The Holy Arbor, Chapter 4 · Section 13
§ 13. And Life Everlaſting. Amen.
BY Life Everlaſting, is meant that ever-enduring happineſs, and all thoſe joys which the Lord imparteth to all his Elect in the world to come; not onelyonly Life in, but Joy; not onelyonly Joy, but Riches; not onelyonly Riches, but Glory; and all theſe not in ſome meaſure, but in exceſs; not mixed, but abſolute; without grief, without want, without diſhonor; not by intermiſſion and fits, but continually; not after ſome long time to end, but everlaſtingly. This is the bleſſed eſtate of the faithful in the world to come, without end or miſery, in joys unſpeakable in body and ſoul; that habitation or dwelling of God in Angels and Men by the Holy Ghoſt, and the true knowledge of God, his Will and all his Works, kindled by the ſame Spirit in their hearts, and true and perfect Righteouſneſs and Wiſdom, that is a perfect conformity and correſpondence of their will and powers and operations, with the Minde and Will of God; as alſo a joy reſting on God, and a ſufficiency of all good things in God, as touching both ſoul and body, which ſhall never be interrupted, hindred, or have an end, which is given to all the Elect, and to them onelyonly, Joh. 10.28. Now as they are Elected, ſo they are but choſen to Eternal life: but as they are converted, ſo they are in part admitted unto it, and begin to be put into poſſeſſion of it. Thus the ſouls of the faithful departed, do in a moſt happy and bleſſed eſtate tarry and wait for their full deliverance and Redemption, in the Reſurrection and Glorification of their bodies; in the mean time reſting from their labors, being in the hand of God, the true Paradice and Kingdom of Chriſt, are received of him, and gathered to the ſouls of the faithful which are perfected, and to Abraham the Father of all which believe. Whence this Article is added in our Creed, to ſignifie, That the juſt ſhall not riſe again to miſery, or to a momentary felicity, but to eternal bleſſedneſs: The main difference betwixt our eſtate in this world and in the world to come, being, That here we muſt believe what we know but in part; there we ſhall perfectly know whatſoever is to be believed.
The comfort which the faithful take in this Article of Everlaſting Life, is, That foraſmuch as they feel already in their hearts the beginning of Everlaſting life, 2 Cor. 5.2, 3. it ſhall at length come to paſs, That after this life they ſhall enjoy full and perfect bliſs, wherein they ſhall magnifie God for ever: which bleſſedneſs, neither eye hath ſeen, nor ear hath heard, neither hath any man in thought conceived it, 1 Cor. 2.9. and which life we begin to live, the ſoul entreth into it at the time of every faithful ones bodily death, and the body alſo at the time of the general Reſurrection; for there is no ſleeping of the ſoul, as ſome dream, neither any other place to keep it in, nor ever was.
To believe everlaſting life, is to be aſſuredly and certainly perſwaded,
1. That after this life, there ſhall be alſo a life wherein the Church ſhall be glorified, and God magnified of her everlaſtingly.
2. That I alſo am a Member of this Church, and therefore partaker of everlaſting life.
3. That I alſo in this life have and enjoy the beginning of life eternal.
Life is three-fold:
1. Of Nature; wherein the good and bad promiſcuouſly live together.
2. Of Grace; wherein onelyonly the Sons of God in the Spiritual Kingdom of Chriſt live in this life; it is the ſame with that death whereby they dye to ſin.
3. Of Glory, in the bleſſed preſence of God for ever: Contrary to that death wherewith the bodies and ſouls of the wicked ſhall be tormented eternally.
That is Everlaſting
1. Which hath neither beginning nor ending: So God is everlaſting.
2. Which hath no beginning, but hath an ending: So the Decrees of God.
3. Which hath a beginning, but ſhall have no end; as everlaſting life.
Three degrees of eternal life:
1. In this world, when we begin to repent and believe in Chriſt, and have true peace of Conſcience.
2. In death, for that cuts off all ſins, both Original and Actual.
3. When body and ſoul reunited, go both together into everlaſting Glory.
We may claim to our ſelves everlaſting life by a double Right through Chriſt; viz.
1. Becauſe for us he hath fulfilled the whole Law.
2. By Right of Inheritance; for Chriſt being made ours, we are the children of God, Rom. 8.17.
How far we are in this life made partakers of heaven and everlaſting life:
1. The purchaſe of it is made; for Chriſt by his Blood hath purchaſed it.
2. We have received the firſt-fruits of it, as Peace of Conſcience, Joy in the Holy Ghoſt, free acceſs unto the Throne of Grace with confidence in Chriſt, and the like.
3. We are actually entred into the Kingdom of Grace, which is the beginning and a part of the Kingdom of Glory.
4. We have the earneſt of the Spirit, as a Pledge and Pawn till we come to the full poſſeſſion of the purchaſed Inheritance.
5. Chriſt our Head hath full and actual poſſeſſion; whereupon we being Members of his body are in him exalted and ſet in heavenly places.
In this life not onelyonly we may, but we ought alſo to be aſſured of everlaſting life, otherwiſe we ſhall never have it: And we may thus by theſe infallible ſigns be aſſured of it; viz.
1. By Faith, by a full perſwaſion of the good will of God towards us.
2. By the beginning of true Repentance.
3. By the Peace of Conſcience, by a deſire of, and joy in God.
Eternal life is called a Reſt; and that for theſe two Reaſons:
1. Becauſe then and there we ſhall Reſt from all our works; that is, from our ſins: for then we ſhall ſin no more, but ſhall know God, even as we are known.
2. We ſhall Reſt from all troubles and miſeries of this life, Rev. 14.13. hence it is called Abrahams boſom, Luke 16.22, 23. which in the faithful is even in this life begun by the outward Miniſtery of the Word, and the inward Miniſtery of the Spirit; the conſummation whereof hereafter ſhall never be given, to whom the beginning thereof, that is, Faith and Converſion, hath not arrived in this life.
The life of Life Everlaſting, is, the Beatifical Viſion, or the perfect Viſion of God, when Gods Elect ſhall ſee him as he is, 1 Joh. 3.2. Yet that we be not deceived herein, we muſt know that perfect ſight is twofold; viz.
1. Simple Perfect Sight, when man ſees a thing wholly as it is in it ſelf; and thus God is not ſeen by the minde of man.
2. Comprehenſive Perfect Sight, when the creature ſeeth God, ſo far forth as it is capable of his knowledge; and thus ſhall men ſee God in the world to come perfectly, and be filled therewith, though they know him not wholly as he is in himſelf; even as a veſſel caſt into the Sea may be perfectly full of water, though it receive not all the water in the Sea.
The duties of this faith are theſe:
1. Carefully to break off thoſe ſins, the doers of which are expreſly threatned, that they ſhall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. Gal. 5.19.
2. To ſtrive to enter, and to walk on in the way that leadeth to everlaſting life, and never to go out of it to our dying day, and this is the way of good works, Joh. 5.29.
3. To uſe the remembrance of eternal life, as a ſalve againſt all ſores, as a Cordial to comfort our hearts againſt our greateſt heavineſs.
4. To pray that this time might be haſtned wherein we ſhall enter into life, and even to rejoyce when we ſee it approach to any of us in particular.
Amen, ſignifying verily, certainly or undoubtedly, is added, for theſe Reaſons:
1. To ſhew that we do not in word onelyonly believe thoſe things, whereof we have made confeſſion, but from our very hearts.
2. Not waveringly, but certainly, and without doubting.
3. Not as if we were ſecure for our firm and ſtedfaſt belief of theſe things, but earneſtly craving this Faith at the hands of God; and thus it is as much as So be it.
Amen in the cloſe of our Prayers (as well as of this Confeſſion) doth not onelyonly expreſs our deſire of the things we ask, but alſo teſtifies our Faith in aſſurance of Receiving them according to our lawful deſire: So that it is not here to be taken (as it is commonly) onelyonly for a bare aſſent of the people anſwering the Miniſter in the Congregation, but as a declaration of Faith both in Miniſter and People.
Here words are of no uſe, expreſſions vain,
The humbleſt fancy a preſumptuous ſtrain.
Bright Cherubins! a Quill from off your Wings
Might reach this Note; which ſhould the low-tun'd ſtrings
Of Mortal Tongues endeavor to expreſs,
Would (if 't were poſſible) but ſtrain it leſs:
And though the bleſſed Muſick of your Quire
We cannot underſtand, we may admire.
Mean-while our Faith ſhall reſt in Hope in this,
That know we ſhall, when we enjoy your Bliſs.