A Prospect of Heaven, Treatise · Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII. Of the Adjuncts of the glory of Heaven.
HAving ſpoken of the Circumſtances and ſubſtance of the glory of the Saints in Heaven, in the next place I ſhall treat of the adjuncts thereof.
1. The glorious ſtate of the Sons of God is a ſtate of liberty, Rom. 8.21. I will ſhew in what reſpects it is a ſtate of liberty.
I. A liberty from all ſubjection, Natural, Servile, Magiſtratical; in this ſtate of liberty all yokes ſhall be broken to pieces; Fathers ſhall no more exerciſe their paternal authority, and Sons ſhall not be under their command; men ſhall be no more ſervants to men, the higheſt Potentates ſhall no more exerciſe authority over men: as it is ſaid of Marriage, They ſhall neither marry nor be given in marriage; ſo I may ſay of ſubjection, they ſhall neither command nor obey in the reſurrection, 1 Cor. 15.24. He ſhall put down all rule, and all authority and power. Chriſt will put down all the authority which Fathers have over their Children, which Maſters have over their Servants, which Princes have over their Subjects and Vaſſals, all the authority which both the Enemies and Perſecutors have over the Church; then it ſhall have no more nurſing Fathers and Mothers; all Crowns and Scepters ſhall be caſt down at the feet of Chriſt, he will put them down, the Greek word is, foreign, enervabit, he will at the laſt day put them down, not onelyonly that they ſhall not prevail, but that they ſhall be utterly aboliſhed.
II. They ſhall be delivered even from that ſweet and gracious ſubjection to Chriſt as King and Mediator; Chriſt ſhall rule over his body, not as Mediator, but as God; he himſelf will lay down the Crown of his Mediatorſhip, and deliver up his whole government into the hands of God, 1 Cor. 15.24, 28. And when all things ſhall be ſubdued unto him, then &c. When Chriſt hath levelled all authority with the ground, and ſhall have trodden down all his Enemies, then he will rule no more as Mediator, but give up the Kingdom to God the Father, and God will be all in all, he will immediately govern all his Saints.
III. A liberty from all ſpiritual Tyranny in divers reſpects.
1. It is a liberty from the Tyranny of Sin: Sin though it doth not rule in the Godly as a King, yet as a Tyrant: though the Saints do not, and never will ſell themſelves to work evil, yet while they are in this body they are ſold under ſin: no ſlavery is more intollerable to a Holy man, than this ſlavery to ſin; it is a Godly man's hell to be under the Tyrannical power of any luſt: Slavery to Pharaoh is liberty, compared to ſlavery to pride, to worldly-mindedneſs, or to any luſt whatſoever. It was the doom of a Godly Martyr to have a dead man chained to him, his eyes to the dead man's eyes, his breaſt to the dead man's breaſt, that he might periſh by the ſtench of the dead Carcaſs. Such is a Godly man's preſent condition to be tyed to the body of ſin, which is a very death to him in whom is the life of grace. Now the ſtate of glory will ſet all the Children of God at liberty from this thraldome: ſin will then be put off, when glory is put on: when the new man is perfectly renewed in reſpect of degrees and parts, the old man which is corrupt according to deceitful luſts, ſhall be perfectly deſtroyed in reſpect of preſence and operation: in the ſtate of glory they will not be afraid of ſinning, ſuch will their liberty be from ſin; they ſhall be as free from all ſin as the Sun from the leaſt ſhadow.
2. It is a ſtate of liberty from all tokens, effects, yea fears of the wrath and diſpleaſure of God: Now and then God writes bitter things againſt his people in this life, and makes them his mark, to ſhoot the arrows of his diſpleaſure into their very Conſciences. What doleful complaints have the Godly made, and ſtill do make of God's dealings with them? ſome of them live in Bondage to the fear of God's wrath all the dayes of their lives: Now there is no liberty from the fears of God's diſpleaſure in this life, ſo long as there is the remnant of ſins within them; while we have a body of ſin within us, we ſhall have a miſerable body: now in the ſtate of glory they ſhall enjoy a perfect liberty from wrath, and all their chains of fears ſhall be knockt off; the glorified ſhall no more fear wrath, than the glorified ſhall hope for favour; they ſhall no more dread Hell, than the damned truly deſire Heaven; their perfect ſenſe of God's love toward them, and their perfect love of God will caſt out all theſe fears: the ſtate of glory is a fearleſs eſtate; as far above fear as Heaven above earth; the mountain of glory cannot be removed with the greateſt tempeſt of the fears of any evil.
3. It is a ſtate of freedom from all afflictions: now afflictions are compared in Scripture to Bonds, Fetters, Chains, Yokes, and ſuch Engines and Inſtruments of miſerable bondage. The evil of ſin and afflictions are twins born together, and ſhall ceaſe and dye together: when the Soul takes her flight to the mountain of glory, ſhe caſteth off the mantle of ſuffering: Glory and miſery are as inconſiſtent together, as the moſt contrarious extreams; ſooner ſhall Eaſt and Weſt meet in one point, noon and midnight in one moment, than perfection and glory, and the leaſt affliction; Lazarus is now as great a ſtranger to afflictions, as Dives to pleaſures.
4. It is a freedom from all temptations and rage of Satan, it is impoſſible for the Devil to tempt a man in glory. When man was in a perfect ſtate of grace, he tempted him to ſin; but when man is in a perfect ſtate of glory, he cannot tempt him; the Devils are caſt out of Heaven, never to appear there to tempt any who have made their entrance into it: the Church hath a promiſe that Satan ſhall be bound up a thouſand years; but then he is bound to eternity: the Devils are now in chains of utter darkneſs, but through God's permiſſion, Satan's chain is ſometimes lengthened; but then no more lengthening: now he walketh up and down aſſaying to devour, and ſeeking whom he may devour, but then he ſhall walk no longer; the Saints ſhall follow the Lamb whereſoever he goeth, and ſhall not in all their walks meet with a Devil to tempt them to any ſin whatſoever.
5. The ſtate of glory is liberty from death, from the fears of it, and from all things tending to mortality; bondage to death will be ſwallowed up of this life of liberty; glory is triumphant over Death, Hell and the Grave, bidding defiance to them: O Grave where art thou! O Hell where art thou! O Death where art thou! 1 Cor. 15.54, 55. Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire, Rev. 20.14. By Hell (there) we muſt underſtand the Grave: Death and the Grave ſhall be damned as well as the wicked.
6. The ſtate of glory is a liberty from the rage, wrath, and perſecution of all the wicked men in the world: their rage and perſecution is a bondage and captivity to the Saints, hindring them from ſerving God with deſired freedom: they cannot put forth their godlineſs, but they expoſe themſelves to the ſcoffs, hatred, rage, and perſecutions of the world; now the ſtate of glory will put a great gulf between the Godly and the Wicked, which will hinder them from all intercourſe: for know, that if the damned could again be in company, or in the place where the godly are, they would perſecute them again to the uttermoſt, though they know they muſt be damned, and therefore the Devils now hate and tempt them, though they aggravate their own torments.
7. It is a liberty from all imperfections of graces, and weakneſs in their ſerving God.
1. From all imperfections of their graces, which in this preſent life are very imperfect: we know but in part, ſaith the Apoſtle: ſo we believe but in part, we love God but in part, we are Holy but in part, we are zealous for God but in part: there is more doubts and ignorance than knowledge, more unbelief than faith, more want of love than love, there is more ſin than grace and holineſs: now the ſtate of glory is a ſtate of perfection; we ſhall know as we are known, our underſtandings will be enlarged, that we ſhall know God fully and perfectly, our faith will be turned into ſight, our hope into poſſeſſion: we ſhall then love God with all our hearts, with all our ſouls, &c. The Angels are called Seraphims, becauſe (as ſome ſay) they burn in love and zeal toward God; ſo ſhall all the Saints be filled with this Seraphical love, we ſhall be as holy as our natures are capable. The Church and people of God in this life are compared to the Moon, becauſe of thoſe ſpots in her, which are imperfections; but in the ſtate of glory they are compared to the Sun which hath no ſpots in it; and as the Prophet ſpeaks of the Sun and Moon, that the light of the Sun ſhall be ſeven-fold more reſplendent than now: ſo the graces, the holineſs of the Saints ſhall be ſeven-fold more holy than now they are.
2. It ſhall be a liberty from all weakneſſes and infirmities in ſerving God, this is the neceſſary conſequent of the former; for the more glorious and holy a man is, the more able he is to ſerve God, if perfectly ſanctified; then he ſerveth God perfectly: the Angels fulfil the whole will of God, becauſe they are filled with grace; they run, yea, they fly in the wayes of his commandements: this liberty and enlargement ſhall all the Saints have in the ſtate of glory: while they are here, they are in bondage to much ſpiritual deadneſs, and ſlothfulneſs, they pray, they praiſe God acceptably, though they cannot pray nor praiſe him perfectly; they may pray and purpoſe to run the wayes of God's Commandements, but cannot becauſe they are too weak, and are fettered with ſpiritual ſlothfulneſs and deadneſs: glory will do away all this, and make us as ready and able to do the whole will of God, as Angels do.
8. It is a liberty from all natural clogs which the body in this ſtate of union faſtens upon the ſoul, inſomuch that the body is animae ergaſtulum, the priſon of the ſoul; it is pondus, or onus animae, the burden or weight of the ſoul; the regenerate ſoul cannot act vigorouſly, becauſe the body is ſo unweildy; the ſpirit is willing, but the fleſh is weak: but when the ſoul and body ſhall be reunited, and meet in a ſtate of glory, the body will be a nimble handmaid, and pliable to all the motions and commands of the ſoul: the body then (which is now the ſouls priſon) will be the ſouls paradiſe: and both ſoul and body will act moſt vigorouſly; the ſoul will never tyre out the body, nor will the body clog the ſoul; they will both be unwearied in their glorious ſervices; the body then will be ſpiritual, though not a ſpirit, and become immortal, incorruptible, as the ſoul is.
9. It is a liberty from many duties and ſervices, and ſpiritual exerciſes, which are now required of us; the Saints work ſhall be leſſened in Heaven. The Service of the Church and people of God under the Goſpel, is much leſs than it was under the Law: hence the ſtate of the Church under the pedagogy of the Law is by the Apoſtle called a ſtate of bondage, a ſtate of ſubjection, but the ſtate of the Church under the Goſpel is called a ſtate of liberty: but when the Church ſhall be taken up into glory, then their ſervices ſhall be far leſs than now they are; many duties and graces ſhall be done away in Heaven; we ſhall pray no more for any mercy for our ſelves; all praying ſhall be turned into praiſing of God; we ſhall not hear the Word, nor receive the Sacraments any more; nor faſt and afflict our ſouls any more; we ſhall no longer mourn for ſin; repentance will be done away, yea faith it ſelf (as many Divines conceive) ſhall be done away: Pray we ſhall not, becauſe then we ſhall never be in want: our ſouls ſhall be ſo abundantly ſatisfied with the fulneſs of God's houſe: we ſhall mourn and repent no more, becauſe we ſhall ſin no more. Our ſervice in the ſtate of glory will be taken up in praiſing God, in admiring God, in loving God, rejoycing in God, giving him praiſe and glory for the riches of his grace toward us in Chriſt Jeſus.
10. In reſpect of the place, it is a ſtate of liberty indeed: the vaſt Heaven of Heavens, O ye Saints, ſhall be the place of your habitation and delight: what is the whole world compared to it, it is but a narrow priſon, an houſe of correction, an houſe of bondage to a gracious ſpirit, it is but as a Cage to a bird, ſo is the world to the ſoul of a Godly man.
11. It is a liberty from all fears or dangers of everloſing their glory and bleſſedneſs, which then they ſhall enjoy; they ſhall never be afraid of loſing God, Chriſt, Heaven, Happineſs, but ſhall be ſecured to all eternity, which is the Crown of this glorious liberty of the Children of God. It is a ſore thraldome to be perplexed with fears of loſing our enjoyments, it imbittereth all our joyes, it is death to a worldling to think he muſt die, and leave all his riches, honours, friends, delights; much more will it be a very Hell to the afflicted, if they ſhould be afflicted with the fears of loſing Heaven: but no ſuch fears or thoughts ſhall at any time (during eternity) perplex the hearts of the Godly, it caſteth out all ſuch fears: they ſhall ſee it is impoſſible for them to loſe what they do poſſeſs. Notable is that phraſe, Luk. 16.26. Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: that if the glorified would get out of Heaven, they cannot come to the damned; and the damned cannot come out of Hell to Heaven; God hath faſt bolted the gates of Heaven and Hell with an everlaſting decree.