A Glimpse of Eternity, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Of Eternal, Inviſible things, the firſt Argument from God.
I begin with the firſt:
1. THat the vnſeen things of another life, are Eternal; the condition of man after this life is an eternal condition. After a few daies are ſpent, we muſt all enter upon that long day that hath no evening, that infinite duration, that hath no end, that unlimited Eternity, which alwaies hath been, and is, and ſhall be the ſame for ever and ever: when man dyes he goeth to his long home, (x)Eccleſ. 12.5.the body goeth to the Grave, which the Scripture calls its houſe, or home; the Grave is my houſe, (y)Job 17.13.All the Kings of the Nations lye every one in his own houſe, (z)Iſa. 14.18and this is a long home, being to lye there till the Heavens be no more; (a)Job 14.12.and Solomon ſaith, of theſe daies of darkneſs in the Grave, that they are many. (b)Eccleſ. 11.8.But the ſoul goeth to a longer home, the home of Eternity, as the Septuagint reads it; believers go to their home, their Country, their Fathers houſe: Wicked men go to their home, their own place, as it was ſaid of Judas (c)Acts 1.25; both Saints and Sinners, when they go hence, enter upon a new, but never ending condition: whether Death lands them upon the deſired haven of reſt, and happineſs, or caſts them upon the black ſhore of miſery, and torment; whether they be received into Heaven, or doomed to Hell; whether they riſe to the reſurrection of Life, or the reſurrection of Condemnation, they are equally put into an endleſs everlaſting condition, the one riſeth to everlaſting life, the other to ſhame and everlaſting contempt. (d)Dan. 12.2.The latter go away into everlaſting puniſhment, the other into life eternal. (e)Mat. 25. laſt.The truth of this I ſhall demonſtrate from theſe following Arguments.
1. From God, it is true, God enjoys all happineſs in himſelf, and can receive no addition thereunto from the creature; all his happineſs is in himſelf, in the injoymeut of himſelf, in the contemplation of his own perfection; he was as happy, before Heaven or Earth, Angels, or Men were made, as he is now, and would be ſo, were all creatures reduced to their firſt nothing; as Seneca divinely, if the world were conſumed, all the Angels annihilated, and nature ceaſe to be, yet being left to himſelf, he enjoyeth all in himſelf: but though he be in himſelf God over all, bleſſed for ever, yet it pleaſed God, for the manifeſting the Glory of his Attributes, to make a world of Creatures, and, among others, Angels and Men, upon whom he imprinted ſome more conſpicuous Characters and Draughts of his own Perfections; and among others, made them partakers of his own Immortality, that upon them he might manifeſt the Glory either of his Mercy, or his Wrath. What if God willing to ſhew his wrath, and make his power known, indured with much long-ſuffering the veſſels of wrath fitted to deſtruction? and that he might make known the glory of his mercy on the veſſels of mercy, which he had before prepared unto glory *Rom. 9.22, 23.? To this purpoſe, though he made both righteous, yet he left both to the freedom of their own will, that if they did well, they might do it out of choice and good-will, not of neceſſity; if they did ill, it ſhould be by their own default: And though God was no ways the cauſe of eithers ſin, nor ordained either to puniſhment without reference to their ſin; yet he foreſaw they would abuſe their free-will, by ſinning againſt him, and by ſin make themſelves obnoxious to his wrath; and accordingly ordained, that thoſe Angels that ſtood, and thoſe of Mankind that after their Fall would accept of a Mediator, ſhould live eternally with himſelf in Glory and Happineſs. On the other ſide, that thoſe of the Angels who left their firſt habitation, and thoſe of the Sons of men who rejected the help of a Mediator, ſhould for ever feel the weight of his diſpleaſure. So that to deny the eternal condition of Man after this Life, is quite repugnant to that great Deſign of God, whereby he appointed both Angels and Men to be, for ever, either the perpetual Objects of his Free-grace, or the everlaſting Monuments of his juſtly deſerved Wrath.
But to improve this Meditation a little further: We read of worlds in Scripture, by which he made the worlds 1Heb. 1.2.. By faith we underſtand that the worlds were made by the word of God 2Heb. 11.3..
Though ſome think it is ſpoken in the plural Number, after the Jewiſh mode, who uſed to mention a three-fold, an inferior, a middle, and a ſuperiour World, as Camero obſerveth: and others conceive, that by Worlds may be meant the Age or World of the Jewiſh Church under the Law, and the Chriſtian Church in the times of the Goſpel, called the World to come 3Heb. 2.5.: yet I ſee no cauſe why by Worlds we may not underſtand the preſent World4Tit. 2.12., and the future World; or, as they are diſtinguiſhed5Mat. 12.32., this world, and the world to come: this World is but of ſhort continuance; The faſhion of this world paſſeth away 61 Cor. 7.31.; the World to come is a World without end: this World is like a Comet, that blazeth for a time, and then diſappeareth; the World to come is as a Fixed Star, or rather as the Sun, that faithful Witneſs in Heaven, that rangeth about the Firmament with a glittering perpetuity: this world is but a Tent or Tabernacle, ſet up for a time, but e're long to be taken down, the Stakes thereof to be removed, and the Cords broken; the world to come is a Manſion, or place of abode: In my Fathers houſe are many Manſions 7John 14.2.. This World was ſet up as a Stage for Men to act their Parts on for ſome few thouſands of Years, and then muſt become Fuel to the Fire; the world to come is that great laſting Theatre, on which God will eternally diſplay the glory of his ſeveral Attributes. Concerning the duration of this World, there is a great diſpute, whether there ſhall be only a renovation, or a total annihilation, at the Day of Judgment: but concerning the world to come, and the Inhabitants of it, Angels and Men, there was never any queſtion made by any ſober Orthodox Divine, howſoever the Scripture is moſt clear for it,(n)Luke 20.34, 36. The Children of this world marry, and are given in marriage, but they that ſhall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the Reſurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they dye any more, for they are equal to the Angels, and are the Children of God, being the Children of the Reſurrection. Both theſe worlds God made to ſhew the Glory of his Attributes, God hath much glory from this world; The Heavens declare the Glory of God, and the Firmament ſheweth his handy-work (o)Pſal. 19.1., he hath ſhewn much of his Power in making; of his Providence, in ſuſtaining; of his Wiſdom, in governing this world; but the magnifying of thoſe two great Attributes, his Mercy and his Juſtice, is chiefly reſerved for the world to come; all thoſe temporal mercies in this life conferred upon men, are but the bleſſings of the Foot-ſtool, no way comparable with the bleſſings of the Throne; Riches and Honour, the two great things that are ſo ambitiouſly purſued by the men of the world, they are but Wiſdoms left-handed bleſſings(q)Prov. 3.6., not to be compared with that length of daies, that eternity that is in Wiſdomes right-hand, and which all the Children of Wiſdom partake of in the life to come. Some report that Joſeph in that great Famine, cauſed a great deal of Chaffe to be caſt into the River Nilus, to let the Neighbouring Nations know what plenty of Corn they had in Aegypt: all the good things of this life, are but as Chaffe, which God ſcattereth abroad in the World, to let men know what a better, and more induring ſubſtance he hath provided for his own People: and what is he Chaffe to the Wheat, ſaith the Lord (r)Jer. 23.28.? Seek firſt the Kingdom of God, and his righteouſneſs, and theſe things ſhall be added unto you (s)Mat. 6.33.. A Metaphor taken from bargainers;(t)foreign. thoſe that buy cloth, have uſually ſome over-meaſure given in; thoſe that buy fruit, pay nothing for paper and pack-thread; ſuch are theſe temporal things in Gods eſteem. Luther calls the whole Turkiſh Empire but a cruſt which God caſts to the Dogs under his Table; and miſerable is that man, that hath no other portion but in theſe things; the great mercies God intends for his People are reſerved for the life to come, that in the ages to come he might ſhew the exceeding riches of his grace.(u)Epheſ. 2.7.
On the other ſide, the great Executions of Gods wrath upon wicked men are reſerved for another World; therefore it is called the wrath to come (w)Mat. 3.7. 1 Theſſ. 1.10.; all the puniſhments of this life are but as flea-bites, the Father ſaith(x)Ludicra & riſus. but toys and merriments, to future torments; Nazianzen ſaith, the Worſt temporal puniſhments are but(y)foreign. the ſmoaking of Gods wrath; and what is the ſmoak to the fire? We read,(z)Exod. 9.8. that Moſes, took handfuls of Aſhes out of the furnace, and ſprinkled them toward Heaven, and they became boils upon man and beaſt: all thoſe plagues inflicted in this life, are but as a handful of Aſhes taken out of the furnace of Gods wrath. The deſtruction of Sodom with fire and brimſtone from Heaven, was the ſaddeſt and ſtrangeſt Judgment that ever was inflicted upon any, yet our Saviour ſaith,(a)Mat. 11.24. It ſhall be more tolerable for Sodom at the day of Judgment; the Sodomites, though then deſtroyed, are reſerved to a more grievous deſtruction; thoſe ſhowers of brimſtone, that fell upon Sodom, are but heat drops to thoſe ſtorms of wrath, which ſhall then, and thenceforth for ever beat upon them: It was the invention of ſome of the Ancients, that there are three ſorts of Thunderbolts in Heaven; the firſt to warn, not to hurt; the ſecond to hurt, but not quite to deſtroy; the third to ruine, and lay all waſte; the two firſt ſorts of Thunderbolts God often in this life diſchargeth upon wicked Men, but the third and worſt is reſerved for another life, when all the Artilleries of Heaven are ſhot off, when all the Fountains of Gods Wrath are broken up, and all the Vials of his Diſpleaſure poured out upon the People of his Curſe. By all this it appeareth, that there is but little either of Gods Mercy or Juſtice ſhewed in theſe temporary Rewards and Puniſhments; the great Manifeſtation of theſe two great Attributes is reſerved for the life to come, when God will ſhew the Riches of his Mercy upon the veſſels of mercy afore-prepared unto glory; and the greatneſs of his Wrath upon the veſſels of wrath fitted to deſtruction; and yet even then, and there, in nothing will the greatneſs of his Mercy and Wrath ſo much appear, as in the eternity of thoſe Rewards and Puniſhments then diſpenſed: So that to deny the eternal State of Man after this Life, is a brutiſh confining the eternal Decrees, and greateſt Workings of God, to the narrow compaſs of this preſent World, and in a manner to deny there is any world to come, at leaſt, ſuch as is deſcribed in Scripture.
Having proved this from the great Deſign of God, in making Angels and Men; I ſhall further evince it from the Attributes of God, which are eternal, like himſelf; The mercy of God is an everlaſting mercy 1Pſal. 100.5., it endureth for ever 2Pſal. 136.1.; The wrath of God is an abiding wrath 3John 3. laſt., therefore called everlaſting burnings 4Iſa. 33.14.. Now theſe Attributes muſt produce ſuitable acts; as mercy is ſhewed in acts of mercy, and wrath in acts of juſtice: and theſe acts muſt have ſuitable objects; for although the immanent acts of God, ſuch as abide in him, of which number are his eternal Decrees, do not neceſſarily require the praeexiſtence of any objects, I mean in regard of a preſent exiſtence 1In eſſe reali., but only in regard of the knowledge 2In eſſe cognito.and foreſight of God; yet his tranſient acts, or thoſe that paſs from him, as rewarding, which is an act of mercy; and puniſhing, which is an act of juſtice; theſe neceſſarily ſuppoſe ſome object upon which they are terminated. Now as there are no Creatures beſides Angels and Men, that are capable of merit, or demerit, which might make them capable of rewards, or liable unto puniſhments; ſo there is no Creature elſe which is immortal, and ſo capable of eternal happineſs, or eternal miſery.
And therefore it will follow, that theſe, I mean Angels and Men, muſt for ever remain either the perpetual objects of Gods free grace and mercy, or the everlaſting monuments of his wrath and diſpleaſure: And therefore the Scripture determines theſe upon their proper objects, 3Pſal. 103.17.The mercy of the Lord is from everlaſting to everlaſting, upon them that fear him: And on the other ſide,4John 3. laſt. He that believeth not the Son, ſhall not ſee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.