The Glory and Happiness of the Saints in Heaven, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The Introduction. A State of future Glory and Happineſs proved. What it is that makes the Happineſs of Heaven ſo excellent and glorious, in a ſhort and brief Deſcription thereof.
THE framing a Diſcourſe of Heaven, that Place of inexpreſſible Bliſs and Happineſs, the Portion of Holy and Righteous Perſons to Eternity, is a Work fitter for an Angel, one of thoſe Heavenly Courtiers, who have ever ſince their Creation, and for many Ages and Generations now paſt, been happy partakers of that bliſsful State; than the liſping and ſtammering of any mortal Tongue: Senſe here being the beſt Orator, and they fitteſt to deſcribe Heaven unto others, who live in the fruition of it themſelves. And indeed all Diſcourſes of this nature, by poor frail Creatures, are rather a darkning and diminution of that Glory and Happineſs, than an ample Illuſtration or Diſcovery what it is. And when the People of God ſhall come to the enjoyment thereof, they will ſoon find themſelves wonderfully, but happily deceived by the moſt glorious Deſcriptions that ever were laid before them. What the Prophet ſaith in Hab. 3. where, after he had given us a ſhort deſcription of ſome of the glorious Excellencies and Perfections of God, he tells us in the 4th. Verſe, His Brightneſs was as the Light; that he had Horns coming out of his hands; which uſually are a ſignification of Strength and Might; but ſays the Prophet, There was the hiding of his Power: As if he had ſaid, Whatever Strength and Might God had thereby put forth, it was ſo far from manifeſting the fulneſs and greatneſs thereof, that it was rather a Hiding, than a Revelation of his Power; there being infinitely more Power in him, than was ever yet put forth by him. The like may truly be ſaid concerning Heaven and its Glory and Excellency. Take all the Deſcriptions that ſince the Creation of the World have been made of the Glory and Happineſs thereof, and put them all together, and we may ſay of them all, that they rather hide and eclipſe the Glory of Heaven, than any way come near to a manifeſtation of the Fulneſs and Excellency thereof; ſtill is there infinitely more hid from us, than can poſſibly thereby be made known to us. Heaven is like God himſelf, an infinite Good and Happineſs; and ſo cannot be fully known or enjoyed by any who are but of finite Capacities and Underſtanding. And therefore after all that we have heard thereof from Men, or received from God himſelf, either by what he hath revealed to us in his Word, or ſecretly elapſed down immediately into our Souls by his Spirit; yet what holy Job ſaith of God, we may ſay of the Heaven of God; Oh how little a Portion of it is known! And therefore thoſe Words of St. Paul need not be looked upon with admiration, when he tells us, Phil. 1.23. he deſired to be diſſolved, and to be with Chriſt; that is, in Heaven, where God and Chriſt are known and enjoyed; for that is it which makes Heaven ſo deſirable; yea, to be beſt of all, as the ſame Apoſtle ſpeaks. For why ſhould any think it ſtrange, that the bleſſed Apostle, who had been wrapt up into the Third Heaven by extraordinary priviledge, as well as in an extraordinary manner, and there heard and ſaw ſo much of that Glory and Happineſs that was there enjoyed, as that himſelf ſaid was unutterable, that he ſhould long after a fuller enjoyment of it? Chriſtians who profeſs their Hopes and Happineſs is laid up in Heaven, ſhould rather wonder at his willingneſs to abide here any longer in the Fleſh. And certainly, had not Love; yea, great Love to him, who had prepared and purchaſed ſo great and inexpreſſible a Happineſs for him, wrought very powerfully in him; it may ſeem almoſt impoſſible that Heaven and St. Paul ſhould have been kept longer aſunder, if any thing in him, or to be done or ſuffered by him, could have brought him thither ſooner than his appointed time.
Great and glorious things doth the Scripture ſpeak concerning Heaven, the Palace, or City rather of the great God; but how great the Glory and Happineſs of the Bleſſed ſhall there be, none are able now to expreſs: The bleſſed Apoſtle therefore, in 2 Cor. 12.3, 4. when he ſets himſelf purpoſely to relate his Journey into the other World, all that he tells us of it, is only this, That there he heard thoſe Words that were unſpeakable; and ſaw thoſe Things that were not lawful, or not poſſible to be uttered. And other-where he tells us, Eye hath not ſeen, Ear hath not heard, neither is it poſſible for the heart of Man to conceive, what God hath prepared for them that love him. The Eye hath ſeen great and glorious. Things, and the Ear hath heard much greater; but the Heart of Man is able to imagine much more than either of them: But whatever the Eye hath ſeen, or the Ear hath heard, or the Heart can imagine; yet neither of them can reach to apprehend or conceive the great things that God hath prepared for them that love him Hence therefore it is that the ſame Apoſtle, 2 Cor. 4.17. calls Heaven a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory The Happineſs that a Believer attains to even on this ſide Glory, when he hath received an Earneſt, or Beginning of Heaven in ſome glorious work of Sanctification upon his Soul, Oh how doth the Joy of the Knowledge and Aſſurance thereof paſs all underſtanding; as the ſame Apoſtle ſpeaks, Phil. 4.7. Who is able to utter the ſweetneſs of that Peace of Conſcience, and the ſpiritual Joy and Rejoycing of a Soul, on whom the Love of God is ſhed abroad by the Hory Ghost! Such a raviſhing, overcoming Joy and Delight flows in upon the Soul, as it cannot expreſs; no, nor ſometimes is it able to bear up under it. And if there be ſo much ſweetneſs in a Taſte of Heaven, what is there then in a full enjoyment of Heaven. The Beloved Apoſtle St. John tells us, in 1 John 3.2. It doth not yet appear what we ſhall be; no, nor indeed can it appear now, for in our preſent ſtate we are not able to bear it. Should but a little of the Glory of Heaven be revealed to us now, Oh how would it amaze and confound us! That weight of Glory would be ſo great, that it would overwhelm us. We read in Exod. 34.34. That when Moſes had been converſing with God in the Mount, and came down to the People again, that his Face did ſo ſhine, that the Children of Iſrael could not behold him, until he put a Vail upon his Face. And did a a ſmall Ray of the Glory of God reflected upon Moſes's Face, ſhine ſo gloriouſly, that the Iſrae lites could not look upon him? Oh what a dazling, confounding Brightneſs and Glory would Heaven it ſelf break forth upon us with, if the Vail between us and it, were removed out of the way; ſurely Fleſh and Blood could not be able to bear it. When the ſame Moſes therefore, in Exod 33.18. beſought God to ſhew him his Face, or, his Glory, which is all one; what Anſwer doth God return him? Not a poſitive Denial of his Requeſt; for he doth not ſay, I will not ſhew it thee: No, but he tells him, Thou canſt not ſee my face and live. It is that thou canſt not bear; it is an Object too glorious for thee to behold: As if God had ſaid, Moſes, thou haſt had ſome diſcoveries of my ſelf unto thee; and they have begotten farther deſires in thee after more and greater manifeſtations thereof: What thou askeſt at my hands, is not a thing too great for me to beſtow; but it is too great for thee to receive: a happineſs it is too great to be enjoyed in this Life; and therefore though I do not, nor will not for ever deny thy Requeſt, yet I muſt defer it till it may be a Happineſs unto thee; and that is, till thou come to Heaven, where thou ſhalt for ever ſee my face, and enjoy my Preſence in as large and ample a manner as thou canſt poſſibly deſire; but now thou canſt not bear it; for no man can ſee my face and live. And as no man can take in the Happineſs of Heaven here, ſo no man can underſtand the greatneſs of it: So true are the Words of the Apoſtle, The things that God hath prepared for them that love him, are ſo many, and ſo great, that they cannot enter into the heart of man to conceive. The Pſalmiſt therefore, upon this Conſideration, cries out with Admiration, Pſal. 31.19. Oh how great is thy goodneſs which thou haſt laid up for them that fear thee; great it was, but how great he could not expreſs. And thus truly muſt we do; when we have ſaid all we can concerning Heaven, we muſt ſit down and admire the Greatneſs and Excellency of it; but the Fulneſs, Riches and Glory of it, we ſhall never underſtand till we come for ever to enjoy it.
But though we cannot fully underſtand the Happineſs of Heaven; yet for the raiſing of the Hearts, and exciting and quickning the Affections and Deſires of Chriſtians towards it; and that their purſuits after the obtaining of it, may be more diligent and ſervent, I ſhall endeavour to repreſent ſomething of the Glory and Excellency of that Bleſſed State, that is to be enjoyed there, according to what God hath been pleaſed to diſcover to us thereof in his holy Word; though ſtill when all that hath or can be ſaid, it is the Enjoyment of Heaven only that can make known to us what the Happineſs of Heaven ſhall be.
But before I proceed unto a particular and diſtinct Explication of the Happineſs of. Heaven, it will be neceſſary by ſome convincing Arguments to prove the Reality and Certainty of that Glory and Happineſs that ſhall be enjoyed by the Godly there. Now this I ſhall demonſtrate by theſe following Arguments.
Firſt, From the infallible Promiſes of the Truthſpeaking God. Now ſo many are the Promiſes ſcattered up and down in ſacred Writ concerning the Certainty, Futurity, and Eternity of the Saints Happineſs, that I cannot number them; and ſurely Believers, who have by thoſe Promiſes an everlaſting Inheritance of Glory and Happineſs conveyed to, and ſetled upon them as their Portion, cannot be ſuppoſed to be Strangers unto them; upon the ſuppoſition whereof, I ſhall inſtance only in a few Fear not little Flock, ſays our Lord, for it is your Father's good pleaſure to give you a Kingdom, Luke 12.33. Bleſſed are the pure in heart, for they ſhall ſee God, Matt. 5.8. My ſheep hear my voice, and I give unto them eternal life, John 10.28. This is his Promiſe that he hath given unto us, even eternal life, 1 John 2.25. Bleſſed be the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the reſurrection of Jeſus Chriſt from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reſerved in Heaven for us, ſays the Apoſtle, 1 Pet. 1.3, 4. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life that is in the midſt of the Paradiſe of God, Rev. 2.7. To him that overcometh, will I give to ſit with me on my Throne, even a: I have overcome, and am ſet down with my Father on his Throne, Rev. 3.21. Believers are the greateſt Heirs in all the World; for, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, They have the Promiſe of the Life that now is, and of that which is to come. And ſays the ſame Apoſtle, All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or Life, or Death, or things preſent, or things to come; all is yours, and you are Chriſt's, and Chriſt is Gods, 1 Cor. 3.22.
Secondly, The Certainty of a future ſtate of Glory and Happineſs, may be demonſtrated from the great Undertaking of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. And indeed this was a Work fit for none but him to undertake; for none elſe were able to accompliſh it. Whatever worth or excellency there is either in all the Men on Earth, or in all the Saints, and Angels in Heaven ſhould they have proffered to have done and ſuftered all that their Natures are capable of, to have duplicate page duplicate page purchaſed the Love and Favoun of God, to have been enjoyed, though but by one Soul, and that but for one moment of time in Heaven; it would have been rejected and deſpiſed by God. But now the Death and Sufferings of Jeſus Chriſt were of equal worth and value with Heaven, and the Enjoyment of God to eternity; for his Blood was the Blood of God, and therefore the ſhedding of it deſerved the Preſence, Love and Favour of God to be beſtowed upon Believers, as their Portion for ever. This Jeſus Chriſt hath done, for this he hath both ſuffered and died; and becauſe he hath made a Purchaſe of theſe things with his Blood, Believers ſhall therefore enjoy them; for Chriſt will not loſe his Purchaſe, nor ſhall Believers therefore loſe their Happineſs. The bringing many Sons unto Glory, was the End which Chriſt deſigned in the laying down of his Life, and therefore he willingly ſubmitted unto the Way by which he was to accompliſh it; and that was by his ſuffering Death; and from hence therefore the People of God are ſaid to obtain an inheritance among them that are ſanctified by Faith in him.
Thirdly, Another Ground or Reaſon we have to believe a ſtate of Glory and Happineſs hereafter, may be taken from the Spirit's introductory or preparatory working in the Hearts of Believers here in this Life. By this now I mean, the Beginning of Grace wrought in the Soul; for Grace and Glory are one and the ſame thing; Grace is Glory, and Glory is Grace; all the Difference between them, is only in the degree; Grace is Glory begun, and Glory is Grace perfected. And when the Spirit of God works Grace in any Soul, he then gives the firſt Fruits, the Earneſt, or Fore-taſte of Glory. Grace therefore is ſometimes called Glory in Scripture; ſo we read, 2 Cor. 3.18. We all with open face beholding as in a Glaſs, the Glory of the Lord, are changed into the ſame Image from Glory unto Glory; that is, from one degree and meaſure of Grace unto another. And Grace there is called Glory, becauſe, when Grace is advanced unto its higheſt degree of perfection, it is Glory. Now where ever any receive the firſt fruits of Heaven in Grace and Holineſs, they ſhall receive the full Harveſt of Glory it ſelf. Grace therefore is called the Spirit's forming, or fitting of the Soul for Glory. Hence the Apoſtie ſpeaking of himſelf and others, as groaning and longing to be cloathed with their Houſe which is frown Heaven, that Mortality might be ſwallowed up of Life. In 2 Cor. 5.3, & 4. he adds in the 5th. verſe, He that hath wrought us for the ſelf ſame thing, is God; who hath alſo given us the Earneſt of the Spirit; which, in Epheſ. 1.14. is called the Earneſt of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchaſed Poſſeſſion. Where ever Grace is in truth, it is always in Growth, and it ſhall be in perfection: So ſaith the Apoſtle, Phil. 1.6. He that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it unto the Day of Jeſus Chriſt. Where the Spirit gives unto any the Nature and Diſpoſition of the Children of God, he thereby gives them an undoubted Right and Title unto Heaven and Glory; yea, ſuch a Right and Title as ſhall never be loſt or broken off: So ſaith the Apoſtle, Rom. 8.16, 17. For the Spirit it ſelf beareth witneſs with our Spirits, that we are the Children of God; and if Children, then Heirs, Heirs of God, and joint-Heirs with Jeſus Chriſt; and if we ſuffer with him, we ſhall alſo be glorified together.
Fourthly, and laſtly, Imight argue the Certainty of a future ſtate of Glory and Happineſs, from the conſtant believing Hopes and Expectations; yea, and Sufferings alſo of the Saints and People of God in all Ages. If Believers had hope only in this Life, they were then, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, of all men moſt miſerable. But it is not ſo; for their Hopes and Happineſs lies in thoſe things that are to be enjoyed beyond Time, even in Eternity. And hence it is, that they have ſuch ſtrong Conſolation as bears up their Souls above all the Sufferings that they meet with in this preſent Life; becauſe they have ſled for Refuge to lay hold on the Hope that is ſet before them, which Hope they have as an Anchor of the Soul, that is ſure and ſtedfaſt, becauſe it entreth into that within the Vail, Heb. 6.18, 19. It is the Nature of the New Creature, where-ever it is, to cauſe the Soul to look upwards; and hence it is that the People of God are ſaid to be begotten again unto a lively hope of an Inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reſerved in heaven for them, 1 Pet. 1.3, 4. From this now ſprings great Joy and Conſolation, and therefore upon this account it is that Believers are ſaid to rejoyce in hopes of the Glory of God, Rom. 35.2.
Should I now attempt to lay down a Deſcription of Heaven, that Place of perfect Bliſs and Happineſs, I ſhould prevent my ſelf in what I intend to ſpeak more fully and largely to afterwards: Only in the General, to excite and quicken our Deſires and Affections after it, take this following ſhort Sum of it.
Heaven is a Place where there is a total and everlaſting excluſion of all that is evil and imperfect, and where there is a full perfection and perpetual enjoyment of all that is Good, and that in the largeſt latitude and extent of it. In Heaven there is nothing to afflict or torment; but every thing that is ſatisfactory and delightful. There is nothing of Sin there, and therefore nothing of Sorrow. Saint in Heaven enjoy the beſt Company. There is the Great and Glorious God ſeen and known in all his glorious Excellencies and Perfections. There is the Bleſſed Lord Jeſus Chriſt, the Lord of Life and Glory, exalted in our Nature, at the Right Hand of God; through whoſe meritorious Undertakings we come to be preſented unto God, and to ſtand in his Preſence with Confidence and Joy, as having neither ſpot nor wrinkle, nor any ſuch thing. There are the glorious Angels, the Cherubims and Seraphims, with all the glorified Saints and Servants of God, that have lived in all Ages of the World; as, Patriarchs, Prophets and Apoſtles, who are always ſtanding round about the Throne of God, crying, Alleiuja, Praiſe, Honour and Glory unto him that ſitteth upon the Throne, and to the Lamb for evermore. In Heaven there is not only a perfect freedom from all Sin, but from all Inclinations; yea, from all Temptations thereunto. Grace and Holineſs are there in their Fulneſs, in their Perfection and Glory. There it is that this corruptible ſhall put on incorruption, and this mortal ſhall put on Immortality. There it is that theſe vile Bodies of ours ſhall be made like unto the glorious Body of Jeſus Chriſt. There it is that theſe Souls of ours ſhall be enlarged in their utmoſt Capacities and Deſires, and yet filled and ſatisfied to the utmoſt alſo. There it is that there is fulneſs of Joy, excellency of Glory, with an Eternity of Enjoyment of both. This now is the Building of God, that Houſe not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens, 2 Cor. 5.1. This is that Kingdom that is to be inherited by the People of God, prepared for them from the foundation of the World, Matth. 25.46. This is that City that hath Foundations, whoſe Builder and Maker is God, Heb. 11.10. The Streets whereof are paved with Gold, and the Gates whereof are Pearl, Rev. 21.21. In which there is no Temple; for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the Temple of it. Where there is no more Night no more Candle, nor any need of the Sun, or of the Moon to ſhine in it; for the Lord God giveth them Light, and they ſhall reign for ever and ever, Rev. 22.5. This now is Heaven, and much more than all this; for when we have ſpent all our Days and Time in Hearing, in Reading, in Diſcourſing, in Meditating upon Heaven, and upon nothing elſe; yet after we have done all we can, ſaid all we can, thought all we can; yet can we never ſet forth the Thouſandth Part of that Happineſs that is to be enjoyed in Heaven; for it is that which is beyond expreſſion, beyond imagination; but bleſſed be God, it is not beyond enjoyment; for the having and poſſeſſing of theſe things in their Fulneſs, in their Perfection, and in their Perpetuity, is that, which, as it makes the Happineſs of Heaven ſo excellent and glorious, ſo doth it make it alſo ſo deſirable to be enjoyed.