A Prospect of Heaven, Treatise · Chapter 1 – Chapter 2
CHAP. I.
THE Apoſtle having ſet forth the work and wages, the duty and the reward of the Sons of God; ſhewing that their work is to ſuffer with Chriſt, their reward to reign with Chriſt in glory; in this Verſe he preventeth an Objection, which might ariſe in the mind of a Believer, that might diſcourage him from ſuffering valiantly and patiently, as a good Souldier of Jeſus Chriſt: for it might be objected, you tell us of glory; but that glory is dearly bought, that muſt coſt ſo many grievous trials and afflictions, as we are like to meet with: yet this is ſatisfied, by ſetting forth the pettineſs of the afflictions of this life, in compariſon of future glory. Be your afflictions never ſo many, be they as great, as grievous as can be imagined and endured, yet the glory which ſhall be revealed in you, is far greater then all your ſufferings.
The words are a peremptory concluſion, in which we may obſerve,
1. The Perſon making the concluſion; I Paul.
2. The Things concerning which the concluſion is made; the Afflictions of this life, and future Glory.
3. The Thing concluded; that there is no compariſon between the one and the other. Now for explication of the words.
I reckon.] I Paul, that have had great experience of the ſufferings of this life, (we may read a narrative of his ſufferings 2 Cor. 11.23. ad verſ. 31.) I alſo that have had this high priviledg, above all the Apoſtles, to be rapt up into Paradiſe, and ſaw ſuch glory, and heard ſuch unſpeakable words, or things, which are impoſſible for a man to utter with his tongue: therefore St. Paul's peremptory concluſion is to be credited.Rhem. Teſt. [foreign] I reckon. This word importeth not a probable conjecture of the Apoſtle, as the old Tranſlation Exiſtimo, and the Rhemiſts would have it; which Eraſmus Eraſm.diſliketh, becauſe it doth not fully expreſs the ſence of it; who interprets the word reputo, I account, or reſolve in my mind. But the word properly ſignifieth, to decree and determine a thing after much reaſoning on both ſides; therefore many render it ſtatuo, I do ordain, decree, or determine: and ſo it noteth a tried, weighed, and experienced concluſion, proceeding from an infallible ſpirit and judgment; and is a Metaphor taken from ſuch, as caſting an Account, do find what the Sum amounts unto. He doth not ſay, I think, or it is my opinion, but it is my reckoning. St. Paul did put afflictions in one ſeale of the ballance, and glory in the other; and this he determineth, that glory doth by far weigh down all our preſent ſufferings. This is the matter of his account; he inſtanceth rather in the paſſive than in the active obedience of the Saints; not becauſe it is more excellent or difficult (for an ungodly man may be brought to ſuffer, but cannot truly perform a gracious work) but becauſe it is more grievous and painful.
The Greek word foreign, paſſiones, tranſlated ſufferings, includes all manner of evils, which we do or can ſuffer, as reproaches, cruel mockings, ſcourgings, revilings, troubles, pains, diſeaſes, hunger, cold, nakedneſs, perils, loſs of liberty and life it ſelf.
Theſe afflictions are ſaid in the Greek to be of the time which is now.foreign. By this may be underſtood either generally our life-time, or elſe the whole time of the Worlds continuance; as if he ſhould ſay, were all the afflictions that ever have been, are, or ſhall be inflicted upon us, were they all collected together to fall upon one Chriſtian, and were they (as an heavy and intollerable burthen) to lie upon him ſo long as the World ſhall laſt, yet could they not conſiſt with the Saints glory that ſhall be revealed hereafter: Or more particularly, it may be taken for the times of the Apoſtles of the Primitive Church, at what time there were the ſoreſt and moſt raging Perſecutions, and then they yield us an argument a majori: if the ſufferings of thoſe times were not worthy, then much leſs the ſufferings of any other time.
Are not worthy to be compared.] foreign. The Greek word foreign, as Grammarians note, doth ſignifie thoſe things, which being put in the ballance, are of equal weight and poiſe one to the other; and from thence it is taken to ſignifie worth or worthineſs;Non ſi…no equipolenti I…l. Tr…nſl. Non ſunt pares. Eraſm▪ Minime eſſe pare…. Beza. becauſe there is a full correſpondence of value, betwixt that which is ſaid to be worthy, and the thing it is worthy of; and according to this uſual ſignification of the word, do we tranſlate here, not worthy of the glory, &c. his meaning is, (according to the proper ſignification of the Greek word) they are not of equal weight, they agree neither in quantity nor quality; were the afflictions of this life weighed with the Saints glory hereafter, they would hold no weight with them, there being no proportion, no equipollency between them: it is a Metaphor taken from thoſe that put things very light in one ſcale, and things very ponderous in the other, which will hold no proportion; were the ſufferings of this life weighed with the glory to come, they would be but light in compariſon.
The vulgar Latin reads the words thus; the ſufferings of this preſent time are not condign to the glory to come; they ſay,Non ſunt condignae paſſiones hujus temporis ad futuram gloriam▪ Vulg. we ſhould not ſay, they are worthy of the glory, but they are not equal to the glory, &c. now according to their Tranſlation, what is condign, but equal or comparable in worth? whence they take their meritum condigni, or ex condigno, to be that in value or worth which is equivalent to the reward. Therefore Arias Montanus, Non dignae paſſiones nunc temporis ad ſuturam g oriam. Ar. Mont.ad verbum, reads it thus; the ſufferings of this preſent time, are not worthy to the glory to come: which, what is it but the ſame to ſay, they are not comparable in worth to the glory to come? ſo that this Tranſlation of ours is approved even by the Papiſts themſelves. St. Auguſtine Nullo modo ſuperbiant ſancti Martyres, tanquam dignum aliquod pro illius patrae participatione fecerint, ubi …terna eſt & vera felicitas. Aug. de Civit. …i. lib. 5. cap. 18.ſaith, that the holy Martyrs are not to be proud, as if they did any worthy matter for the participation of that Country, where is eternal and true happineſs; and alleadgeth afterward for reaſon hereof theſe words, becauſe, as the Apoſtle ſaith, the ſufferings of this time are unworthy of the glory that ſhall be revealed. St. Bernard Bernard. in Annunciat. ſerm. 1.affirming that the merits of men are not ſuch, as that eternal life may be due unto them of right; and asking, what are all merits to ſo great a glory? for confirmation citeth theſe very ſame words, and addeth, no not if one man did endure them all. And Fulgentius Fulgent. ad Momin. lib. 1.having ſaid, that the gift of God's reward doth incomparably, and unſpeakably exceed all the merits of mans good will and works, brings for proof hereof theſe words of St. Paul in my Text, That the ſufferings of this preſent time, are not worthy to be compared, &c.
With the glory.] Muſculus Muſcul. ex Chryſoſt. in loc.out of Chryſoſtom obſerveth, that becauſe the Apoſtle could not find a word expreſſing that happineſs which the Saints ſhall enjoy, therefore he expreſſeth it by glory; which is that which every man affecteth, and doth abhor ſhame and confuſion, which is contrary to glory: the excellency of the Saints future happineſs, is ſet forth by this word glory. Muſculus gives another reaſon why he mentioneth glory, viz. becauſe the Croſs of Chriſt is moſt ignominious, full of ſhame in the world; and therefore that we may deſpiſe the ſhame, and endure the croſs with Chriſt, he mentioneth glory; to run the Race of ſhame is nothing, if glory be at the Goal.
That ſhall be revealed.] Shewing, that as yet it is inviſible; and whatſoever joy and comfort we meet with here, this is not the joy, the glory that ſhall be revealed hereafter: glory may be revealed, and we not partakers of it; therefore it is ſaid, it ſhall be revealed foreign, in us, or conferred upon us: we ſhall ſhine as the Sun; our glory ſhall be revealed in the ſight of the Sun, in the open Air.
CHAP. II.
IN this Verſe thus opened, many truths do concur.
1. That there is a State of Glory, provided, kept, and laid up for the Saints.
2. That this glory is yet unknown, not reveal-in us, nor fully apprehended by us.
3. That there will a time come, when the glory of the Saints ſhall be diſplaied and revealed.
4. That the time of Gods children in this world is a time of afflictions and ſufferings, that is their portion, Luk. 16.25.
5. They have not ſome one croſs, but many afflictions; it is [afflictions] in the plural number: Many are the afflictions of the Righteous, Pſal. 34.19. We muſt through manifold tribulations enter into Heaven, Act. 14.22.
6. The afflictions of Gods people are but ſhort and momentary, they are but the afflictions of this preſent time, Pſal. 30.5, 6. For a little ſeaſon they are in heavineſs, 1 Pet. 1.6. The time of their afflictions is but ſhort, but for the time of this life, and then all tears ſhall be wiped from their eyes.
7. That the ready way to know the tranſcendency of Heaven's Glory above the afflictions of this preſent time, is to weigh both in the ballance of right reaſon.
8. That there is no proportion or compariſon between a believers preſent ſufferings, and his future glory.
9. That a right ſenſe of Heaven's Glory will make us to ſlight all the ſufferings of this preſent time, and to have mean thoughts of them in compariſon of the future recompence.
Now when it is ſaid, that the afflictions of this preſent time, or the afflictions of this life, are unworthy of the glory that ſhall be revealed; of whoſe afflictions and ſufferings is it ſpoken, but of the Saints who ſuffer by the gift and grace of God, are members of Chriſt, and Temples of the holy Ghoſt, even of thoſe ſufferings wherein they ſuffer with Chriſt; of which St. Ambroſe Ambroſe Epiſt. 22.ſaith (to ſhew the meaning of the words here in hand) he is altogether glorified, who in ſuffering for him, ſuffereth with him: and that the Apoſtle may exhort us to ſufferings, he addeth, that all theſe things which we ſuffer are too little and unworthy, that for the pains thereof ſo great reward of good things to come ſhould be returned to us.