A Glimpse of Eternity, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Of Eternity without ſucceſſion, or without conſumption.
ETernity is without ſucceſſion, it is all together: this is one difference betwixt Time and Eternity; Time is a continued flux of hours, days, months and years, ſo that in time there is a Succeſſion, there is time paſt, preſent and to come: time preſent putteth an end to that which is paſt, and this is ſoon ſwallowed up in time future; but it is otherwiſe in Eternity: There is no Succeſſion, no time paſt, or to come: it is a duration always preſent, there is no yeſterday, nor to morrow: it is one perpetual to day, no beginning and ending; it is all beginning, and always but beginning, there is no priority, or poſteriority, no Firſt or Laſt, it is all together, and at once; no whence, or whither, no term from which, or unto which … it is One ſtanding flow without any flux, one indiviſibl… point. God being Eternal, there is no difference o… time with him, one day with him is as a thouſand years, and a thouſand years as one day (c)2 Pet. 3.8., Time to come is to him as it were paſt, A thouſand years in his ſight is but as yeſterday, and as a watch in the night (d)Pſal. 40.4.. Time paſt is to him as preſent, therefore Chriſt tells the Jews, Before Abraham was, I am (e)Joh. 8.58., He doth not ſay, before Abraham was, I was, but I am, being the Everlaſting Father (f)Iſa. 9.6▪, ſo many hundred years paſt were as preſent to him, and ſo it is in Eternity▪ Though to us who live in time, and motion, a thouſand years are neither more nor leſs, yet in Eternity a thouſand years, and one day are all one: Some of the School-men expreſs it by this ſimilitude: a man that ſtands upon a Plain, and ſeeth an Army marching, ſeeth but a little of it at a time, firſt one Troop, then another, ſome before, others behind, ſome coming, ſome going, others gon: whereas a man that ſtands upon the top of a Hill, ſeeth all the Army at once, though poſſibly one part may be many miles diſtant from another: In like manner to us, who ſtand in the low Valley of time, there is a flux and ſucceſſion, and ſo a difference between time paſt, and to come: whereas in Eternity there is no difference, no yeſterday, or to morrow; they are the ſame, they are all preſent; and as in Eternity all time is together, if I may ſo ſpeak, ſo all things elſe, are poſſeſſed together. Boetius ſaith, it is an interminable poſſeſſion, perfect, and all together; all things in Eternity are collected into one: the Eternal happineſs in Heaven, is as if the quinteſſence of ſeveral diſhes of meat ſerved up at a great Feaſt could be collected into one morſel: as if the virtue and ſpirits of all the precious liquors in the world, could be contracted, and put into one glaſs: there ſhall be as much happineſs enjoyed at once, as ſhall be through that infinite duration which hath no end; and yet which makes it ſo wonderfully wonderful, there is ſuch a ſweetneſs, and pleaſant variety in the happineſs enjoyed, that after millions of years it will be as freſh and deſirable as at the firſt enjoying it. So in the eternity of Hell-ſufferings, all miſeries are collected into one; it is as if all the evils in the world could be put together, and endured at once: as if all the malignity of the ſeveral venomous creatures in the world could be ſqueezed into the ſame cup: ſo in Hell, whatſoever flaming of Gods wrath, whatſoever ſcorchings of that unquenchable Fire, whatſoever gnawings of that never dying worm, whatſoever other ſufferings are to be endured throughout all Eternity, they are all endured the ſame moment, and article of time; and yet (which is as ſtrange) when all this hath been endured the vaſteſt tract of time, the enduring of it will be as grievous, and unſufferable as it was at firſt.
3. Eternity is without any waſting or ſpending: while we are here, every part of time already ſpent, cuts off ſo much of the time remaining. *Iſa. 20.10.The days of our years are threeſco…e and ten. When a man hath lived Thirty or Forty years, there are ſo many years leſs to come, and ſo it is with all things either enjoyed, or endured in this life. A man that takes a leaſe for one and twenty years, when ſeven or twice ſeven of theſe years are expired, there are ſo many years leſs remaining; a man that is committed to priſon for ſo many moneths, or years; when he hath endured that puniſhment half of that time, he hath ſo much the leſſer time to endure it; but it is otherwiſe in Eternity, after millions of ages are paſt (if … may ſpeak ſo improperly) there is not one moment, nor, (if it could admit of a diviſion) one thouſandth part of a moment waſted, or elapſed, or a thouſandth part of a moment leſs to come; what ſome ſpeak of a great Lake near Manubria, that it is always full, put never ſo much water in it, it never runneth over, take never ſo much out of it, it continueth full, may be ſaid of Eternity; it is neither encreaſed by addition, nor diminiſhed by ſubſtraction; add never ſo many thouſands of years to it, it is ſtill the ſame it was before the addition, take as many from it, it is ſtill as much as it was before the ſubſtraction; the total ſum, ſaith Drexellius, is neither more nor leſs, but what it was in its ſelf, to wit, Eternity: as it admits of no Succeſſion, ſo neither of any Waſting or impairing: Some obſcure footſteps of this we have here, Doſt thou not ſee the Heavens, (ſaith Chryſoſtom) how fair, how ſpacious, how beſpangled with divers Conſtellations; how long they have laſted? and yet this long duration of time hath brought no old age upon them, but they ſtill retain the beauty and glory they had at firſt. To the ſame purpoſe Alſtedius, Such is the duration, and unmoveable ſtability of that heavenly Palace, that being created above five thouſand ſix hundred years ſince, yet it ſo continueth to this day, that we can eſpy nothing in it of change or waſte, or diſorder; The Sun, that faithful witneſs in Heaven, is in continual travel and motion, fetcheth large circuits, courſeth about the world, yet there is no waſting either in its ſubſtance or qualities; his ſubſtance is the ſame, his light as clear, his heat as cheriſhing, influence as operative, motion as ſwift as ever it was; doth the Pſalmiſt compare the ſun to a Bridegroom comming out of his Chamber, and a Giant rejoycing to run his courſe? This Bridegroom is ſtill as fair and beautiful, this Giant as ſtrong, and vigorous after the great labour, and conſtant revolutions of above five thouſand years; The like is to be obſerved in the Sea; all the Rivers run into the Sea, From the place from whence they came, thither they return again (k)Eccleſ. 1.7.: Though it continually …endeth forth abundance of Rivers, and hath done ſo from the Creation, yet it continueth as full as it was at firſt; as it ſends out ſome, it receiveth in other waters. After they have incircled the earth, and glided along through their ſeveral channels, they at …aſt empty themſelves again into the Sea,; ſo that it …s both as full and large as at firſt. If it looſeth in one place, it gaineth in another: and if after ſo long a …ract of time there be no ſenſible decay in theſe great maſter-pieces of Nature, much leſs in Eternity, where all things continue in the ſame ſtate and degree.
There is no waſting in the eternal happineſs of the Saints, Provide your ſelves bags which wax not old, a treaſure in the Heavens that faileth not, it is an inher… tance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not awa… [l]Luke 12.33. 2 Pet. 1.4.An incorruptible Crown; [m]1 Cor. 9.25.A Crown of glor… that fadeth not away, [n]Deu… 34.7.It is ſpoken of Moſes, as … thing extraordinary, that after an hundred and twen… years, his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abate… (o)Deut. 29.5.and that of the Iſraelites in the Wilderneſs, wa… as ſtrange; that after forty years, their cloaths a… ſhooes, waxed not old. But what is recorded as … ſtrange unwonted thing in them, holds true in Heaven; the Saints ſhall ever ſee God, and yet their ſigh… never wax dim; ſhall be cloathed with the Garmen… of Salvation, and thoſe Garments never wax old. … bel hath been in Heaven five thouſand years and upward, and were there ſo many thouſands to be d… ducted from his future happineſs, it would be ſom… dimunition to it; but this adds much to his happineſs that after ſo long a tract of time, he is not one wh… nearer the expiration of his happineſs.
On the other ſide, there is no waſting in the eterna… puniſhments in Hell; Drexellius makes this obſervation from thoſe words of our Saviour,[p]John. 15.6. If a man abi… not in me, he is caſt forth as a branch, and is withered and men gather them, and caſt them into the fire, a… they are burned; Where he obſerveth, the words … not run in the future tenſe, he ſhall be caſt forth and ſhall be caſt into the fire, and burned: but all … the preſent tenſe; he is caſt forth, is withered; m… caſt them into the fire and they are burned. This (ſait… he) is the ſtate and condition of the damned; they are burned, that is, they are alwayes burning when a thouſand years are paſt, as it was at firſt ſo it i… ſtill; they are burned: after a thouſand, thouſan… years more, as it was before, ſo it is ſtill; they an… burned. If after millions of years, the queſtion wer… asked; What is now their ſtate and condition? what do they? what ſuffer they? how doth it fare with them? There can be no other anſwer returned, but they are burned; continually, and eternally burning. The Apoſtle ſaith of the Sodomites, that they were ſet forth as an example, ſuffering the vengeance of eternal fire; it was many hundred years before the Apoſtle wrote this, that they were doomed to thoſe priſons of Fire; yet all that time before, they had been burning; at this day, they are ſtill burning: and ſo ſhall continue burning to all eternity. All the burnings they have already endured, deduct nothing from their future ſufferings, nor in the leaſt abate the tale of their enſuing calamities; but they have as much to ſuffer, and (if I may ſo ſpeak) as long a time to ſuffer in, as when they went firſt to their own place.