A Prospect of Heaven, Frontispiece – Dedication
A PROSPECT OF HEAVEN
GLORY
A PROSPECT OF HEAVEN: OR, A TREATISE OF THE Happineſs of the Saints in Glory: WHEREIN Is Deſcribed the Nature and Quality, the excellency and certainty of it: together with the Circumſtances, Subſtance and Adjuncts of that glory: the unſpeakable miſery of thoſe that loſe it, and the right way to obtain it: Shewing alſo the diſproportion between the Saints preſent Sufferings, and their future Glory. Many weighty queſtions diſcuſſed, and divers caſes cleered.
By William Gearing, Rector of Chriſt-Church in Surrey, near Southwark.
In Regno Caelorum vocabimus & videbimus, videbimus & amabimus, amabimus & laudabimus id quod erit in fine ſine fine: Et quis alius noſter eſſet finis, quam venire ad regnum cujus nullus eſt finis? Auguſt.
London, Printed for Tho. Paſſenger, and Benj. Hurlock at the three Bibles on London-Bridge, and over againſt St. Magnus Church, 1673.
To the much honoured, Sr. WILLIAM TƲRNER, Kt. and Alderman of the City of LONDON, And to Sir JAMES LANGHAM of the ſame City, Knight; Grace and Peace be multiplyed.
Honoured Sirs,
THe Heathen Philoſophers diſcourſed much of true bleſſedneſs, yet never knew they what it meant, nor wherein it conſiſted. Varro, Varro, lib. 19. Auguſt. de Civ. Dei cap. 1. Cicer. de finib. lib. 1.and out of him, S. Auguſtine ſaith, they were divided into 288 opinions about this one point, yet not one true …mong them all. They ran all of them toward his mark, but not as they that run in a race; …hey had ſeveral Goals, but none of them obtained …he Crown. Some of them would have it conſiſt a pleaſure; ſo Epicurus thought variety of …leaſure was the only ſummum bonum, the only …hief good of man; but as the Orator ſaid well …f him; it was vox pecudis, non hominis, the …oice of a beaſt, not of a man: that this was the opinion of the Epicureans, is no wonder; ſeeing they acknowledged not the immortality of the ſoul, but thought that the ſoul died together with the body; therefore they placed bleſſedneſs in bodily pleaſures. But the Mahumetans acknowledge the reſurrection of the body, and after the reſurrection the immortality of the Soul, and a life that ſhall never end; therefore it is the more to be wondered at, that they ſhould place the chiefeſt good of the life to come in bodily pleaſure. The Turks in ſcorn are wont to call Chriſtians dogs; but more truely and more juſtly they may be called Dogs and Swine, whoſe God is their belly, and whoſe chiefeſt good lieth in eating and drinking, and in fleſhly delights and pleaſures: but even Saluſt. In regno voluptatis virtuti non eſt locus. Saluſt.could ſay, that in the Kingdom of pleaſure vertue hath no place: and the wiſeſt Philoſophers have called ſenſitive pleaſures the poiſon of the mind; of the which we muſt the more carefully beware, for that theſe pleaſures are accompanied with a certain ſweetneſs, which flatters the Soul at its firſt approach, ſurprizeth our judgement, and charmeth it in ſuch ſort, as it helpeth to deceive it ſelf. Theſe pleaſures put out the eye of reaſon, and ſmother all the ſeeds of Wiſdom and Vertue in man, the which they effect more powerfully, when they are moſt violent: wherefore a wiſe man was wont to ſay, that he had rather fall into frenzy, than ſuffer himſelf to be ſurprized with pleaſures; for, ſaid he, Phyſicians may cure madneſs by purging the brain with Hellebore, Coeſſet. tabu…. Human. paſſion.whereas brutiſh pleaſures do deprive man of his judgement without hope of remedy for his infirmity. Some again have made bleſſedneſs to conſiſt in Honours, Dignities, Superiorities, popular Acclamations, and all ſorts of preferments; but happineſs conſiſteth not in theſe things; theſe are all very empty things: a bladder when it is blown, ſeems to be full, when it hath nothing in it but a little thin air, a ſmall pin is ſufficient to pierce it, and empty it of all that is in it: ſo it is with thoſe that love popularity and the praiſe of men more than the praiſe of God, and receive honour from men, themſelves in the mean time being ſtrangers to God: many of them ſeem to be full, but they are but as bladders full of wind, full of vanity; a ſlight occaſion is enough to empty them of all their happineſs.
Others would have it conſiſt in wealth and riches: So Antiſthenes ſaid, that he onelyonly was happy, that died in the affluence of worldly proſperity: but when a man expecteth happineſs and ſatisfaction from theſe things, he findeth nothing leſs. Solomon tells us, he made him great works, builded houſes, planted Vine-yards, got him Servants and Maidens, and had great poſſeſſions of great and ſmall Cattel, above all that were in Jeruſalem before him, that he gathered to him Silver and Gold, and the peculiar treaſure of Kings, and of the Provinces, &c. ſo he became great, and increaſed more than all that were before him, Eccleſ. 2. from v. 4. to 11. Now v. 11. he looks back on all the work and labour of his hands, and behold all was vanity and vexation of ſpirit, and ver. 17. he hated life it ſelf, becauſe the work that was wrought under the Sun was grievous to him; and ver. 18. he hated all his labour which he had taken under the Sun: therefore theſe things were far from giving him ſound contentment; they did rather increaſe the Diſeaſe, and make the Soul more reſtleſs than before. Now if ſuch a one as Solomon, that had intereſt in God, did thus far loſe that ſweet content he had in God by an eager purſuit of theſe periſhing things, then much more impoſſible is it, that the ſoul that never had intereſt in God, ſhould find happineſs and contentment in the creature: it is impoſſible for thoſe that neglect the fountain of living waters, to quench their thirſt at a broken ciſtern; nor can man be made happy by any thing inferiour to himſelf: now all earthly creatures are inferiour to the reaſonable ſoul of man, and the ſubſtance and faculties thereof doth far ſurpaſs all the riches and honours of the world; and if man cannot find ſound contentment and true happineſs in himſelf, it will be in vain to ſeek it in theſe things.
Others there were (that came neareſt to the point) that would have bleſſedneſs to conſiſt in vertue; and yet alas! there were none, even of the wiſer Heathens, that ever knew what true vertue meant; and conſequently what true bleſſedneſs meant. They wrote much of ſome that were excellent among them, men renowned and famous for vertue: it was ſaid of Cato, that he was vertues true image, Qui nunquam recte fecit, ut facere videretur, ſed quia aliter facere non potuit; who never did any thing well that he might ſeem to do it, but becauſe he could not do otherwiſe: it was alſo ſaid of him, that he was ſuae fortunae Faber; let him live in any time or common-wealth, he would make ſhift for one: of Fabritius it is all ſpoken, that you might ſooner have turn'd the Sun out of his courſe, than him from his integrity and uprightneſs. Yet the beſt of them were but guilded potſherds, and the faireſt vertues they talkt of were but painted rags; they never knew what God or Chriſt was, what Heaven or Hell were. Bleſſedneſs is a thing that every man hath in his eye, it is the mark that every one ſhoots at, a thing that every man deſireth: bleſſedneſs is that eſtate that every man coveteth & boni & mali, both good and bad men, ſaith S. Auguſtine. Auguſt. in Pſal. 119. Serm. 1.Good men do therefore labour to be good, yet that is no wonder; but even wicked men alſo do therefore labour to be wicked, that they may be happy; there is ſome appearance of good in it unto them, they aim at a kind of bleſſedneſs even in the purſuit of wickedneſs; and many there are that have Heaven and happineſs at their tongues end, that have the earth continually at their fingers end.
O curas hominum! O quantum eſt in rebus inane!
Alas! Mans cares, how full of pain?
Alas! Mans wayes, how vile and vain?
But though bleſſedneſs be in every man's heart, yet many men are ſtrangers to it: Many things are ſubject to the eye; but of bleſſedneſs we may ſay, eye hath not ſeen it: other comforts and good things are taken in by the ear; but we may ſay of bleſſedneſs, ear hath not heard it, nor is it poſſible to enter into the heart of man to conceive, how great that good is that is compriſed in bleſſedneſs.
The bleſſed man is defined by ſome to be one, Qui habet omnia quae vult, & nihil patitur quae non vult; that hath every thing he would have, and ſuffereth nothing he would not ſuffer: ſo that it is an eſtate to be conſidered privatively and poſitively: Privatively, in reſpect of what muſt be wanting; Poſitively, in reſpect of what muſt be had. 1. There muſt be an abſence of all that is evil, whatſoever is in any degree evil, or whatſoever a man in his own underſtanding doth apprehend to be evil, or conceit to be evil, that he muſt want, and be without: for if there be any evil at all that he either feels or feareth, ſo long as he is in that eſtate he cannot be in a bleſſed eſtate; yea though it be but an imaginary evil; his own fears, imaginations and apprehenſions are to him a kind of unhappineſs: while man is under the apprehenſion, fear or imagination of any evil, he is vexed, diſquieted, tormented, and cannot be truly happy. 2. On the other ſide as there muſt be an abſence of all that is evil, ſo there muſt be an affluence of whatſoever things are good: every good thing the heart can wiſh, a man muſt enjoy: for look how much of any good thing he wanteth, ſo much of his bleſſedneſs he wanteth. Therefore the word in the Hebrew that ſignifies bleſſedneſs is a plurall word,foreign and never found in the ſingular number: Some give this reaſon for it, becauſe it is not hoc aut illud, unum aut aliud; it is not this or that, one or the other good thing that can make a man's eſtate bleſſed: but he that will be in a bleſſed eſtate muſt omnibus bonis affluere, abound with all good things, and no good that he can deſire muſt be wanting to him. Bleſſedneſs is the enjoyment of good correſpondent to all the deſires of a Chriſtian, it is both the firſt and laſt good of a Chriſtian, the firſt and laſt of things to be deſired; the firſt for excellency, the laſt for enjoyment; it is the ſpring of all good; when bleſſedneſs cometh, all good cometh along with it; it comprehendeth all good whatſoever: Moreover, bleſſedneſs is the Crown and remuneration of all good; though God doth endue men with ſeveral gifts and graces, and albeit as there are ſeveral gifts and employments of men, ſo there ſhall be ſeveral rewards; yet the reward of all is but one bleſſedneſs. And hereunto I will add one thing more, viz. that bleſſedneſs hath ever perpetuity annexed to it; and that ſame perpetuity of happineſs addeth all in all to the perfection of it;Non eſt iſta beatitudo, de cujus aeternitate dubitatur. for there is no perfection of felicity, where there is no aſſurance of perpetuity; which perpetuity doth neither depend upon the nature of the thing it ſelf, nor proceed from any natural neceſſity, that our ſouls ſhould ſo exerciſe themſelves for ever in beholding and loving God; but from the will of God which doth freely perfect our nature in ſo high a degree, and continue it ſo perfected.
From hence this concluſion will follow, that the bleſſed eſtate being ſuch an eſtate as we have ſpoken of, it is not to be attained in this life. The bleſſedneſs of man in this life is but like the girding on of the Sword before the fighting of the Battel; till the battel be fought the victory cannot be judged, nor the Crown given. Alas! in this life there are many good things wanting to us that our Souls do deſire, many evils preſent with us from which we would fain be delivered: we have now health, and anon ſickneſs; now plenty, anon want; now peace, anon trouble; but in Heaven there is all joy and no ſorrow: in the world there are reciprocal viciſſitudes of joy and ſorrow: joy and ſorrow be as it were the interchanging ſails of the worlds wind-mill, it is therefore the hand of death that muſt open the door for us to an happy life, according to that of the Poet.
—ultima ſemper
Expectanda dies homini, dici que beatus
Ante obitum nemo ſuprema que funera debet.Ov. M…. lib. 3.
Our lives laſt day muſt be expected, when
By death we ſhall be happy; not till then.
Thus Epiphanius Epiphan. Haereſ. 6….brings in Methodius diſputing againſt Proclus the Originiſt, that God as the true Phyſitian, hath appointed death as a Medicinable purgation for the utter rooting out and putting away of ſin, that we may be made happy and unblameable; and that as a goodly golden Image, ſightly and ſeemly in all parts; if it be broken and defaced by any means, muſt be new caſt, and framed again, for the taking away the blemiſhes and diſgraces of it: Even ſo Man (the Image of God) being maimed and diſgraced by ſin, for the putting away theſe blemiſhes, and the repairing his ruines and decayes, muſt by death be diſſolved into the earth, thence to be raiſed up again in a ſtate of perfection and bleſſedneſs.
How ſhould the conſideration hereof wean us from the love of this life? why ſhould our love be there ſet, where no bleſſedneſs is to be had? the things of this life are of that nature, Quae poſſeſſa onerant, amata inquinant, amiſſa cruciant; as Bernard ſpeaketh; things, which while we poſſeſs, they burthen us; while we love, they defile us; when we foregoe, they torment us; and therefore better a great deal that we honourably contemn, what we cannot but ſorrowfully loſe: bleſſedneſs is not to be attained on earth, but to be hoped for in Heaven; and this ſhould ſtir us up to the ſeeking after a better life, for that condition where we may be bleſſed for ever.
The fruition of eternal glory is a future good, there is difficulty to attain it; it is no eaſie entrance into Heaven; God hath made viam lacteam in coelis, not ad coelum; God hath made a milky way in Heaven paved with ſtars, but not to Heaven; no, the way to Heaven is paved with ſundry difficulties; the way is narrow, the gate is ſtrait, many ſeek and cannot find it: Yet although Heaven be difficult to obtain, there is a fair poſſibility for any man to win the crown of eternal glory: There was never a Saint that lived and fought this Chriſtian warfare, but when they had finiſhed their courſe, they received Palmes, the Enſign of triumph, and the Crown of righteouſneſs which Chriſt the righteous Judge hath laid up for them. Laertius writeth of one that had been thirty and three years traveling to ſeek out the natures of Bees: indeed Bees are excellent creatures, and there is excellent uſe of the honey that they make; but here is that which is ſweeter than Honey and the Honey-comb: they that take pains for temporal things, it is not bread that they labour for, it is not that which will ſatisfie; now if it bring no ſatisfaction with it, it can bring no bleſſedneſs with it; but everlaſting glory and bleſſedneſs is the bread that will ſatisfie; this will be as marrow and fatneſs to our ſouls; let us labour for this, and our ſoul ſhall live.
Now much honoured in the Lord!
I have written this Tract of the glory of Heaven and of eternal bleſſedneſs (which I humbly dedicate to you) partly that I might feed my own mind with this Heavenly contemplation, and partly that I might ſtir you up to the more ſerious conſideration of the ſame things: there is nothing will make us more contemn the world, and kindle in us an earneſt deſire and longing after Heaven, than the frequent and diligent meditation on the glory of Heaven, and the bleſſedneſs of the Saints in the world to come will do: Oh did we frequently conſider what pure and unmixt de…ights lye for ever on thoſe everlaſting Hills and Gardens of Spices, that are alwayes green and flouriſhing, how ſhould we rouze up our ſelves, and ſay, what do we here? Oh why do we weary our ſelves like the bird that toileth to gather a few ſticks together to build a neſt in the ſpring time, which after a little time will be pulled down and forſaken? Remember I beſeech you, that bleſſedneſs is not to be had here, but in Heaven; in Heaven where life eternal is, there, and there only, true and perfect bleſſedneſs is; as this enſuing Treatiſe will fully demonſtrate.
Therefore let no temptation of Satan at any time overcome you; let not the love of any ſin poſſeſs you, let no evil example of the world ſeduce you, let no evil advantages or pleaſures ſteal away your heart from you: go on ſtill in making you friends of the unrighteous Mammon, and great profit ſhall thereby come unto you. You may not think (ſaith Chryſoſtome Chryſoſt. Homil. in Luc. 16.) that God made the rich for the profit of the poor, but the poor for the profit of the rich, when they make them friends of the riches of iniquity: as if rich men ſhould one day find that the poor were their beſt friends; for when they come to be received into everlaſting habitations, God ſeems to make his poor Saints the Porters of Heaven. God will then remember all the kindneſſes you have ſhewed to any of his diſtreſſed ſervants, and abundantly reward them; yea he will recompenſe a cup of cold water given to a Diſciple of Chriſt in the name of a Diſciple, with the whole fountain of the water of life; and two mites, with the whole treaſure in the Temple: there for Gold you ſhall have Glory; for earthly Mannours, heavenly Manſions; for Silver that periſheth, ſolace without end; Mirth without meaſure, pleaſure without pain; there you ſhall be clothed in white, which is the innocence of the Saints; have palmes in your hands, in token of victory; and be Crowned with a Diadem of pure Gold, which is immortality: your happineſs then will be for God to make you of his Court, though here you are not of his Council.
Finally, let me excite you to raiſe your thoughts and meditations beyond theſe ſublunary things, and lift them up to thoſe that are above, ſettle your affections upon them, exerciſe your ſtudy in them, feed your deſires and hopes with them; and ever think of one thing, that all the Kingdoms in the world are not to be compared with the pooreſt Manſion in Heaven; there onelyonly is the centre and ſeat of bleſſedneſs, for there (as an Ancient ſaith) Quicquid amabitur, aderit, Auguſt. Medit.nec deſiderabitur quod non aderit: whatſoever is to be loved ſhall be there, and there ſhall be nothing wanting that is to be deſired; there ſhall be all that good is, even our greateſt God who is our greateſt good: we ſhall have him with us there, or rather he indeed ſhall have us there with him, in whom we ſhall be perfectly bleſſed, and with whom our bleſſedneſs ſhall be perpetually eſtabliſhed. Now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are ſanctified. The Lord deliver you from every evil work, and preſerve you unto his Heavenly Kingdome; So prayeth
Your affectionate Servant in the Goſpel William Gearing.