A Prospect of Eternity, Chapter 2 – Chapter 3
CHAP. II.
Concl. 2 Mans eternall condition admits of no gradation.
THere ſhall be no degrees in eternity. In heaven there ſhall be all perfection, in hell all defection. The buds of joy ſhall not blow in heaven, there ſhal be no maturation of happineſſe, or aſcenſion to ſuperiour thrones, Rev. 3. 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to ſit with me in my throne. No riſing to greater dignity, or more ſublime preferment: there ſhall be no exaltation after a long enjoyment of honour; the firſt enthronizing of the Saint, after the reſurrection, is there ultimate honour, their Crown ſhall have no new pearles ſet in it. I ſpeak after the manner of men; there ſhall be no accumulative advancement, or ſuperadded happineſſe in heaven. Here the Saints grow in grace, but they ſhall not grow in glory; though ſanctification 2 Pet. 3. 18.be, yet glorification ſhall not be graduall: no ſteps in heaven for the Saints to aſcend, the ſight of God ſhall compriſe all honour and happineſſe. And it is impoſſible there ſhould be degrees of promotion in glory; (I mean ſecundum eundum, in reference to the ſame perſon) for that there ſhould not be degrees of glory, ſecundum diverſos, in reference to divers I dare not diſavow, becauſe as Philoſophers ſpeak, Eadem est ratio contrariorum, contraries have the ſame reaſon. If there ſhall be degrees of puniſhment in hell, as our Saviour clearly aſſerts, Mat. 10. 15. It ſhall be more tolerable for Sodome and Gomorrah, &c. then I ſuppoſe there may be degrees of glory in heaven, eſpecially there being interpoſed this conſideration, Mat. 5. 12. Great ſhall be your reward; that is, more great, then others ſhall be crowned with; but ſecundum eundem, in reference to the ſame perſon there ſhall be no gradation in the eternity of the bleſſed.
1. Reaſ. 1 Becauſe there would be nova cauſa honoris, ſome new reaſon of promotion. As Ahaſuerus honoured Mordecai for the detecting of a conſpiracy againſt his life; ſo Gods juſtice would require it, that there ſhould be ſome new impulſive cauſe for further dignity. But this cannot take place in glory, when the Saints praiſes ſhall alwayes be in the ſame tune, and their hallelujahs ſhall be wound up as high as their joyes; nay their hallelujahs ſhall be part of their happineſſe. It is fancie, nay miſguided conception, to ſuppoſe that the Saints in heaven could ſcrew up their harps to a higher peg then they ſhall do for ever: their deſires to ſerve God in glory, ſhall be-ſublimated to the ſame ſuperlativeneſſe as their rejoycing in God: Their love being perfect and their power, there ſhall ſurely be no decay in their triumphant obediencies.
2. If there could be any gradation in heaven, then God did not fully obſerve the ſtate of the Saint before he came Pſal. 139. 12.there; and therefore falling upon a more exact Survey, he promotes him to greater dignities: which would be moſt abſurd, and would not only impeach the indulgence of God, who alwayes gives meaſure running over; but alſo the omniſcience of God, who ſees not only our viſible actions, but our moſt internall and retired motions; thoſe ſecrets that men moſt obumbrate and conceal. And therefore the Saints ſhall alwayes be in the ſame ſtate of glory, and not riſe, as the Sun, from a dauning to a noon-day. But when once the ſoul after its long widowhood ſhall at the Reſurrection be eſpouſed again to its glorified body, and ſhall clothe its ſelf with that rich apparell, then ſhall the believer ever ſhine in the ſame ſtate of perfection, and he ſhall flouriſh though in moſt glorious yet identicall excellencies.
3. One thing more may be added further to illuſtrate this truth, that ſecundum eundem in reference to the ſame perſon, there can be no degrees of glory; for then there would be imperfection in heaven comparatively, becauſe the Saints might be advanced to greater dignity; Perfectum eſt cui nihil addi poteſt, ſaith Aristotle, & quiequid poteſt recipere additionem eſt imperfectum; that is perfect to which nothing can be added, and whatſoever can receive any addition is imperfect. But now the weakling of imperfection ſhall have no place in glory; all teares, and ſins, and defectiveneſſe, all capability of further felicity ſhall be baniſht heaven, and the Saints ſhall be enthroned in conſummated beatitude.
Nor ſhall there be any degrees in their eternity of miſery, no aſcenſion to further eaſe, or deſcenſion to further miſery; (for the damned ſhall be fully miſerable) there ſhall be no ſlacking of the pullies or allaying of the flames; ſurely thoſe fires ſhall not decay in their force, that have the wrath of God for their fuell, and their bellowes. Nebuchadnezzars fires, Dan. 3. 19. may Iſa. 30. 33.be colder or hotter according to the degree of the Kings diſpleaſure; but the infernall flames ſhall alwayes ſcorch with the ſame intenſive heat, God wrathfully kindling them, and the Divell and his Angels rigorouſly applying them. In the primitive times the tormentors were wearied in the execution of the Martyrs; but no ſuch happineſſe ſhall befall the damned, the juſtice and power of God being his nature, and ſo immutable; now there can be no degrees in the eternity of miſery.
1. For the damned ſhall be puniſhed according to their capacity, they ſhall be full of torment, the veſſell of wrath ſhall be up to the brim in calamity. As the Saints ſhall enjoy fulneſſe of joy, Pſal. 16. 11. So the reprobates ſhall be filled with fulneſſe of wrath and the degrees of torment in hell ſhall not ariſe from this, that any ſhall have a mitigation of their miſery, but every one ſhall be full of torture, but their gradualneſſe. Their more tolerableneſſe mentioned, Mat. 10. 15. ſhall be according to the capacity of the damned, ſome of their natures ſhall be ſtretcht wider then others to receive more in, as a tun containes more then a firkin, but their miſery ſhall be coextentive to their capacity. They ſhall be full of anguiſh and pain, as the Ocean is with water, as the Fountain is with ſtreams; and it muſt be ſo, elſe there would be ſome alleviation in hell, ſome comfort, and mercy; the reprobates are not in ſo dolefull a condition as they might be, they might be worſe, and this would be ſome refreſhment; but alas! mercies ſmile ſhall not be ſeen in hell: Depart from me ye curſed into everlaſting fire, Mat. 25. 41. The ſound of Gods bowels ſhall not be heard there. In miſerable eternity the Reprobate ſhall reape no more, then the fruit of a divine execration.
2. The damned ſhall be puniſhed for ever according to demerit, which is from adequate and proportionable juſtice; and therefore there is mention made of many ſtripes, Luk. 12. 47. where we may obſerve the juſtice, and regular proceedings of God. Now could there be degrees in the ſufferings of the damned, there would be a variation and mutability in Divine juſtice, which is …mpoſſible to Gods unchangeableneſſe; there would then be a riſing and falling in the ſteddy and inalterable ſeverity of God; for hell is a place of pure juſtice: Summi juris: ſo there can be no declenſion or ſlacking of wrath there. Now this gradation cannot be admitted upon this account, it would caſt an impeachment of mutation and change upon God; Quod abſit; which let us not dare to affirme.
CHAP. III.
Concl. 3 Mans eternall cnodition admits of no change.
THere ſhall be no telling of the quarters in heaven, nor obſervation of the flitting hours in hell; no tranſition or paſſage of time. There ſhall be no time in eternity, and durations Aeternitas nullam habet ſucceſſionem. Ambr.ſhall not be, as the waves of the Sea, one to follow upon the neck of another. It is a pregnant deſcription which Boetius layeth down, though he deſcribes only the happy eternity, Aeternitas eſt interminabilis tota ſunul ac perfecta poſſeſſio, Eternity is an interminable poſſeſſion, perfect, and all together: And ſo the miſerable eternity of the Aeternitas eſt indiviſibilis, & non habet partes ſibi juvicem ſuccedentes, & neceſſario tota coexiſti… omnibus temporum differentiis; ut aſſerunt Patres, & Scholaſtici. Bonav.damned, is all together; there is no diviſion in eternity, no priority or poſterity; it is a Sun that neither riſes nor ſets; there is no lapſing of time, one age doth not juſtle out another; there ſhall be no maturity, nor immaturity. Eternity is time by the whole-ſale; here indeed our lifes are parcelled into ſo many years, and retaild into ſo many months; but eternity is an individuall, indiviſible poſſeſſion. Nulla eſt juventus & ſeneſcentia in aeternitate, there is no youth Aeternitas tota ſimul. Scotus.or declining age in eternity: neither ſpring, nor fall: Time doth not ſlide away, the duration is alwayes at the ſame length; eternity admits only the preſent-tence, the foreign, there is no clock in eternity, the hour-glaſſe runs not there; when we are ſet upon the ſhore of everlaſtingneſſe, there ſhall be no progreſſe or regreſſe. Eternity is no complex duration, to be compounded of ſo many particular ages: in this it is unlike the ſands of the Sea, and that compariſon will not hold, becauſe the vaſt ſands are but multiplyed particulars. Falſum eſt aeternitatem virtualiter habere partes, cum id ſuae ſimplicitati & immutabilitati repugnat, non enim ſequiillud eſſe in aeternitate prius, quod eſt in priori temporis parte, ſed totum tempus ſimul continetur, quantum eſt ex parte aeternitatis. Sadreva in Thomam.Time (if I may uſe the terme, for there is no ſuch thing in eternity) doth pullulate as faſt as ſpend, and it ſprouts out as faſt as it is lopt off in eternity. The womb of eternity, ſhall be alwayes big with duration, and ſhall never be delivered of one moment. No centuries or ſucceſſions ſhall be found in the ſtate of eternity. All arithmetick numbers in eternity are ciphers. In this it is no Ocean; for the Ocean is but a Sea drops, particular ſtreams in a greater body. Aſtronomers ſpeak much of the ſlow motion of Saturne, and other celeſtiall bodies; but in eternity there is no motion known; no in fieries, motion and ſucceſſion are pure Anomalies. And it muſt be ſo, for
1. Reaſ. 1 Were their ſucceſſion in eternity, there would be waſt; the taper would ſpend, and the ſame decline, could one age ſucceed another: the ſucceeded age were then paſt; we might reckon, thoſe durations that were melted away; but there ſhall be no waſte in eternity: eternity is not a Summers day that ſpends and flies away (as more fully hereafter).
2. All ſucceſſion implies a motion, and all motion ſuppoſes imperfection, while things are in motu, they are not arrived at perfection, then motion ceaſeth, and there is no further tendency; but now the ſtate of eternity is a perfect ſtate. The bleſſed ſhall be perfectly happy. Heaven is a place of ſuperlative perfection; and the damned ſhall be fully and perfectly miſerable, foreign, there ſhall be no deficiency in their torment; nor can there be further inſufferably unhappy, (as before was hinted).