Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. How the Saints are Citizens of Heaven, opened in Nine Particulars.
NOW the Saints are Citizens of Heaven, For, Firſt, Their names are all inrold in Heaven, They are written in Heaven, in the 10. Luke 20. Rejoyce in this, That your names are written in Heaven. In Heaven is the Books of life where all the Names of the Saints are written. Philip. 4. 3. Whoſe names (ſaith he) are written in the Books of life.
Secondly, The Saints are the Citizens of Heaven, for they have Chriſt their Head gone before to take poſſeſſion of Heaven in their names, therefore they have a right to Heaven. As a man may be a Citizen, although he ſhould travel in another Country, yet his name being inrol'd there, and he having poſſeſſion there, he may be ſaid to be a Citizen though he be in a ſtrange land for the preſent in his body: So the Saints have their names inrold in Heaven, they have Jeſus Chriſt their head that is gone before in their names to take poſſeſſion for them, and to provide Mantions for them; as in the 14. John.
Thirdly, When ever they do actually beleeve, they do take up their freedom; Their names were there Inrold from all eternity: and ſo Chriſt at his aſcention went and took poſſeſſion: but when they beleeve actually, they do as it were take up their freedom in that Citie. There's many men that are born free, yet there's a time when they take it up: and ſo others that have ſerv'd for their freedom, yet it may be a long time before they be made free: and ſo the Saints when they do actually beleeve they come to take up their freedom in the Citie of Heaven, and are made Free Burgeſſes of Heaven.
And hence (in the fourth place) They come no more to be as ſlaves; they are not bondſlaves as before, they are delivered from bondage being made free of Heaven. As if ſo be that forreigners, or ſuch as are ſlaves ſhould come to be Infranchized, then they have the ſame freedom as others have, and are admitted to the like City-priviledges, and they are no more to be accounted as ſlaves: ſo thoſe that are by nature bondſlaves to ſin and Satan, yea, and ſuch as are under the bondage of the Law, yet when they come to beleeve, they are infranchized in Heaven, and are delivered from the bondage of the Law, Sin, and Satan, they are ſaid to be free-men of the Citie of Heaven.
Fiftly, All the Saints have right to all the common ſtock, Treaſury, and riches of Heaven; whatſoever priviledges belong to the Charter of Heaven, the Saints have right and title to them all. As in great Cities there is a Common ſtock and Treaſury that is for publick occaſions, and every Citizen hath ſome intereſt in it; ſo the Saints (I ſay) have intereſt in all the Common-ſtock and Treaſury and all the riches that there are in Heaven.
Sixtly, The Saints are the Citizens of Heaven, they have for the preſent the ſame confirmation of their happy eſtate that the Angels and thoſe bleſſed ſouls have that are raſident in Heaven: (I ſay) they have this priviledg now by being Citizens of Heaven, that though their bodies be not in the higheſt Heavens, yet they have their happineſs confirmed as ſure as the Angels in Heaven have, and as any bleſſed ſouls in Abraham: boſom, look how they are confirmed in a happie eſtate ſo as they cannot be made miſerable, ſo is every Beleever, though he lives in this world, he hath this priviledg in being a Citizen of Heaven, that he is confirmed in a happie eſtate, that all the powers in hell and in the world can never make this ſoul to be miſerable, and this is a mighty priviledg of being a Citizen of Heaven, he is more priviledged than Adam in Paradice, for Adam he was not confirmed and ſtabliſhed when he was made in the ſtate of innocencie, but every Beleever is confirmed and ſtabliſhed as the Angels in Heaven are.
Seventhly, They have this priviledg, By being Citizens, they have priviledg of free-trade to Heaven. You know, that Free-men in the Citie have priviledg of Trade more than Forreigners have; Forreigners are fain to pay Cuſtome and double taxes more than the Free-Citizens. So the Saints, they have the priviledg of Free-trade in Heaven, for any thing that doth concern them; they have a Freeintercourſe with Heaven which others have not.
Eightly, They have now for the preſent Communion with the Angels of Heaven: there is Cōmunion & Commerce between the Saints here and the Angels upon this ground, becauſe they are fellow Citizens; and in that place of the Hebrews before quoted, We are come to the Heavenly Jeruſalem, and to the innumerable company of Angels: There is a great deal of intercourſe between the Saints and Angels here upon earth, the Angels look upon them as their fellow Citizens, and are miniſtring ſpirits for the good of the Elect, and they do very great ſervices for the Church-men here in this world upon this ground, becauſe they look upon them as their fellow Citizens.
Ninthly, They have the protection of Heaven, being the Citizens of Heaven: I ſay, they have Heavens protection. As one that is a Citizen, he hath the protection of the Law of the Citie, & of the power of the Citie to defend him; hence we reade of Paul, that becauſe he was a Roman it was dangerous to meddle with him, as in the 22. of Acts 25. verſe, as they bound him with thongs, Paul ſaid unto the Centurion that ſtood by, Is it lawful for you to ſcourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? As if he ſhould ſay, Take heed what you do, I am free of the Citie of Rome: And mark, (ſaith the Scripture) when the Centurion heard that, he went and told the chief Captain, ſaying, Take heed what thou doeſt, for this man is a Roman, he hath the protection of the City. Thus the Saints are Citizens of Heaven, They are not Romans, but of the Heavenly Jeruſalem, and when any are about to wrong one of them, they had need take heed what they do for he is a Citizen of Heaven, the King of Heaven is his King to protect him; and he ſits and laughs at the enemies of the Church: And the very Angels themſelves they are their guard, to guard all theſe Citizens, and to protect them, and this is the comfortable eſtate of all the people of God, that they are the Citizens of Heaven. Our City Converſe. All this I note out of the ſignification of the word in the original, and without the underſtanding of the propriety of the language, and the word, we ſhould not have the underſtanding of this truth.
Whereſore my brethren it being thus, it ſhould teach all the people of God to walk as becomes Citizens, not to be rude in their behavior; 'tis a diſhonor to Citizens to be rude in their behavior, it's enough for Country people that never had any education to be rude; but certainly the Saints of God, they have the education of Heaven (this may be added for a tenth Particular) They have the holy Ghoſt to be their Inſtructer, to bring them up in holy and good manners that is ſutable to Heaven, this the Saints have; and manifeſt it in your Converſations, be not rude in your way, prize your priviledg of being a Citizen of Heaven; it's that that coſt Jeſus Chriſt dear to purchaſe this infranchizement and liberty for you: we reade in the 22. of the Acts of the Captain when he heard that Paul was a Roman, in the 27. verſe: their chief Captain came and ſaid to him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He ſaid, Yea. And the chief Captain anſwered, with a great ſum obtained I this Freedom. And Paul anſwered, I was free-born. They were wont to give great ſums to purchaſe freedoms of the City. Oh! this City that here we are ſpeaking of, hath ſuch priviledges as is beyond any in the world: And no man or woman can come to be free of this City but it is by a great purchaſe: No man can ſay as Paul did here, that he was born free; no, but if he came to be free of Heaven it was with a great purchaſe, it was with the purchaſe of the blood of Jeſus Chriſt that was more worth than all the world. And if the Son makes you free, then you ſhall be free indeed, and therefore prize this as a great merciemercy; while you live here in this world, account it as a great merciemercy that you are a Citizen of Heaven, account your happineſs to conſiſt there, it is more than to have Houſe and Lands here; for a man to have a freedom of ſome Citie, it is more than to have Houſe and Land in the Wilderneſs: What though the Lord doth order things ſo as while thou liveſt in the wilderneſs of this world thou haſt no habitation of thine own, yet certainly the Lord hath made thee free of Heaven, it was purchaſed for thee by the blood of Jeſus Chriſt: Now by that price that it coſt thou mayeſt conclude that there is ſome great matter in it, that thou art a free Denizen of Heaven.