A Prospect of Heaven, Treatise · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Sheweth there is no compariſon, or equality, between a Believer's preſent ſufferings, and his future glory.
SECT. I.
THe next Propoſition I ſhall lay down from this Text, is, that there is no compariſon, proportion, or equality, between the preſent ſufferings of the Saints, and their glory that ſhall be revealed; their preſent afflictions are not worthy to be laid in the ballance with glory; compariſons between them are odious: we ſhould not ſpeak of our afflictions on that day we ſpeak of glory. That there is no compariſon, or proportion between them, will appear, if we conſider the enſuing particulars.
I. If you look at the things themſelves which you ſuffer for the preſent, and what you ſhall enjoy hereafter, there is no more compariſon between them, then there is between a Mole-hill and the Sun; a drop, and the ſea of Water; a little pibble, and a rock of Diamonds.
1. You ſuffer perhaps the loſs of goods; you ſhall enjoy God who is all goodneſs; what compariſon is there betwixt the Creature and the Creator? all the Nations of the World are but as a drop of a Bucket before him; what then are thy goods, thy riches to God himſelf?
2. Suppoſe you ſuffer the loſs of Houſes and Lands, you ſhall poſſeſs a great Kingdom; fear not, little flock, it is your Father's pleaſure to give you a Kingdom: what compariſon is there between thy earthly poſſeſſions and that heavenly Kingdom? the whole Earth in compariſon of the Heavens is but a point; what are thy Houſes and Lands to that heavenly Kingdom?
3. Do you ſuffer mockings, revilings, evil ſpeakings, reproaches before men, and from men? Chriſt will confeſs you before his Father, and before his holy Angels: what are mens revilings and defamations, to the confeſſion of Chriſt before an innumerable company of glorious Angels?
4. Perhaps you ſuffer impriſonment, you may lie in naſty dungeons, your feet may be in the ſtocks, your hands manacled, what are theſe things to the glorious liberty of the Sons of God which they ſhall enjoy, when you ſhall walk at large in Heaven, and follow the Lamb whereſoever he goeth? here ye are mens Priſoners, there ye ſhall be the Lord's Free-men; here ye are fettered Captives, there you ſhall be crowned Kings.
5. You may ſuffer preſent baniſhment from your Country, from your Wives, Children, Parents, Kinred, Friends; in Heaven you ſhall enjoy communion and fellowſhip with God, with Chriſt, with an innumerable Company of Angels, with the general Aſſembly of the Firſt-born, and live among all glorious Saints.
6. For the preſent you may ſuffer much ſorrow, tears may be your meat and drink continually; but what is your preſent ſorrow to the joy of the Lord, to the comforts of Heaven, one drop of which falling down from Heaven on the Soul of a Believer, makes him for the preſent to rejoyce with glorious and unſpeakable joy? what are your dropping tears to the rivers of pleaſure which are at God's right hand.
7. At preſent you may be put to ſhame and confuſion; men may ſet crowns of paper upon your heads, having Devils painted on them, as they did upon John Huſs; or you may have crowns of ſtraw put upon your heads in deriſion, as ſome other Martyrs; or crowns of thorns, as Chriſt had; but what is this to the Crown of Glory, the Crown of Righteouſneſs, the Crown of Immortality, which Chriſt the righteous Judg will ſet upon your heads?
8. Put caſe you ſuffer death for Chriſt, of which cup many millions of Heavens Worthies have drunk; put caſe it be a ſhameful tormenting death, a burning, a ſawing aſunder, ye are ſtoned, or buried alive, or ſtarved to death, or torn in pieces by Lions, whatſoever the death be, 'tis the worſt of evils you can ſuffer for Chriſt; yet what compariſon is there between this death, and that life which you ſhall live in Heaven? Had you as many lives as hairs on your heads, (as a Martyr wiſhed he had) had you millions of lives to loſe for Chriſt, yet the loſs of all theſe are not worthy to be compared to the life which ſuffering Chriſtians ſhall live in Heaven; put all together, and you ſhall ſee there is no compariſon between your preſent ſufferings, and your future enjoyments of good: See what Chriſt ſaith Mark 10.29, 30. There is no man that hath left Houſe, or Brethren, or Siſters, or Father, or Mother, or Wife, or Children, or Lands, for my ſake and the Goſpels, but he ſhall receive an hundred-fold now in this time, &c. There is no compariſon between your preſent loſſes and preſent gains, your preſent ſufferings and preſent reward; your preſent reward is an hundred-fold more then all you can loſe; the grace of God is preſent, the ſavour of God is preſent; the right to Heaven which Believers have for the preſent, is far above all their preſent ſufferings: Now if the reward which ſuffering Chriſtians have in this life be an hundred-fold better then their ſufferings, then doubtleſs their glory in Heaven ſhall be a thouſand-fold more tranſcendent.
SECT. II.
II. THere is no proportion or compariſon, if you reſpect the properties of our preſent ſufferings, and our future glory.
1. There is no compariſon between earthly and heavenly things; your preſent ſufferings are earthly; the goods of which you are ſpoiled are earthly; your liberty, your houſes, your lives, your joys, your eaſe, are earthly things, but your glory is heavenly; every part, every degree of your future glory is heavenly.
2. There is no proportion between that which is tranſient, paſſing away, and cannot endure, and that which is permanent, enduring; your preſent ſufferings are tranſient, they paſs away, they endure not. Athanaſius ſaid of perſecution, Nubecula est, quae cito tranſiret. There is nothing more tranſient and ſwift then time; your ſufferings paſs away together with time, they cannot endure always; all you which are the ſubject of them ſhall not endure always; now your glory is permanent, it ſhall abide and endure when time ſhall be no more.
3. There is no proportion or compariſon between a moment and eternity; a moment, a minute, and for ever and ever: your preſent ſufferings are but for a moment, a ſhort ſpace of time, your glory is eternal, for ever and for ever; your pain and torment is but for a moment, your eaſe and reſt is for ever and ever; your ſuffering impriſonment is but for a moment, your glorious liberty is eternal; you ſuffer death but for a moment, your life is eternal; what compariſon is there between the twinkling of an eye and eternity? You ſay you have ſuffered long, as Aſaph, you are plagued every morning; you have been in bitterneſs all your days, ever ſince you began to look after Heaven, you have been afflicted from your youth up to your age, even to the day of your death: Grant all this to be true, yet thy whole life is but a moment compared to eternity, the ſufferings of a thouſand years is but a moment to eternity; yea, millions of years are but a moment compared to eternity; nor will they paſs for ſo much, if we did but conſider what eternity is.
4. There is no compariſon between light things and heavy; between a feather and a rock, between chaff and a mountain of lead; your preſent afflictions are light, your future glory is ponderous and weighty, 2 Cor. 4.17. obſerve what a moſt elegant oppoſition the Apoſtle makes, he oppoſeth glory to afflictions; he oppoſeth eternal to momentany; he oppoſeth weight to light: and he addeth a moſt tranſcendent expreſſion, foreign: we tranſlate it, A far more exceeding weight of glory. Some, by adding ſome other words, do give this ſenſe, Our afflictions are out of meaſure moment any, our glory is out of meaſure eternal; our afflictions are out of meaſure light, our glory is out of meaſure weighty. Whatſoever your afflictions are, and how grievous ſoever they are in themſelves, and how long ſoever, yet they are but light being compared with the glory of Heaven, and with the weight of it: If you look only on your ſufferings, and judge of them according to your ſenſe, ſo they are not light; but judge of them as oppoſed to future glory, and ſo they are out of meaſure nothing.
5. Afflictions do not ſeize on us at all times; Chriſtians have their lucida intervalla, their moments of eaſe, as well as their moments of trouble, their preſent times of rejoycing, as well as their preſent times and Now's of ſorrowing; they, even they have their times to ſing and dance, as their times to weep and mourn: Paul had his raptures as well as his preſſures: David had his time to play on the Harp, as times to hang it up, and there is no Chriſtian that is afflicted at all times, they have their ſad Eclipſes but now and then: but now their glory ſhall be at all and every moment during eternity; they ſhall have perpetual glory without one moment of ſhame, perpetual joy without one moment of ſorrow; God will wipe away all tears from their eyes, they ſhall continually ſing for ſuperabundant joy of Soul and Body, their eyes ſhall ever ſee God, they ſhall not ſee ſorrow any more, they ſhall be as the Angels of God, who never felt ſorrow ſince their Creation; they ſhall be as very ſtrangers to ſorrow, as the Damned ſhall be to joy: this preſent time ſhall be no more, then the afflictions of this preſent time ſhall be no more. That was an arrogant and falſe ſelf-deceiving ſpeech of Babilon: Lo, I ſit as a Queen, and ſhall ſee no more ſorrow. The godly, when taken up into glory, ſhall ſay it truly; now we ſit as Kings, and ſhall not ſee any ſorrow, no not for a moment whilſt eternity laſteth: Eternity is nothing elſe but a perpetual moment of unſpeakable and glorious joy and happineſs.
6. There is no proportion, becauſe afflictions are juſtly due: are ye hated of all men? ye deſerve it, and more, ye deſerve to be hated of God, of his Angels for ever: Are ye caſt by men into Priſon, into Dungeons? ye deſerve it and more, even to be caſt into Hell fire: are ye baniſhed from your Countrey, friends, and acquaintance? you deſerve that and more, ye deſerve to be baniſhed from Heaven, from your God, from your Saviour to Eternity. Are ye ſpoiled of your goods? ye deſerve it, and more, even to be ſpoiled of eternal mercies, of eternal Salvation. Are your bodies condemned to be burnt, or to be caſt to Lyons and wild Beaſts to tear them to pieces? you deſerve this and more, even to have both body and Soul condemned to Hell fire, to be caſt to Devils to be devoured: ye that ſin daily, deſerve to ſuffer daily; ye that have ſin in you, you do deſerve that all plagues, miſeries, curſes, deaths, ſhould make a prey on your Souls and bodies; but glory is altogether undue, the meer and free gift of God in Chriſt: your Title to it is of meer grace, ſo ſhall be your Poſſeſſion of it, meer grace: you were Elected to glory, Redeemed to glory, Called to glory, engrafted into Chriſt by faith, and ſo become heirs of glory, before you ſuffered any thing for Chriſt. True it is! God hath made our ſufferings a condition of the Promiſe of glory; it is of his own meer pleaſure to ordain our ſufferings to be the condition of glory: I may ſay of this condition, as Naaman's ſervant ſaid to him, murmuring at the Prophet, bidding him go waſh in Jordan and be clean; My Lord! if the Prophet had bid thee do a greater thing, wouldeſt thou not have done it; how much more, ſeeing he ſaith, waſh and be clean? ſo had God required of us harder conditions, Go ſuffer Hell torments for Millions of years, and afterward you ſhall be glorified; ſhould not we do it? but now when he requireth and commandeth us to ſuffer afflictions but for this preſent time, but for a moment, but for a ſhort life in the World, ſhall not we couragiouſly and cheerfully ſuffer with Chriſt for this preſent time?
7. There is no compariſon between afflictions and future glory, if we conſider the ſubject of both; the ſubject of afflictions is either our bodies or our eſtates, liberties, only outward things; not the Soul: Caeſar himſelf hath no power over that, ſaid the Martyr to his Perſecutors: So ſaith our Saviour, Fear not them that can kill the Body; they can (when God permits) kill thy Body, impriſon thy Body, ſpoil thee of thy goods, expoſe thy Body to hunger, cold, nakedneſs, and ſuch like outward evils, but as for thy Soul, the wrath, the malice of men cannot reach it: But now the ſubject of glory is both Soul and Body; unſpeakable glory ſhall be revealed in your Souls and in your Bodies; God kills the Souls and Bodies of the Wicked, and he will ſave the Souls and Bodies of his People; God will fill the Souls of Believers with knowledg, pureneſs, and joy, and their Bodies with immortality and incorruptibility, and Sun-like ſplendour; ſo that they ſuffer but in part, but ſhall be glorified in the whole; they ſuffer but in theſe vile Bodies, which are by nature mortal, and becauſe of ſin ſubject to miſery, but both Soul and Body muſt partake in glory.
8. There is no compariſon between them, if we regard the meaſure and degrees of our ſufferings, and the degrees and meaſure of future glory: no Chriſtian ſuffereth in the higheſt degree, God is pleaſed to mitigate their ſufferings, and to reſtrain the rage of their Enemies, that they cannot, they ſhall not act according to their wills; he that ſuffereth moſt may ſuffer more; but future glory ſhall be in the higheſt degree, to the utmoſt, as far as our natures are capable. The meaſure of our ſufferings is not full, preſſed down, and running over, but the meaſure of glory ſhall be full, preſſed down, and running over; therefore the Apoſtle in the ſame fore-cited place, 2 Cor. 4.17. ſaith, that our glory ſhall be far more exceeding weighty: Obſerve the gradation.
1. It ſhall be weighty, when as afflictions in the higheſt degree are but light.
2. Glory ſhall be exceeding weighty, beyond the weight of our afflictions.
3. As if this were too little, he addeth [ſhall be more exceeding weighty.
4. As if this were too little, he addeth the word [far] ſhall be far more exceeding weighty. The Apoſtle uſeth theſe words, becauſe he could not expreſs the ultimate degrees of that glory which ſhall be revealed in ſuffering Chriſtians; the future happineſs of Believers paſſeth all utterance and underſtanding.
9. There is no compariſon, if we conſider how that we ſuffer but ſome one, or ſome few evils, but in Heaven we ſhall receive all kinds of goods, all kinds and degrees; God gives out ſufferings by parcels, but glory in the groſs, or lump; ſome he permits to be tortured, others to be mocked, others to be impriſoned,Heb 11.35, 36, 37, 38. others to be ſtoned; ſome to be ſawn in ſunder, others to wander hither and thither, to be deſtitute of neceſſaries; ſome ſuffer one kind of evil, others another, one doth not ſuffer all; but now their future glory is made up of all that goodneſs which God in his wiſdom knows conducible to make them eternally bleſſed: Oh how great is that goodneſs which thou haſt laid up for them that love thee! cries David, Pſal. 31.19. He gives them drops of ſorrow, ſeas of joy and comfort; he gives them ſparks of torment, and gives them a Sun full of glory: what goodneſs is in Heaven, is for their happineſs. God placed in Paradiſe trees of all ſorts for Adam's delight: Heaven is God's own Paradiſe, there is nothing wanting there for delight and bleſſedneſs: In a word, God himſelf will be their glory, he will be all in all to them; his own joy, his own glory, his own comfort and goodneſs ſhall be theirs, they ſhall then need nothing.
10. Conſider this one thing, and you will ſee there is no compariſon between them; the afflictions of this preſent time are common to wicked and godly; they ſuffer the ſame evils from men, but for different cauſes; the wicked ſuffer as evil doers, the godly ſuffer for doing well. The community of afflictions St. Paul brings as an argument to perſwade Chriſtians to bear the burthen patiently; 1 Cor. 10.13. There is no temptation hath taken you, but ſuch as is common to man. Look over your afflictions under which you groan, and you ſhall ſee other men under the ſame burthen with you: But now this future glory is a Believers peculiar portion; wicked men may drink of the cup of their ſufferings, but ſhall not have one drop of their joys; they may endure cruel mockings, but ſhall never ſhare with them in honour; that glory is peculiar to the Saints, reſerved only for Believers, makes it the more invaluable: Put caſe the light of the Sun were but for ſome men, and all the reſt lived and walked in darkneſs, we ſhould judge the ſtate of ſuch men incomparably comfortable above others; the glory of Heaven is peculiar to Believers, the darkneſs of affliction is common to Unbelievers with them, in this reſpect there is no compariſon.