how deckt with stars as with sparkling Diamonds What would wee say if wee could see into it Mat. 17.1 and behold though with Peter Iames and Iohn at a glance or blush superficially the goodly pauement of heauen within whose floore is of gold and wall about it garnished with precious stones Mat. 4.8 And what is a kingdome here where all the kingdomes of the world and the glorie of them were shewed in the twinkling of an eye Luke 4 5. as it is in the Gospel if there were not hope of a better kingdome where all shall be kings and reigne with Christ eternallly And they which here haue reigned as kings vpon the earth shall lose nothing but gaine immeasurably by the change yea kings and queenes which haue beene nursing fathers and nursing mothers to the Church of God as the Prophet speaketh when they come thither Isay 49.23 shall cast away their Crownes as Elias 2. King 2.13 when hee went vp by a whirlewind into heauen let his cloake or mantle fall from him and they shal repent nothing there saue that they came no sooner thither and when they shall compare their earthly and heauenly kingdomes together they shall say as S. Peter said of the mount Mat. 17.4 bonum est esse hic It is good to be here in heauen but for the earth they shall bee as loth to looke backe vnto it as Moyses to goe backe into the land of Egypt For their pallaces shall then seeme prisons their golden chaines golden fetters their crownes crosses and all their earthly honors but burdens and vexations But when they shall looke vpon the face of God they shall say to him with triumph as it is in the Psalme With thee is the well of life Psal 16.11 in thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore Thirdly if Adams paradise and garden was so delightsome and pleasant how pleasant and glorious is Gods owne seat of his owne residence He spake it with a wondring tongue whose heart could not comprehend so infinite an excellencie in saying as we haue heard before How glorious things are spoken of thee O thou city of God! Psal 87.3 For though in the letter this worthy Prophet spake of that earthly heauen which he confessed to be in the material tabernacle because of Gods presence and the godly exercises of Gods people performed there yet his meaning was vnder the cloud of the phrase to direct Gods children to a higher tabernacle and house of greater glory then that which was earthly and vnder the doome of time Againe saith the blessed Apostle 2. Cor. 3,7,8,9,10,11 If the ministration of death written and ingrauen in the stones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance which glory was to bee done away how shall not the ministration of the spirit bee rather glorious For if the ministration of condemnation be glorious much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceed in glorie For euen that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glorie that excelleth For if that which was done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious And if the preaching of the Gospel whereby God giueth his quickening spirit working the life of grace in his elect be glorious then much more shall the true professors of the Gospel be made partakers of farre greater glorie in the kingdome of heauen Againe wee doe reade in the first booke of Samuel 1. Sam. 18.23 that when Dauid was perswaded by Saul by the meanes of his seruant to become the Kings sonne in law it is there said by Dauid Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the Kings sonne in law seeing that I am a poore man and lightly esteemed Then if it be accounted a great honor and glory to be a sonne and childe to an earthly King much more honorable and glorious it is to be the sonne and childe of the King of heauen Behold saith Saint Iohn what manner of loue the Father hath bestowed vpon vs 1. Iohn 3.1 that wee should bee called the sonnes of God Which glorie all the tongues of men and Angels as wee haue heard before can in no wise expresse as witnesseth the blessed and glorious Apostle Saint Paul himselfe who was in it 2. Cor. 12.1,2,3,4,5 and saw it and therefore he saith I knew a man in Christ aboue foureteene yeeres agoe whether in the body I cannot tell or whether out of the bodie I cannot tell God knoweth such a one caught vp into the third heauen and heard vnspeakable words which it is not lawfull or possible for a man to vtter So great and infinite are the glory and ioyes of the kingdome of God as they cannot enter into vs and therefore it is appointed that we must enter into them Therefore it is said Matth. 25.21 Well done thou good and faithfull seruant thou hast beene faithfull ouer a few things I will make thee ruler ouer many things enter thou into the ioy of thy Lord. Now if the Queene of Sheba as we heard before pronounced the seruants of King Salomon happie 1. King 10.8 for that they stood continually before him and heard his wisdome then much more happy are the Saints and seruants of God who doe continually with his holy Angels stand and behold the glorious presence of one which is greater then King Salomon Matth. 18.10 euen the God of glory himselfe In which respect Saint Ambrose on his death bed said We are happie in this that we serue so good a Master Yea happie is the people saith the Psalmist that is in such a case Psal 144.15 yea happie is that people whose God is the Lord. Yea blessed and happie are all those which so liue in this world that departing hence they may be assured to come into so glorious a place and presence Wee see by experience when a Country-man hath beene trained vp sometime in the Court he forgetteth his clownish kinde of life and becommeth a Courtier let vs therefore leaue the speeches habite fashion and manners of this wicked world wherein we liue and inure our selues with the customes and course of the Court of heauen let all our thoughts words and communication testifie that in spirit wee are alreadie there Let my minde saith Augustine muse of it let my tongue talke of it let my heart loue it and my whole soule neuer cease to hunger and thirst after it In the meane time till thou come into this glorious place and presence aske of God by heartie and faithfull prayer to giue thee grace entirely and from the bottome of thy heart both to vnderstand and desire the ioyes and glory thereof and so to be affected and rauished with the delight thereof that euer and euery where thou mayest be stirred vp to serue
else but our destruction Be sober be vigilant saith the Apostle 1. Pet. 5.8 because your aduersary the diuell as a roring Lion walketh about seeeking whom he may deuoure Gen. 19.1 The holy Angels doe also many times fight against sinfull men for who burnt Sodome and Gomorrah with the inhabitants thereof with fire and brimstone The Angels Who slew an hundred fourescore and fiue thousand in the hoast of Senacherib 2. King 19.35 The Angels Who afflicted the Egyptians with all those ten plagues mentioned in the booke of Exodus The Angels Who assisted Iosua the Lords Captaine Ios 5.13 against the Cananites and Iebusites The Angels Who smote Herod that he was eaten vp with wormes Act. 12.23 because hee gaue not God the glory The Angels and not only the Angels but God himselfe more immediately which caused that holy man Iob to say Why dost thou hide away thy face Iob 13.24 and takest me for thy enemie What meaneth this O Lord God Thou which wast wont to be my Father and keeper hast now bidden battell against me Psal 77.7.8.9.10 And this caused also the Prophet Dauid to say Will the Lord cast vs off for euer and will he be fauourable no more Is his mercie cleane gone from me doth his promise faile for euermore Hath God forgotten to bee gratious hath hee in anger shut vp his tender mercies And I said this is mine infirmitie And so saith it is an infirmitie and weakenesse indeed for the childe of God to haue any such thoughts and passions Moreouer and besides all these things there is yet an internall warre which man hath within his owne bowels continually For what man is he which feeleth not the striuings struglings and contentions of his owne affection will sense and reason In so much that man himselfe doth afflict himselfe and vnderstandeth it not Yea he is a greater enemy to himselfe then any other can bee For who doth greater harme to thee then thou dost to thy selfe Who more then thy selfe letteth thee and turneth thee away from thy felicitie Who then seeth not that man is set in the very Center of the Spheres that miseries may fall vpon him from euery part and as the white in a butte Lam. 3.12 that the arrowes and darts of all miseries and kinds of death may bee directed vnto him Walkest thou in the streets the tiles aboue thy head threaten thy downefall In the fields the ayre is ready to conuey infection into thy lungs the earth grones vnder thee as loath to beare so vnprofitable a burthen At last comes death with his napkin on his sleeue Rom. 8.22.23 and his trencher-knife in his hand and with his voider takes all away But let vs see what followeth Iob telleth thee that man shooteth forth as a flower and is cut downe whereby he teacheth that mans life is fraile and transitorie A flower verily is a comely and a beautifull thing and yet for all that it is nothing because there is nothing found more fading and vanishing Euen so man during the time of his fading and flourishing youth seemeth to be of a wonderfull comelinesse but this beauty is of small price because it is more britle then the grasse seeing that man carrieth alwayes the cause of his owne death in his vaines and bowels For mans fading away is such and so sudden oftentimes that there can be no reason giuen of his death for many haue gone to bedde well in the euening that in the morning are found dead in their beds and many that haue bin well at their vprising haue beene dead before the euening and many very sodainly haue dropped downe in the streetes and high-wayes as they haue walked about their affaires And this is no wonder if we consider well the substance of mans body which being a building compact of sl mie clay is easily ouerthrowne with a small thing And how commeth it to passe I pray you that clockes are so easily stopped from their course Is it not because they are made with so many wheeles that if one be stayed all the rest be letted If this befall clockes that haue wheeles of Iron and steele how much more easily may it come to passe in the humane clocke of mans body the wheeles and engines whereof are not of Iron neither part of yron and part of clay Dan. 2.33 like the feete of Nebuchadnezzars Image but all of clay And behold as the clay is in the Potters hand so are yee in mine hand Ier. 18.6 O house of Israel saith the Lord by his Prophet Therefore let vs not wonder at the frailtie of mans body but at the foolishnesse of mans minde who vpon so fraile a foundation is wont to erect and build such loftie towers Furthermore there is another misery which is signified vnto vs by the comparison of flower as namely the deceitfulnes of mans life the which indeed is the greatest miserie For as fained vertue is double iniquitie so counterfeit happinesse is a two-fold miserie and calamitie If this present life would shew it selfe to be such as it is indeed the misery thereof should not greatly hurt vs but as it is it doth greatly damnifie vs because it is false and deceitfull and being foule it maketh a very faire and glorious shew being euer mutable it will seeme to bee stable and constant being most short it beareth vs in hand that it is continuall that so men being deceiued may beleeue that they shall haue time to fulfill all their lusts and yet time and space enough to repent Holy Iob concludeth this sentence thus He vanisheth also as a shadow and neuer continueth at one stay To make this more plaine behold and consider the seuerall ages of man and thou shalt euidently perceiue the miserable alterations of humane life Childhood is weake as well in minde as in body flourishing youth is weake in mind but strong in bodie ripe and manly age strong both in mind and body old age strong in mind and weak in body crooked old doting age is in this twice a childe weake both in minde and bodie therefore man flyeth as a shadow and neuer continueth at one stay Besides this he is now wise now foolish now merry now sad now in health anon sicke now strong anon weake now rich anon poore now he loueth anon he hateth now he hopeth by and by hee feareth one while hee laugheth another while he weepeth now he will anon hee will not To conclude the Moone or any other thing that is changeable sheweth not so many changes to vs as doe the daily and most sudden alterations of men And yet for all this they liue as men in a frenzie which know not their owne miseries Yet if it were possible they would make the place of their exile and banishment their countrie and inheritance But in vaine they desire this for death commeth ere they are aware shutting vp and finishing the life it selfe So the
this may bee well and wisely done if the last will and testament be vnmade in the time of our health which is a great fault it is with godly aduice and counsell to be then made in the time of sicknesse according to the practise of ancient and worthy men Gen. 25.5.6 Gen. 27. Gen. 49.1 Abraham before his death makes his will and giues Legacies so did Isaak and Iacob in whose last will and testament are contained many worthy and notable lessons blessings and prophecies of the estate of his children And our Sauiour Christ Ioh 19.25 when he was vpon the Crosse prouided for his Mother especially in remembring her vnto Iohn his welbeloued Disciple And indeed this dutie of making a Will is a matter of great consequence for it cuts off much hatred and contention in families and it preuents many troubles and suites in Law It is not therefore alwaies a matter of indifferencie which may or may not be done as many falsely imagine who vpon blinde and sinister respects abstaine from making their last Wills Some because they feare they shall die the sooner and others for such like carnall respects but all such are greatly deceiued For by disposing thy worldly goods in thy will and testament thou shalt not thereby die the more quickly but the more quietly and shalt thereby preuent the jarres and brawles that otherwise when thou art gone may arise amongst thy children kindred and friends And herein remember that thou partest from earthly possessions and art going to take possession of heauenly And in the bestowing of their possessions and goods it must be principally vpon their wines and children This man saith God vnto Abraham Gen. 15.4 of Eleazar a stranger shall not bee thine heire but the sonne which shall come forth of thine owne bowels shall be thine heire Therefore it is vtterly a fault in any man to alienate his lands or goods wholly and finally from his bloud and posteritie it is a thing which the very law of Nature it selfe hath condemned Againe it is vtterly a fault to giue all to the eldest and little or nothing in respect to the rest as though the eldest were borne to be the gentleman onely and the yonger brethren borne to beare the wallet Yet in equity the eldest is to haue more then any of the rest Deu. 21.17 because vnto him there belongeth by the law of God a double portion and because Stockes and families in their persons are to bee preserued and maintained and because also there must alwayes bee some that must bee fitted thereby to doe some speciall seruice for the good both of Church and Common-wealth In the second place in the will there must bee prouision made for the godly preaching Minister and poore of the place and for others well deseruing the same according to euery mans abilitie Num. 27.1 Num. 36.1 and especially for want of children the next of kinne must be remembred in their stead The second dutie of the gouernour and master of the family concerneth the good of the soules of all those that are vnder their charge and gouernment And this consisteth in teaching and instructing of them in the feare of the Lord and to giue them charge that they may perseuere and continue in the same after the example of faithfull Abraham whom the Lord himselfe commendeth to his euerlasting praise and commendation for the performing of this duty as appeareth in the booke of Genesis Gen. 18.19 For I know him saith the Lord that he will command his children and his houshold after him that they shall keepe the way of the Lord to doe iustice and iudgement that the Lord may bring vpon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him And after the example likewise of King Dauid 1. King 2.1.2.3.4 who gaue his sonne Salomon on his death-bed a most excellent and solemne charge And this dutie is also commended vnto vs in the second booke of Esdras 2. Esdr 14.13.14.15 where it is said Now therefore set thy house in order c. Thus if masters and gouernours of families shall so carefully dispose of their estate and giue such a godly charge to them whom they shall leaue behinde them then they shall hereby greatly honor God dying as well as liuing O that they were wise saith Moses Deut. 32.29 that they vnderstood this that they would consider and prudently prouide for their latter end Wherin foure things are commēded vnto vs to wit knowledge vnderstanding wisdome and prouidence whereby it is apparant that God would haue vs to know vnderstand and wisely prouide for our end But first to know what This our life to be both short and dangerous stuffed with miseries subiect to vanities defiled with sinnes corrupted with lusts and desires and euer slyding toward an end Likewise God wisheth vs well to vnderstand what Our owne fraile estate that as naked as we came out of our mothers wombe so naked we must returne againe and as earth we are so to earth eftsoone we are to be conuerted Well may wee be compared vnto men scaling the walles of a beseiged Citty Ecle 5.15 at whom the Citizens discharging their peeces encounter their assault with darts stones other munition the better to defend themselues and to offend their enemie Who as they be wounded fall downe some from the top some from the midst and at the bottome of the wall some being wounded with gun-shot some with darts and some with stones some with one thing some with an other euen so it fareth with the men of this world if we wel vnder stood it who while they labour to climbe vp to the top of honor wealth are tumbled downe by death some frō the highest degree of honor some from a midle estate some frō a low poore estate some in their old age some in their midle age some in their youth and some in their infancie If a man were tyed fast to a stake at whom a m◅ cunning archer did shoote wounding many about him and neerer him some aboue some vnder and some against him and the poore wretch him selfe so fast bound to the stake that it were not any way possible for him to escape would it not be deemed madnes in him if in the meane while forgetting his misery and danger he should carelesly fall to bibbe and quaffe to laugh and be merry as though he could not be touched at all Who would not iudge such a man beside himselfe that would not rather in this case prouide for his end And are not we much rather to be accounted starke mad who doe or should know and vnderstand that the most expert Archer that euer was euen God himselfe hath whet his sword Psal 7.12.13 and bent his bow as the Prophet saith and made it ready and hath also prepared for him the instruments of Death and ordained his arrowes Yea he hath already shot forth his darts and arrowes
God done sayth Cyprian to good and bad to the harmlesse and the harmefull Eccles 9.2 to the religious and irreligious to the holy and prophane to the swearer and to him that feareth an oath And hee maketh as our Sauiour Christ sayeth in the Gospel of Saint Mathew Mat. 5.4.5 His sunne to shine on the euill and on the good and sendeth raine on the iust and vniust Whence wee may well reason thus that if GOD dealeth so graciously with vs on earth hee will do much more for vs and to vs in heauen if he bestowed such benefites vpon strangers nay vpon enemies he hath better things in store for his owne househould yea for vs which are his friends If he dealeth so liberally and bountifully with slaues hee will be much more liberall and bountifull to vs which are his sonnes in heauen Againe the excellencie of the creatures of God argues a greater yea incomparably greater excellency in the Creator himselfe as well doeth Barnard obserue Thou wondrest sayeth hee at the brightnesse of the Sunne beautie in the flowers sauorie relish in bread fertility in the earth Now consider that all are the gifts of God and there is no doubt but that hee hath reserued much more to himselfe for thee in heauen then he hath communicated and imparted to the Creatures here vpon earth Againe we may conceyue of these ioyes of heauen Luk 12.27.28 by taking a view of the inferiour beauties Consider sayth our Sauiour Christ the Lillyes of the field how they grow and flourish I say vnto you that Salomon in all his glory was not like to one of these All Salomons glorie not like to one Lillie Hath God put such glorie and gladnesse vpon the grasse of the field hath he so gorgeously attired them which to day haue a being and to morrow are cut downe and cast into the furnace How much more then shall be the glory and ioy of you in heauen O yee of little faith Therefore when wee meete with any thing that is excellent in the Cteatures we may say to our selues how much more excellent is hee that gaue them this excelâ—ency When we finde admirable wisedome in men how they rule al creatures by cunning ouercome them that are farre stronger then themselues ouertake them that are farre swifter then themselues out-runne the Sunne and Moone in discourse telling many yeares before hand what courses they must hold when they shall be eclipsed Let vs say to our selues how wise is that God which gaue such wisedome vnto men Againe when we see any thing strong as the Lyon or the Elephant Act. 40.15.16 Iob. 41.1 1 King 19.11 whose strength is described in the booke of Iob or the whale whose strength is also there described or the winde which is sayd in the first booke of the Kings to bee so great and strong that it rent the mountaines brake in peeces the rockes or the thunder or such like at the huge noyse whereof as it is sayde in the booke of Exodus it made all the people in the Campe to feare and tremble Ex. 19 16. Let vs then say how strong is that God that giueth this strength vnto them Againe when wee see rare beauty in men or women or most glorious colours in flowers birdes and other creatures Let vs then say how farre more beautifull and amiable is that God that giueth this beauty and comelinesse vnto them And when wee taste things that are exceeding comfortable and sweet as honey and such like Let vs then say how sweete and comfortable is that GOD that giueth that sweetenesse Now from al this let vs conclude that if the creatures can affoord such pleasure comfort contentment and delight what will the Creator himselfe doe when we shall immediately enioy his glorious presence after death In thy presence sayth the Psalmist Psal 16.11 is fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore Surely this world compared to the world to come is as it were but a little village to the greatest and most spatious City nay it is but as it were a gatehouse or Porters lodge to the most wide glorious and magnificent Pallace of the greatest Prince in the World and if the Gatehouse bee so fayre how fayre and glorious is the Pallace it selfe Moreouer consider what great ods there is between Gods mediate and immediate presence to enioy him in the creatures and to enioy him in himselfe The creatures yea the most excellent creatures are as it were but a vayle or curtaine drawne between God and vs which vayle or curtaine being drawne aside wee shall see God face to face and then how glorious will that sight bee And though we know not what it is to behold the face of God yet herein consisteth the highest degree of our happinesse Isa 33.17 Therefore are the ioyes of the Saints in heauen super superlatiue because theyr eyes doe alwayes behold their King in the excellency of his beauty and glory It is a pleasing sight and delightsome to the eye to behold the Sunne but that is sayth Bernard the true and only ioy indeed which is conceyued from the Creator not from the creature Iohn the Baptist leaped in his mothers wombe Luk. 1.41 when but the mother of his Maker came neere vnto him The Wise men reioyced exceedingly when they saw but his Starre The Bethshemites reioiced greatly at the sight of the Ark. Math 2.10 Were these causes of great and vnwonted ioy and gladnesse 1 Sam. 6.13 theÌ„ much more are the Saints of God rauished with ioy in heauen where they shal continually see and behold God face to face Wee are to consider that there is a twofold vision or sight of God the one called by some of the learned visio viae the sight of the way and means that bringeth home to God the other visio patriae the sight of tâ—e Countrey where God is that is his home and habitation with his Saints and Angels They are happy that see the way that bringeth and leadeth home to God but more happy that are at home in heauen dwelling neuer to bee remoued out of his presence and Country Of these two sortes of visions meaneth the Apostle Saint Paul When hee sayth 1 Cor 13.12 for now wee see through a glasse darkely but then wee shall see face to face Touching the first kind of the sight of God which is termed visio viae or as Saint Paul in a glasse darkly in a word this sight consisteth in true faith and knowledge of God And thus to see God by sound and sauing knowledge grounded vpon his word and by a true and liuely iustifying faith from this knowledge arising This I say is onely proper to Gods elect children who in time shall come to see him at home face to face in the fulnes of ioies for euer And touching visio patriae a seeing of God in his Country or his home or
with whom all things are possible as our Sauiour Christ saith in the Gospell Againe we may roue at the glorious estate of the children of God after death by that high price which was set on theÌ„ Our Sauiour Iesus Christ the Sonne and only Son of God not by adoption but by nature louing and best beloued bought them not with money but with bloud not with the bloud of Goats and Rammes but with his owne bloud and not with the bloud of his head hands or feete but with his owne heart bloud And as he prayed soundly for them himselfe in his last prayer which he made vnto his heauenly Father a little before his suffering as appeareth in the Euangelist Saint Iohn Iohn 17.1 so hath he prised them vnto his friends and children and none can enter into them but by many tribulations Acts 7.59 For we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdome of God They did cost Paul a beheading Peter a crucifying Stephen a stoning millions of Martyrs racking burning torturing tormenting and a thousand other kinds of deathes and our deere Sauiour Christ himselfe a suffering Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things Luke 24.26 and so to enter into his glorie 1. Cor. 10.13 God who is faithfull and true as the Apostle speaketh hath not deceiued his Sonne nor ouer-sold his ioyes vnto his Saints and children and therfore vnspeakable are those ioyes which Christ hath purchased and his children obtained through a world of miseries Againe wee haue a resemblance of these ioyes in Christs transfiguration vpon the Mount Luk. 9.28.29.30.31.32.33 when as the fashion of his countenance was altered and his rayment was white and glistering whereby wee learne what glory our bodies shall haue in the day of the resurrection wheÌ„ as the blessed Apostle Saint Paul telleth vs that as we haue borne the image of the earthly we shall also beare the image of the heauenly 1. Cor. 15.49 and be like the Sonne of God in glory Againe we may make coniecture of these ioyes by reflecting our eyes vpon those innumerable perils which wee haue heere escaped For if such as are deliuered from the dangers of the sea doe wonderfully reioyce when they come safe on shore much greater then is the ioy of those who hauing beene tossed in the waues of this troublesome world troubled with sinnes with Satan with frailties of the flesh with the feare of hell whose dangers saith Gregorie appeare by the multitude of those that perish are now arriued at heauen for their hauen and are wholly freed from all their calamities and miseries And as Saint Augustine wel speaketh the more dangers escaped the more ioyes encreased as the most doubtfull battell maketh the most ioyfull victorie Againe we doe reade in the booke of Hester Hester 6.6.7.8.9.10.11 that when Haman was by King Ahashuerosh willed to speak what shal be done to the maÌ„ whom the King would honor he supposing that the King had no meaning to honor any but himselfe said this Let them bring forth for him royall apparell which the King vseth to weare and the horse that the King vseth to ride on and that the Crowne Royall may be set vpon his head and that his apparell and horse bee deliuered to one of the Kings most noble Princes that they may array the man withall whom the King delighteth to honor and bring him on horse-back thorow the streetes of the Citie and proclaime before him Thus shall it be done to the man whom the King will honor Then the King said to Haman Make haste c. Euen so shall it be done vnto them whom the King of kings and Lord of lords will honor after death First there shal be put vpon them royal apparel Reu. 3.4 5. euen long white roabes which are such as Iesus Christ the King of glory himselfe is described to weare Secondly they shal sit vpon Iesus Christ his owne horse Reu. 19.11 which is said in the booke of the Reuelation to be a white horse for Iohn there saith I saw heauen opened and behold a white horse and hee that sate vpon him was called faithfull and true To him therefore saith the Sonne of God that ouercommeth Reu. 3.21 will I grant to fit with me in my throne euen as I also ouercame and am set on my fathers throne Thirdly the Crowne royall shall bee set vpon their heads Be thou faithfull vnto death saith the Sonne of God and I will giue thee a crowne of life Reu. 2.10 And this is that most excellent glorie which the Saints haue in heauen shadowed out vnto vs by a kingly crowne which of all earthly things is most glorious Fourthly this glorie shal be furthered by the hands of the king of heauens most noble Princes Mat. 24.31 He shall send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather his elect from the foure windes from one end of heauen to the other Fiftly and lastly the Saints shal be entred into the ful fruition of their inheritance with such ioy and triumph in the glorious assembly of all the Saints and holy Angels as the like was neuer seene in the world no not in Ierusalem that day when king Solomon sate downe in his father Dauids throne 1. King 1.40 But all that is nothing comparable to this ioy triumph and glorie of Gods Saints And it shal be as it were proclaimed before them Thus shall it bee done vnto them whom the King of glory will honour And this honour saith the Psalmist Psal 149.9 haue all his Saints There is no king on the earth can produce so ancient right to his Crown as the Christian effectually called can to these ioyes of heauen no maÌ„ on the earth can be acknowledged his fathers heire vpoÌ„ such sufficient warraÌ„t as the godly Christian No freeholder so surely infeoffed in his lands hauing so many confirmations of his right as hath the iustified Christian who vpoÌ„ his gift hath receiued the earnest the pledge the seale and the witnesse of the great king of glorie Wee doe reade in the first booke of the Kings that when the queene of Sheba heard of the fame of Salomon 1. King 10.11 concerning the name of the Lord she came from a very farre Countrey to proue him with hard questions and she communed with him of all that was in her heart and Salomon told her all her questions and there was not any thing hid from the king which he told her not And when shee had seene all Salomons wisedome and the house which he had built and the meat of his table and the siâ—ting of his seruants and the attendance of his ministers and their apparell and his Cup-bearers and his ascent by which he went vp into the house of the Lord. It is there said that there was no more spirit in her And she said to the king it was a true report that I
heard in mine owne land of thine acts and of thy wisedome how bee it I beleeued not the words vntill I came and mine eyes had seene and behold the one halfe was not told mee thy wisedome and prosperitie exceedeth the fame which I haue heard Happy are thy men happy are these thy seruants which stand continually before thee and heare thy wisedome Now if the queene of Sheba could say so much that the one halfe was not told her and that his wisedome and prosperity exceeded the fame which shee before had heard of him then much more may the child of God truly say when he commeth in his owne person to behold a farre greater then Salomon nay Mat. 12.42 not so much as one quarter of the glory and ioyes of heauen was told him and that the glory and ioyes thereof farre exceed the report fame and description which he hath heard For all the ioyes which we haue heard or can heare of when they are put all together they are all but as one poore drop of water to the maine Ocean sea in comparison of the ioyes which the Saints of God shall behold and enioy in their owne persons in the kingdome of glorie For no man knoweth them but such as enioy them according to that which is said in the booke of the Reuelation To him that ouercommeth Reu. 2.17 I will giue to eate of the hidden Manna and will giue him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth sauing bee that receiueth it Let me but shew you now what S. Augustine speaketh of the ioyes of heauen Wee may sooner tell you saith hee what they are not then what they are And hence it is that the euangelical Prophet Esay saith Isay 64.6 That since the beginning of the world men haue not heard nor perceiued by the eare neither hath the eye seene O God besides thee what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him For there we shall see light that passeth all lights which no eye hath seene there wee shall heare a glorious sound or harmonie which passeth all harmonies which no eare hath heard there wee shall smell a most sweet sent and sauour that passeth all sweet sents and sauours which no sense hath smelt there wee shall taste a most pleasant and delightfull taste that passeth all pleasant tastes which no tongue hath tasted and there we shall finde such pleasure and contentment as passeth all contentments and pleasures which no body euer had Nay I can not hold my heart for my ioy yea I cannot hold in my ioy for my heart to thinke vpon this ioy and glorie and to think that I that am now a silly poore worme vpon earth shall hereafter be a glorious Saint in the kingdome of glorie where is not onely true happinesse but perfection of happinesse not sound ioy onely but fulnesse of ioy which are so absolute and strange that neither eye hath seene to wit eye mortall nor eare hath heard 1. Cor. 2.9 that is eare of man hath not heard the like neither can they enter into our heart though all our hearts were as large euery one 1. King 4.29 as the heart of Salomon which God gaue vnto him euen as large as the sand that is on the sea-shore to conceiue and vnderstand them if they were told vs which are reuealed by the spirit and but lisped out by S. Iohn in those earthly similitudes of gates of pearles of walles of iasper Reu 21.18.19.21,22 and of a street whose pauement is gold as we heard before Dan 12.3 But it may be here obiected But in heauen saith the Prophet Daniel they that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many vnto righteousnesse shall be as the starres for euer and euer Now the firmament hath not so much light as the starres which lighten it and the starres haue lesse light then the Sun that lightneth them from whence therefore it seemeth that in heauen also there should rather be some want then such fulnesse of heauenly ioyes and glorie I answer though in this condition of our heauenly life there may be degrees of glory In my fathers house saith our Sauiour Christ Iohn 14.2 are many mansions yet there shall be no want of glory some may be like the skie some the starres of the skie yet all shall shine some vessels may hold more some lesse and yet all bee full so one may haue more ioy then another there are sundry measures of more or lesse glory in heauen There is one glory of the Sunne saith the Apostle 1. Cor. 15 41 another of the Moone and another glory of the starres for one starre differeth from another in glory but no measure shal lacke his fulnesse of life and glory there where shall be a measure of ioy heaped vp shaken together pressed downe and running ouer And as Bernard very excellently speaketh Luke 6.38 a measure without measure where we shall be filled with ioy yet being filled wee shall still desire lest our fulnesse procure a loathing and in desiring we shall alwaies be filled lest our desire beget a grieuing neither can God giue more nor man receiue more then we shall there enioy for there we shall be replenished and satisfied with such a fulnesse of life glory and happinesse so as wee shall not bee able to desire or to haue any more euen as vessels cast into the water being so filled with water that they can desire or hold no more and he that hath least shall haue enough The reasons hereof are these Hell is contrarie to heauen In hell there is a fulnesse of torment in heauen therefore there must be a fulnesse and perfection of glory and happinesse Secondly earthly kingdomes and the kings therof haue as great an absolutenesse as earth can affoord and giue them and shal we thinke that heauen which can giue an entire wil giue an impefect crowne of righteousnesse and glorie Wil the kings of the earth dwel in base cottages and not in royal Courts and Pallaces and shall these kings of a far better kingdome want ioy and glorie wheras mortall kings haue so great glorie and power Princes on the earth dwell in royall palaces sometimes of Cedar and Iuorie but they whom the Sonne of God hath made kings and priests vnto God his Father Reu. 1.6 as it is in the booke of the Reuelation shall raigne in a glorious citie and pallace whose twelue gates are twelue pearles Reu. 21.18 whose wall is of Iasper and building of gold and whose streetes shine as cleare glasse So said he that saw all this glorie but darkely or as Moyses saw the land of Canaan in a very short mappe or card afarre off as it doth appeare in the booke of Deuteronomie Deut. 34.1,2.3.4 We see but the outward wall of this heauenly Court and City and yet how glorious is it and