe their glory ſhall be in this, to rejoyce in the execution of the ſentence that is pronounced upon thoſe that are condemned. Laſtly, their glory ſhall be in their glorious aſcenſion with Chriſt into the higheſt heavens, ranked in their comely order, with triumph and joy, ſinging, Stand open ye gates, and be ye open ye everlaſting doors, that the King of glory and all his redeemed ones may come in.
Thirdly, the poſſeſſion of heaven, the Kingdom of heaven ſhall be theirs, the heaven of heavens; great 3.things are ſpoken of that; there are theſe things conſiderable in it.
Firſt, it is the third heaven; there is the heaven, that is the ſpace between the viſible firmament 1.and the earth; the ſecond heaven is the Orbes wherein the Sun, and Moon, and Stars are; and then there is an heaven above them, which is the ſeat of the bleſſed, which is of an infinite heighth above all: now it as a ſweet confideration for the people of God, when you are going out in the evening, and ſeeing the firmament ſpangled with the Stars, to have ſuch thoughts as theſe, What ſhall one day this body of mine be lifted up beyond yonder place? Though A deſcription of of heavennow you lie low in ſome dark hole, there is a time when God ſhall lift you up to be above that ſpangled firmament; that ſpangled firmament is but the pavement of your Fathers houſe, it is but the outſide; and if the outſide and footſtool of Gods houſe be ſo glorious, how glorious is it within? how glorions is the preſence Chamber? This world is made for Dogs, for the Enemies of God, and thoſe that are more vile then any creatures: he does not think much to have ſwine live here, but you do not ſuffer ſwine to come into the preſence Chamber, or into the Dining-room: now heaven is the preſence Chamber and Diningroom, for that eternal feaſt to be ſolemnized in, and that muſt needs be glorious.
Secondly, it is called our Fathers houſe: This is 2.not our Fathers houſe; though we ſhould be caught up where the Stars are, that is not our Father houſe, that is but the out-room: Says Chriſt, In my Fathers houſe there are many Manſions: God was from all eternity a heaven to himſelf, before the world was; then he created the higheſt heavens to be the place of his preſence, not that he is comprehended there, but that he would have a place for his glory more fully to ſhine in.
Again, it is a place prepared from the beginning of the world, and Chriſt is gone to prepare it for us: If 3.there were ſuch a building here, that all the men of the world had been building from the beginning of the world, and they had all the pearls and jewels of the world to ſet into it, and all the inventions and ſtrength of men and Angels to help them to build, it would be glorious, but in compariſon it is but a dungeon to this. The brightneſs of this is exceeding glorious, ſays Chryſoſtom; when you ſee a ſumptuous pallace, you look upon it, and are taken with it, but it is but as a dungeon to your Fathers houſe.
The light of that ſhall be of another nature then 4.the light of the world; the light that we have here is a material light, but the whole body of heaven is of an higher nature then the body of the Sun; and there ſhal be ſuch a glorious preſence of God, as there ſhall need no Sun, Moon and Stars to enlighten it; and then with the brightneſs of the body of Chriſt, and the brightneſs of the bodies of the Saints, there ſhall be a glorious luſtre.
And for the large extent of it: the loweſt heavens 5.are but as a prick of the center, in compariſon to the ſtarry heaven; and the ſtarry heaven is but as a prick of the center, to the higheſt heaven. Men boaſt here, if they have but a few clods of land; as Socrates put a ſcorn upon Alcebiades that boaſted of his lands, he brought him to the Map of the whole world, and prayed him to ſhew them there, and there was not one prick vouchſafed for them in it: What is a little land to a countrey? and what is a countrey to the world? and the world is but as a prick to the loweſt heaven, and the loweſt heaven is but as a prick to the ſtarry heaven, and the ſtarry heaven is but as a prick to the higheſt heaven, and the Saints ſhall poſſeſs all that. You that have no poſſeſſions here, know there is a poſſeſſion hereafter, that is more then if you had all the Lands in the world.
Beſides, it is of an incorruptible nature, it is an inheritance 6.incorruptible: The reaſon why the heavens, and ſo the ſoul is incorruptible, is becauſe it is not made out of pre-exiſting principles; it was made out of nothing, and nothing but an infinite power can annihilate a thing, as well as make a thing out of nothing. Much is ſaid of that place for the deſcription of it, Jeruſalem was but a Type of it, and the Land of Canaan was but a Type of it, and Paradiſe was but a Type of this glorious place, that is provided for the Saints of God. Let us therefore raiſe up our hearts to conſider of this. And as we read in Gen. 13. 14, 15. where God ſhewed to Abraham the Land of Canaan, ſays God, look Northward, and Southward, and Eaſtward, and Weſtward; for all the land which thou ſeeſt, to thee will I give it, and to thy ſeed: So conſider the vaſtneſs of the Heavens, and the exceeding extent of them, and conſider this is the Inheritance of the Saints.
We know we have an abiding, eternal inheritance; our bodies ſhall abide eternally, and the Heavens themſelves are eternal: this ſhould quiet our hearts, when we finde any diſcontent in our habitations: it is no matter in what Countrey we are here, there is a glorious Countrey we are going to; Chriſt our elder Brother is already gone, and hath taken poſſeſſion of Heaven for us: as if ſo be there were ſome great inheritance did befal you here, and you cannot go to poſſeſs it; and if you hear one is there for you, who hath taken quiet poſſeſſion for you, and you ſhall be ſent for in time convenient; will you not be content? So we are not fitted for Heaven, but Chriſt is gone before to take poſſeſſion; and within a while we ſhall go and live with him. The earth is too mean a place for the Saints, and yet the world is not worthy of the Saints of God in a mean condition; then the world ſhall not be worthy of the Saints in their glorious condition; and therefore there muſt be a place above the world.
Yet know, Heaven is not enough for the Saints: the Saints of God are of ſuch ſpiritual raiſed ſpirits, as that they cannot be ſatisfied with any thing, but God himſelf. Suppoſe God ſhould cauſe all the Emperors and Kings of the world, to come and caſt down their Crowns before the Saints, and ſay, All theſe are yours: An heart that is truly raiſed, would ſay, This is not enough, this is not God himſelf. Suppoſe God ſhould bring all the ſplendors of all the creatures in heaven and earth, and they ſhould be caſt at the feet of the Saints, they would ſay, This is not enough, for this is not God. Suppoſe God ſhould cauſe all the glory of heaven, not onelyonly of Sun, Moon and Stars, but of the higheſt heaven, to be laid before the Saints, they would ſay, This is not enough, this is not God. If all the Angels ſhould come, and ſay, We are ſent to put all our glory upon you, they would ſay, This is not enough, this is not God; and therefore when God hath given them heaven, he muſt give them himſelf to, or elſe they are not happy: And that is the fourth thing.