A Prospect of Heaven, Treatise · Chapter 33
CHAP. XXXIII.
SECT. I. Sheweth, how a man may know whether he hath a title to Heaven.
Queſt. BƲt here peradventure thou may'st demand, how ſhall I know whether the promiſe of eternal life belongeth to me or not?
Sol. I anſwer firſt, doſt thou love God; the promiſe of giving the crown of life is made to them that love him, Jam. 1.12. He that is the beſt lover, is the beſt and moſt accompliſhed Chriſtian; it is not ſo much what thou doeſt, or what thou ſuffereſt, what thy actions or what thy ſufferings are, as what thy love to God is: ſo then the greateſt Saint is not barely he that hath done moſt, or ſuffered moſt, but he that loveth moſt, as it was ſaid of Mary Magdalen, Luk 7.47.that many ſins were forgiven her, becauſe ſhe loved much. If thou haſt true ſaith, it will be the fountain of thy love to God, who believing God to be ſuch, and ſo merciful to to thee, it ſwalloweth up thy affections, and draweth out thy love and devotion toward him; which is not unfelt in us; but by the feeling thereof in our ſelves, we gather a further confirmation and aſſurance to our ſelves, that we are beloved of God; both which S. Bernard well declareth, ſaying, that the love of God breedeth in the ſoul love toward God; and by feeling it ſelf to love, it is alſo out of doubt that it ſelf is beloved: now if thou art one that loveſt God, thou maiſt conclude thou art beloved of him (for we love him becauſe he loved us firſt) and therefore thou haſt an intereſt in the crown of life which God hath promiſed to them that love him.
True it is, ſometimes it is ſaid, it ſhall be given to ſuch as the Lord loveth; his love to us, that is it that ſhall ſet this glorious crown upon our heads. The Apoſtle, Eph. 2.4. ſpeaking both of our Sanctification and Salvation, makes God the Author of them both: and in God, the cauſe of both, the riches of his mercy, and the greatneſs of his love. God who is rich in mercy, through his great love wherewith he hath loved us, hath raiſed us up together, and made us to fit together in Heavenly places. So S. John ſaith, it was God's love to us, that he ſent his onelyonly Son to us, in him to give us life and ſalvation: herein was the great love of God manifeſted towards us, in that God ſent his onelyonly begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him, 1 Joh. 4.9. Yet S. James tells us, the crown of life ſhall be given to them that love the Lord: as if it were not ſo much his love to us as did graciouſly vouchſafe it, as our love to him that did deſervedly merit it. But theſe may both ſtand together; the promiſe of eternal life may be ſaid to belong both to thoſe whom the Lord loveth, and to thoſe that love the Lord: for firſt, this love of God to us and our love to him, do alwayes go together, like fountain and ſtream, ſeed and fruit, fire and light, cauſe and effect: whenſoever his love takes hold upon us, it generates and begets in us love toward him again. We read of Solomon, that he was named Jedidjah, becauſe he was the beloved of the Lord, 2 Sam. 12.25. and we likewiſe read of him, 1 Kings 3.3. that he loved the Lord: he was the beloved of the Lord, and he loved the Lord: God's love working upon him, it wrought in him again love toward God: now they that are beloved of God, and they that love God, they have both of them the promiſe of eternal life. God's love to them is properly the cauſe of it; their love to him, that's onelyonly the Seal of it. What S. John ſaith of the love of our Brethren, the ſame may we ſay of the love of God. We know by it, that we are tranſlated from death to life,1 Joh. 3.14. which life is a token of aſſurance by which we know we ſhall be ſaved. The cauſe of our ſalvation is in God's loving us; our loving of God is a token only, by which we know we are ſealed up unto ſalvation.
SECT. II.
2. ARt thou Holy? thou haſt hence good ground and reaſon to expect whatſoever reward God hath promiſed unto holineſs. Being made free from ſin, and become ſervants unto God, ye have your fruit unto holineſs, and the end everlasting life, Rom. 6.22. Are ye pure in heart? they onelyonly ſhall ſee God, Math. 5.8. Are ye holy in life? then ſhall you ſee the Lord, Hebr. 12.14. Beware how thou doſt go on in any ſin; anſwer thy luſts, thy temptations, thy wicked company that ſeduce and entice thee to ſin, as Solomon anſwered Bathſheba, when ſhe deſired Abiſhag for Adonijah, let him take my Kingdom too; ſo ſay thou to thy luſts, to thy temptations, to thy wicked company; if you beg my company, then take away my Kingdom too, take away my glory, take away my happineſs too; take heed of laying down thy head in the lap of any luſt, as Sampſon did in the lap of Dalilah. What ſaid ſhe to him? The Philistines be upon thee Sampſon: So if thou ſuffereſt thy ſelf to be deceived by thy luſts, by thy ſinful pleaſures; I will not ſay, the Philiſtines be upon thee, but all the Devils in Hell be upon thee: it may be thou expecteſt Angels to carry thee like Lazarus into Abraham's boſome, and the evil Angels will take thee and hurry thee into Belzebub's boſome; nothing but ſin will make thee uncapable of glory: it is only Chriſt and intereſt in Chriſt by ſaving faith, and grace and holineſs, that can fit thee for glory, that can make thee capable of glory and happineſs; we muſt be gracious here, otherwiſe we ſhall never be glorious hereafter: conſider the nature of this glory which God will communicate to his Saints, it is pure glory, therefore it is neceſſary that the ſubjects which muſt receive it be pure alſo; God will put pure glory into pure veſſels. What ado had Queen Eſther before ſhe was brought to the King? Eſt. 2.12. She was to purifie her ſelf a whole year before ſhe could attain to be Queen, ſix months with oyl of Myrrh, and ſix moneths with ſweet Odours, then ſhe was brought to the King: ſhall an earthly Prince expect ſuch exact purification, before he will beſtow his honours? and ſhall not God expect our purifying our ſelves, before we come and ſit upon thrones of glory? can we think that God will cloath our Bodies of ſin with Robes of glory, and that God will put the pure white linnen of the Saints upon the ſtinking lowſie rags of the old Adam? Zech. 3. Jehoſhua was a Type of ſuch whom God will glorifie; he was cloathed with filthy garments, when he ſtood before the Angel; he was to put off thoſe filthy garments, and then God cauſed a Mitre to be put upon his head, and change of raiment for his clothing; ſo God will have you to put off your filthy converſations, before he will ſet a crown of pure gold upon your heads, and put on you the white linnen of his Saints.
Go to now Brethren! ye that hope to be glorified with Chriſt; conſider with your ſelves, whether the old man be put off, whether your earthly members be mortified, or do you walk ſtill in the vanity of your minds, do you ſtill keep your former converſations? are your luſts your Centurions ſtill? do you obey them? then let me tell you, you have no part in Chriſt, you are not the Sons of God, your hopes of Heaven are but preſumptions, you are never like to ſee God in glory. See what you muſt expect, Coloſſ. 3.16. For which things ſake cometh the wrath of God upon the children of diſobedience. Tremble at it, ye that hope for glory, and yet go on in your ſins; your ſins will bring the wrath of God upon your ſouls, and not the glory of God; you are the children of diſobedience, and not the children of God: if you will maintain your hopes of glory and title to Heaven, ſhew it forth by purifying your ſelves as Chriſt is pure. Suppoſe a leper in times of legal pollutions ſhould have pronounced himſelf clean, while the leprouſie was upon him, yet he ſhould not be admitted into the Camp, unleſs the Prieſt did pronounce him clean: ſo may you ſay that you are clean, and that you ſhall be glorified, yet you ſhall never poſſeſs glory, unleſs Chriſt the High-Prieſt pronounce you clean.