A Glimpse of Eternity, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of the importance of Eternity, to the endleſneſs of it. Conſidering God will not, nothing elſe can, put an end to it.
HAving thus treated of the Sublimeneſs and tranſcendency of Eternity, I ſhall now ſhew of what unſpeakable importance, and concernment it is; it was the ſaying of Chryſoſtome, that if he had a mountain for his Pulpit, and the whole world for his Auditors, he would preach upon that Text, Oh ye ſons of men! how long will you love vanity *Pſal. 4.2.? neither indeed can any Preacher improve his time and pains to better purpoſe, than by ſeeking to take off mens love from theſe vain temporal things, and ſtirring them up to the purſuit of things eternal. Eternity is a thing of that infinite concernment, that never can there be enough ſpoken, or written of it; it comprehendeth all the good that can poſſibly fall within the compaſs of our hopes, and all the evil that may fall within the compaſs of our fears; as in ſome Maps you may ſee a model of the whole world drawn into a ſmall compaſs: ſo the whole world to come, and whatſoever is conſiderable in it, is all comprehended under this word (Eternal). As nothing is more deſirable than Heaven, nothing more formidable than Hell, ſo nothing in Heaven ſo deſireable as the eternity of its happineſs; nothing in Hell ſo dreadfull as the everlaſtingneſ… of its miſery; as Heaven is the treaſury of all deſirable good, and Hell the ſtore-houſe of all imaginable evil; ſo that which is moſt conſiderable in both, i… the Everlaſtingneſs of them; Eternity is that which make… good things infinitely more good, and evil things incomparably more evil; Eternity is the very Heaven of Heaven and the Hell of Hell; Heaven would be no Heaven i… compariſon, and hell in a manner no hell, if it wer… not for this Eternity; it would be a kind of Hell t… the Saints in Heaven, to be in fear of loſing it, and in a manner a heaven to the damned in hell, to be in hopes of being delivered from it: although there be many things concur to make up the happineſs o… the Saints in Heaven, and the miſery of the damne… in Hell, yet this of eternity weigheth more than al… the reſt; Were all other things conſiderable in both put into one end of the ballance, and this of eternity in the other, it would out-weigh all the reſt.*Rev. 15.9. Thoſe that had gotten the Victory over the Beaſt, are ſaid to ſing the ſong of Moſes the Servant of God. Some by this Song of Moſes, underſtand that Song recorded Exodus 15. And that Song concludeth with a declaration of Gods eternity, ver. 18. The Lord ſhall reign for ever, and ever; Or, if it may be thought to refer to the 90th. Pſalm, which is a Prayer of Moſes, the man of God; the former part of that Pſalm ſetteth forth at large Gods eternity; but whether either of theſe, or whatſoever elſe is to be underſtood by the Song of Moſes, I doubt not but Eternity maketh up one part of that Song; nay, is the Elah, the higheſt ſtrain in that Triumphant Song. On the other ſide, could we lay our ears to Hell, and hear the language of thoſe wretched miſcreants, it is probable that the Eternity of their ſufferings would ſtill come in, as the ſad burthen of their fruitleſs lamentations; that foreign; the proper language of Hell, is as if they ſhould ſay, not ever, Lord, not ever †foreign.; but all in vain: they would not here endure the thoughts of eternity; and therefore they ſhall have it alwaies written before them, in the place of their thraldome; that, which way ſoever they turn their eyes, they might be terrified with the remembrance of their miſerable, moſt miſerable immortallity. I might be more large in ſhewing the grand importance of Eternity: but it is an Hebrew Proverb, that a man ſhould not put his cattel into a place, where there is no hedge to bound them; that therefore I may ſet bounds to my Meditations, I ſhall ſhew of how great concernment this Doctrine of Eternity is, from theſe following conſiderations: in which I ſhall be more ſhort, becauſe they are ſo fully handled by a more skiful builder(u)Mr. Wells his Proſpect of Eternity..
1. Eternity is without any end, or concluſion: that is the proper import of the word Eternal: There is no end of the joys of Heaven.(w)Dan. 12.3. They who convert many to righteouſneſs, ſhall ſhine like the ſtars for ever, and ever; upon which ſaith Drexellius, obſerve the argumentation of it, by the iteration of the ſame word, for ever, is as much as Eternal, or without an End: but as if that were not enough, he doubleth it: for ever and ever: and yet the vulgar Latin expreſſeth it more fully, to perpetual Eternities: it is not eternity in the ſingular number, which yet were enough to deſcribe it to be endleſs: but eternities, in the plural; as if he ſhould ſay: If you fear Eternity may have an end, after that, there would be other Eternities to ſucceed; neither doth it reſt here, in ſaying eternities, in the plural number, or only add to theſe a finite term, but an infinite; to perpetual Eternities: and if one eternity be without end, what is ten, an hundred? &c. yet if ſo many Eternities could be imagined, ſo long ſhall the Saints continue in glory, and happineſs: to which nothing can put an end, and period.
Firſt, God will not: Gods end in making man, was, that he ſhould be the everlaſting monument either of his free Grace, or his juſt Diſpleaſure: and certainly, God will not croſs, and null his own Deſign: he hath from the beginning written their Names in his Book of Life: and what he hath written, he hath written: It is no way to be imagined, that God ſhould make any to be veſſels of honour, and mercy; and then daſh them in pieces, like the Potters veſſel; that God ſhould receive them into his evelaſting arms, and then throw them out of his Embraces: Gods love, like himſelf, is unchangeable, having loved his own, that were in the world, he loveth them to the end (x)Joh. 3.1.; which is the ſame with Eternally, as the Learned obſerve: and ſo the Aethiop. Verſion renders it; he loved them for ever; and as God will not put an end to their happineſs, ſo nothing elſe can.
1. Man cannot: The rage of Tyrants may cut aſunder the thread of their Temporal life, which might have been ſpun out longer in a Natural courſe; but are not able to take away their Eternal life, I give them eternal life, and they ſhall never periſh, neither ſhall any man pluck them out of my hand (y)Joh. 10.28, 29.. And yet that he may give ſtronger aſſurance, (if ſtronger may be given) he addeth, My Father which gave them me, is ſtronger than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hands.
2. The Devil cannot: Though he got into earthly Paradiſe, and by tempting Adam to ſin, prevailed ſo far as to diſpoſſeſs him of it; yet he can never come into that Heavenly Paradiſe: he was long ſince thrown out, and his place no more found in Heaven; Heaven is guarded from the intruſion of thoſe Apoſtate Angels; not only by the power of God, who caſt them out of their firſt Habitation, and ſhut them up under chains of darkneſs: but by its own inacceſſable, and impenetrable Nature. We often read in Scripture, of the opening of Heaven (a)Joh. 1.51. Acts 7.55., from which ſome gather, that Heaven is impenetrable to any Creature, but by a Miracle opened to Elect Angels and Saints: The Devils, though Spirits, and therefore are able to paſs through the hardeſt ſtone walls, are no more able to paſs through them, than to paſs out of their own Nature, and Being; and this is mentioned as a ground of joy in Heaven: The Accuſer of the Brethren is caſt down (b)Rev. 12.10..
3. Sin cannot: Heaven is a Holy Habitation, a Land wherein dwelleth Righteouſneſs (c)Deut. 26.15., not harbouring any ſin, which might diſpoſſeſs the Saints of the bleſſedneſs they enjoy: There ſhall that be fulfilled, The iniquity of Iſrael ſhall be ſought for, and there ſhall be none; and the ſins of Judah, and they ſhall not be found (d)Jer. 50.20..
4. Death cannot: I am perſwaded that neither death nor life ſhall be able to ſeparate us from the love of God (e)Rom. 8.38.; Death is ſo far from ſeparating from God's Love, and that Happineſs, the fruit of his Love; that next to Jeſus Chriſt, it is the Believers greateſt friend: putting him into an everlaſting poſſeſſion of his deſired Happineſs.
On the other ſide, There is no end of the ſufferings of the damned in Hell: Some indeed have contended for it; Origen thought, that after a thouſand years both Devils and Men ſhould be releaſed out of Hell-torments: After him the Hereticks, called the Aniti (f)L. 21. de civ. Dei., broached the ſame Doctrine: Others, that Anguſtine ſpeaketh of, contended; that not all, but ſome ſhould be delivered out of their ſufferings; ſome, that all Chriſtians: ſome, all Catholicks: ſome, thoſe that had received the Sacraments of the Faith: ſome, thoſe only who perſevere to the end in the Catholick Faith: others, thoſe who were addicted to works of Mercy, and Charity: But who are theſe, who darken Counſel by words without knowledge? Theſe fond conceits are ſolidly refuted by Aquinas, and others, who prove by undeniable Arguments, that theſe ſufferings, if nothing elſe, yet Death puts an end to them: in the Grave the Priſoners reſt together, and thoſe who are weary are at reſt: but Death ſhall not put any end to Hells puniſhment; it is a death, that never dyeth; an end, which hath no end; a defect, without any defici…ncy. It is a death, that ever liveth: an end, which never beginneth; a defect, which never faileth: we may well ſay of it, as one doth, Oh killing life! Oh immortal death! If it be life, how doth it kill? if death, how doth it indure (h)Bellarm. de arte moriendi. l. 2. c. 3.? It is neither death, nor life: for both theſe have ſomething of good in them: Oh how happy would thoſe poor miſerable creatures think themſelves, if there might be any end of their miſery! they ſhall ſeek for death, and dig for it as for hid treaſures, but all in vain: They ſhall ſeek death, and ſhall not find it, and deſire to die, and d…ath ſhall flee from them (i)Rev. 9.6.; They ſhall ſtudy plots and methods to diſpatch themſelves: they ſhall cry to the Mountains to fall upon them, and (if poſſible) to cruſh them to nothing: they ſhall deſire, that the Fire that burns them would conſume them to nothing: that the Worm which feeds on them, would gnaw them to nothing; that the Devils which torment them, would tear them to nothing: They ſhall cry to God, who firſt made them out of nothing, to reduce them to that firſt nothing, from whence they came: but he who made them, will not have mercy on them: he that formed them, will not ſhew them ſo much favour: When the Angel pleaded with God in behalf of Jeruſalem, Zech. 1.12. How long, wilt thou not have mercy on Jeruſalem, againſt which, thou haſt had indignation theſe threeſcore and ten years? It is ſaid, the Lord anſwered the Angel with good words, and comfortable words (k)Zech. 1.12.: When the Souls under the Altar cryed, How long, Lord, holy, and true, doſt thou not avenge our blood upon them which dwell upon the Earth (l)Rev. 6.10.? Anſwer was returned how long they muſt ſtay, and in the mean time were given them long white Robes; but when thoſe poor Creatures in Hell ſhall cry out, How long, Lord, how long wilt thou torment the workmanſhip of thy hands? how long will it be e're thou put an end to our miſery? There is no anſwer to be expected, which might give them any hopes of the ending of their ſuffering: God here often called to them: How long, ye ſim…le ones, will ye love ſimplicity? How long ſhall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee *Prov. 1.22. Jer. 4.14.? but they turned a deaf ear to Gods call, and therefore it will be juſt with God, when they cry how long? not to hear them, but to laugh at their deſtruction, and mock when their fear cometh: And that theſe ſufferings are without any end or expiration; this, above all other things torments the damned, and drives them to deſpair; were there to be any end of their miſ…ry, though after the vaſteſt tract of time, there would be ſome hopes, they would end at laſt. Some of the Ancients have well improved their Meditations, in ſetting forth this; One thus, If they were to end after a little Bird ſhould have emptied the Sea, and only carry out her bill full once in a thouſand years. Another thus: If the whole world, from the loweſt Earth, to the higheſt Heavens, were filled with grains of Sand, and once in a thouſand years an Angel ſhould come, and fetch away only one grain; and ſo continue till the whole heap were ſpent. A third to this purpoſe: If one of the damned in Hell ſhould weep, after this manner; that he ſhould only let fall one tear in a hundred years, and theſe ſhould be kept together, till ſuch time as they ſhould equal the drops of water in the Sea, how many millions of ages would paſs, before they could make up one River, much more a whole Sea? and when that were done, ſhould he weep again after the ſame manner, till he had filled a ſecond, a third, a fourth Sea, if then there ſhould be an end of their miſeries, there would be ſome hope they would end at laſt; but, that they ſhall never, never, never end, this is that which ſinks them under horror, and deſpair, and fetcheth from them yellings and howlings, able to rend Rocks and Marbles aſunder.