less unworthy ends but that he should be holy and like God by them Princip 3 The excellency of Holiness and true Goodness and the Evil of Sin and Vice are immediately felt by the Soul A distinction between Good and Evil is the next thing to an Understanding and hereupon excusing Apologies and Accusations are transacted within the Soul concerning all our actions Princip 4 An after state of Reward or Punishment All these the Soul hath very near it and though it may be disturbed by contrary pretences yet the Images of these can never be wiped out but even when it seems to be perswaded otherwise yet it is still encountred with these appearances The Soul is so imprinted with these Notions that it can never look into it self but it finds them and they are the very light of its Countenance which it cannot but see and see by whenever it acts it self And by these Principles either created with Man or further communicated to him he tryes and searches and is able to discern the things offered to him by God for I am fully perswaded there is no greater tryal nor assurance of Revelation than the Principles of Natural Religion cleared and confirmed by that Revelation giving a lasting and setled assurance to the mind in its coolest and most quiet debates after it hath been alarmed and approached by Miracles By these a Man is able to move yet further into the concatenations and connexions of Truth with Truth and judges by them as a Touch-stone within it self and being aided and assisted by the Spirit of God the Spirit of Man becomes a much higher Light For by that higher illumination of the Supreme Light the Spirit of God It judges as the Apostle 1 Cor. 2. 15. says all things searches into all points of Knowledge tryes and examines determines and pronounces of every Thing proposed to it either by God or Men Yet it self is judged by no Man that is No Man is able to give a clear and perfect account of it in this life either in its Nature as a Spirit or its gracious state as renewed by the Spirit of God But in Eternity this Lamp thus enlightened by Grace shall perfectly shine out and break forth It shall be as the Stars of the Firmament full of greatest Glory and most comfortable Influence They that be wise shall shine Dan. 12. 3. as the Firmament and Stars and as the Sun that is This Lamp shall shine out with all the addition of Light and Lustre Oriency and Beauty both of Knowledge and Purity Glory and Happiness If it be not thus it will be as a Fire-brand as a Furnace of enraged Fire as a flaming Torch tormented with its own Light and tortured without end in its own Flame For this Light of the Soul is the very Light of Heaven it is a Light that is Divine and can never be put out It is a Beam of that Light and cannot be quenched The Soul in its own Essence is a Spark from Heaven like the Light of a Diamond a substance so solid that it cannot corrupt nor moulder The Light of Truth shining in these Principles is Divine and of Eternal Truth These with their Consequences are always true even as those acknowledged Principles of Science which all Understandings do and must acknowledge The Soul then being a Light so unquenchable more lasting than those Lamps of ancient Times that have been found burning many Ages after and the Principles of Truth inlaid into its very Essence being as lasting as it there must be ever a lustre of Glory and Happiness about it or a Blaze of Torment according to the sense the Soul hath of its friendship with God and the Light he hath enlightened it with or the enmity and resistance it hath made thereunto for accordingly this Light is again friendly and the God of it gracious to the Soul and in the just indignation of that God the Light also seeing it can neither be friendly nor extinguished must needs vex and amaze like an angry Light that scorches and dazles together Thus I have discovered the first part That the Soul is a Light The second part is That this Light is reflected It is the Candle of the Lord searching the innermost parts of the Belly that is Turning it self inward upon all the secrets and retirements of a Man This Light is a Light not only shining forward and looking into things without but shining backward and looking upon it self So far as the Soul goes back so far this Light goes back upon and into it self The Soul may be resembled to that Breast-plate of Vrim and Thummim upon Aarons Heart the Vrim as Lights discerning Things abroad and the Thummim as perfection or sincerity judging the goodness and integrity of it self This Light is not only reciprocated with it self after the manner of an Understanding but after the manner of a Conscience Both ways it differs from the Sun and Stars they shine but they do not know upon what they shine they bring home no light or observation concerning all those things upon which they shine Herein the Soul differs as an Understanding for it confers with it self concerning all things upon which its Light shines Again The Sun and Stars they shine but do not know they shine nor can reflect upon themselves as such Bodies of Light and Glory nor can they at all judge of themselves or what they do how glorious they are or what spots are upon them when they are shadowed or eclipsed or when they shine in their full Lustre Herein they differ from the Soul as a Conscience The Soul knows it knows as well as what it knows it cannot but know and feel it knows and is especially knowing of it self and its own Motions Thus it excels Natural Light yet Light gives some resemblance hereof Light comes into a Room it comes in at one end of the Room and leaps to the other it leaps back again and shines in its own face The Soul is this through-light which meets it self and reciprocates with it self incircles it self within it self This is the Soul which shines upon and back into and within and round about it self As to instance first in the Light of Direction it gives It knows that it knows what is to be done When the Soul hath shined to it self concerning doing good and avoiding sin it knows it hath done so and God will challenge men upon their own Knowledge and they will never be able to deny their Knowledge No man can deny his Knowledge to God or to himself even as a man cannot deny his Knowledge to another man that knows his Knowledge together with him much less to God or to himself who are so perfectly acquainted with him and all his ways For the Soul in all cases is made to shine in its own Face and the secrets of it are in the greater Light of Gods Countenance 2. For Conviction of what a man is and hath done Every
herein This then is the Eternity of God his always alike Being infinitely Happy infinitely Blessed This is the Eternity of Jesus Christ the Son of God the Son of God eternally begotten that though he proceeded and came forth from God the Father yet he made no new Date no Beginning Eternally begotten without the least shadow of turning to denominate Time as the Creatures do by Beginning but as a Beam from the Sun as soon as it is making no new thing in the Sun or as Apprehension from the Mind as soon as the Mind is or as the immediate Image and Likeness of the Face as early as the Face is thus and infinitely more even incomprehensibly is Christ the Son of the Father coeternal with him This is the Eternity of the Son of God but what is the Fathers Name or what is his Sons Name in Eternity none Pro. 30. 4. can tell for who can declare his generation but Before all things that were made and by being made made a Beginning before all things that beginning to be cast the shadow of Time even before all things is the Col. 1. 17. Saviour of the World that is he is Eternal Indeed as he is the Son of Man he gave great and the greatest Characters to Time it hath the richest Aera and Epochs it hath His Incarnation in dating it self from which Latter Time glories and triumphs His Death and Passion his Resurrection and Ascension His Appearance the second time from Heaven to give a Period to Time Thus as the Son of Man he hath enrich'd and ennobled Time But as the Son of God he onely governs Time that is the Things of Time and changes Times and Seasons by setting up and pulling down what he pleases whence Time is variously imboss'd but by any Change in himself he doth not give the least Shade of Time The Eternity of Angels is much below this perfect this absolute Eternity for they had a Beginning they came out of the State of Not Being into Being but this of Eternity they have that their Being given them continues for ever lasts for ever Indeed even this Duration is not by any necessity of Nature as in the Son of God the onely begotten of the Father for he can neither have begun to be begotten nor cease to be begotten but it must make a Change in God a substantial Change Thus also incomprehensibly stands the Eternity of the Divine Spirit proceeding Eternally from the Father and the Son But the Everlastingness of Angels hath its certainty from the Purpose of God unchangeable concerning it Further Their Eternity is not like to the Eternity of the Divine Being the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit in that as they receiv'd a Beginning so there was a Space wherein their Condition was alterable as appears by the Fall of some and the generally receiv'd Confirmation of others And that it is alterable in Degrees may be argued by their daily increase in Knowledge Additions to which Good Angels receive from the Church while they stoop down to look into the things of the Gospel daily Experience in both sorts Increases of Glory to the Holy ministring Spirits as a Reward of their Ministry Aggravations of Punishment to the Fallen Angels for their many and great Hostilities to God his Son and Servants The Complement therefore of either State is not till the Day of Judgment be past These things already spoken lead to the Description of the Eternity of the Souls of Men consisting in three things 1. That they shall continue for ever in Being the unchangeable Decree of God upholding them in a never-ending Existence 2. That the Substance of their Condition shall never be alter'd upon which account the Scripture often speaks of a For Ever as a Happiness incorruptible and that fadeth 1 Pet. 1. 4. not away on the other side of Eternal Punishment of a Worm that never Mat. 25. 46. Marc. 9. 44. dies a Fire that is never quenched All which speak as much as Words can convey to us such an unchangeable State 3. There is no Interruption or Alteration in the Degrees of their State there are no Marks of Distinction that these Souls should say Now more happy now less happy Now more miserable now less miserable But as highest Delight takes away all sense of the Motion of Time in this Life as sense of extreme Pain makes an Hour like an Age how much more in Eternity does the Perfection of Happiness and the Extremity of Misery the substantialness and absoluteness of either State swallow up all Notes of Distinction God is no more Happy by any addition of Moments we suppose in the Duration of his Happiness I say we suppose for indeed he is his own Happiness and his own Duration So in proportion this State is its own Duration Heaven one intire united Moment of endless Delight Hell of Misery 1. Now this State of the Souls of Men in Eternity arises first from the fitness such a Nature as Mans Soul is of that is a Spiritual Nature as I have already discours'd to be Everlasting A Nature which God hath with Infinite Wisdom and Power contriv'd to be a resemblance of himself Thus the Heavens as they are more durable are also of choicer Matter and less corruptible than other Parts of the Creation And those things that by God are design'd for For Ever are made so perfectly agreeable to their State that they need not be altered as if a Vessel of purest Metal were made so substantial that it could suffer no change in the Quantity Weight Figure Oriency of it either by Fire Hammer or the several Accidents that fall out in length of Time nor that there could be so much as a possible Reason to desire the change of it 2. From the Will of God and his unchangeable Decree that it should be so which he makes good and effectual by continually feeding these Beings with Eternity that is from himself he sends them all the Powers of Life and Motion So that to ask When shall these Souls and the several States of them in Happiness or Misery have end is to ask When will a Stream be dry that is fed by a Fountain that can never be exhausted nor the Supply of it be possibly cut off from that Stream His Favour is an Eternal Principle of Life and Blessedness His Presence of Wrath and the Glory of his Power set against us is as great a Source of Misery and Torment While therefore he will uphold our Beings and Faculties and keep up their Motion so long they must be and while he pleases either to shine out graciously upon us or to dart against us the Lightning of his Displeasure so long we must be either happy or miserable And when either of these is done to the height and perfection of either as they are in the World to come then according to the Revelation of his Will guided with that Wisdom by
Rays about it that have broken out from it self In its Creation in its Native Splendour to allude to that of the Prophet It was an anointed Cherub upon Ezek. 28. 13 14. the Holy Mountain of God it walk'd up and down in the midst of the Stones of Fire and every Precious Stone was its Ornament It was of an Angelical Brightness near to God and Divine Glories and all the Excellencies of Understanding were its proper Lustre and in Eternity it will again rend all its Clouds and shine without interruption and For Ever The Soul of Man is a Light begotten of the Father of Lights and the James 1. 17. Heb. 12. 9. Father of Spirits Lights and Spirits explain one another for Rational and Intellectual Spirits and their Intellectual Accomplishments are all Lights The Increated and All-creating Spirit is the Father of them with whose perfect Light there is no variation nor shadow of turning He is Light as well in that as he is All-understanding as All-pure and in him is 1 John 1. 5. no Darkness at all either of Ignorance or Unrighteousness The Son of God is The Light To the All-knowing Spirit the Light shineth John 1. 7 8. Psal 139. 12. as the Day The Darkness and the Light are both alike to him because Himself is All Light The Angels are Seraphims shining and burning Lights He maketh his Angels Spirits his Ministers a Flame of Fire The Life of the Souls of Men that is their Life of Reason is Light lighted from the Son of God for his Life communicating it self is the Light of Men He is that True Light John 1. 9. that inlightneth every Man that cometh into the World Light then being chosen by the Divine Wisdom as the most easie and familiar Conveyance of the Nature and Excellency of Spirits in general as they are Intellects and particularly of Mans Soul as it is an Understanding Let us consider the principal Sense and Intention avoiding the Notices of lower and collateral Similitude between Light and the Soul of Man That which will best conduct us to our main purpose is the Description the Apostle gives us of Light That it makes manifest For whatever says Ephes 5. 13. he makes manifest is Light To which our own Experience fully agrees for we can make no Discovery nor Judgment of Things but by Light that expounds all things to us and is the first and plainest Commentary upon Nature When we therefore say Man's Soul is a great Light reflected upon it self we speak this Sense The Understanding of Man manifests and lays open and makes known within the Soul and within it self for it self is the Soul whatsoever is known to the Soul or the understanding of man is that which discovers and discloses to it self all that is known to it for thus our Saviour says The light of the body is the Eye because it receives the light and sees by it so the Understanding is the Eye of the Soul and further it is its own light so that it is its own Eye and its own Light but the manner and way how this is to be understood and by which the Understanding discharges this great Function is of further enquiry There can be no doubt of the thing it self for besides the great proofs the Soul of man hath given hereof in those many successful Experiments it hath made in all kinds of knowledge even those that have denyed a Soul distinct from Body and Matter in its Essence yet cannot but acknowledge There is some excellent motion in man by which he understands and perceives more than the Beasts of the Field There is in some sense or other A Spirit in man and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding This then being out of doubt let us consider the infinity of Divine Knowledge and so attain the measures of Humane Understanding in the resemblances of him in whose likeness it was made We read of the Son of God the true Light that he perceived Mark 2. 8. in his own Spirit the thoughts of men The Son of God an omniscient Spirit knows all things in the light of his own Spirit in that infinite understanding essential to him created Spirits the Souls of men having a measure of this perfection a communication of it though not as Christ may also in a degree perceive in and by their own Spirit God then understands all things within himself he being all Eye all Light able perfectly to see into and comprehend all things that either are or are possible to be or that can possibly stand in the place of Object and all this within himself For himself being fully known to himself as an infinitely seeing and self-reflected eye other things that are or may be are also within himself as the original of all Being and Motion And as his own Understanding and Contrivance what they should be and his pleasure they should be what he contrived them gave them being and motion and there is no other way of being and motion thus and on this account and infinitely beyond what we can conceive and express God knows what is what is done by the virtue that is in himself and continually goes out of himself so that by virtue of himself perfectly known to himself all other things are perfectly known to himself also Thus known to God are all his Works from the foundation Act. 15. 18. of the World Even to him who is all Eye all Light all Object and before whose infinite eye all things stand present at once as one single point so naked and open that they are all perfect surface and outside while it self rests on them The Soul made in this Image is in its degree Eye and Light an intellectual Eye an intellectual Light The motions of the reasoning contemplating Soul are like the motions of the Sun an illuminating motion light and sparkles flye out the openings of its faculties are like the openings of the Eye-lids of the morning like some Eyes that see in the dark by their own fire for what can the motions of an Understanding Conscience Reason intellectual Memory be but moral and intellectual Light It s very self is its Eye and its motion it s inlightened air Thus it bears the Image of the Divine Understanding in its visive power And that it may in some lower degrees perceive in its own Spirit we may very rationally suppose there are some fundamental Ideas some Images some Notions or Verities pourtrayed upon and given to the Soul that are as so many rays from the Father of Lights and Truth and make it like the Eye full of Light and it being natural to the Soul to move it self at least assoon as ever it is excited by Object from without it first makes a survey upon things abroad with the observation of which it immediately retires into it self to find what is within and when ever the Soul thus moves through the intimacy of these
as half measures of our selves and provisions accordingly 3. We have need to pray That God would draw out our whole Minds upon himself and Christ our Lord in a way of Desire and Affection of Joy and satisfaction and that we may be replenished with such assurances of the love of the Father in his Son that we may have no occasion to be cruel to our selves For as extremity of want and hunger turns men as Tygers upon their own Flesh so the Horrours arising from the Wrath of God and the unappeasable want of him enrage the Soul against it self but the enjoyment of him infinitely blesses and satiates it with pleasure sweetens it into greatest love and kindness to its own self And the Spirit thus supported will bear any other infirmity as David having God for his Light and Salvation feared nothing Habakkuk deprived of all favourable appearances neither the Fig-tree blossoming nor any Fruit on the Vines the labour of the Olive failing the Flock cut off from the Fold and no Herd in the Stalls yet he rejoyced in the Lord and gloried in the God of his Salvation In the second place We may upon this Head of Discourse make these doctrinal Recollections 1. There is a high pitch of Happiness or a very low degree of Misery to which every Man is prepared For the further description of which let us consider the two great Orders of Spirits Happy and Miserable Spirits to one of which we shall ever have a likeness The Head the Supreme the Prince of the first Order is Jehovah himself who in the highest and most perfect Act of his own Infinite Understanding and Will and the highest Satisfaction in Himself and enjoyment of Himself lives from Eternity to Eternity the most Happy and only Potentate with his Eternal Son and Spirit without any Dissatisfaction Discomposure Weariness or Tediousness to Himself or the least Shadow of impression upon him from Without This is infinitely clear concerning God In his Presence is fulness of Joy at his Right Hand are Pleasures For Evermore If we could imagine as indeed we cannot because Experience so mightily contradicts it that any Prince should live in all those Delights and Pleasures the most splendid Court affords without any tediousness or satiety ten thousand years what a dark representation were this of God though he could do and enjoy all he would Let us then imagine higher That a Prince of wisest most refined and delightful Speculation could live in the Height and perfect Rest of a most pleasurable Contemplation without the least disquiet how lowly an Emblem would this be of the infinite Blessedness of God Now God made Man in his own Image and likeness so that the Soul of Man is capable of a communication of this Blessedness in the perfection of his Understanding and Will enjoying God with unexpressible Joy and Peace and yet in the highest Life of Action Under God are the Blessed Angels of whom the Scripture speaks both of their Knowledge Perfection and Power joined with Holiness and Obedience to God who have been Participants of the Glory and Blessedness of God from the first Dawn of Creation and in all this time have not had least tiredness or satiation but highest Bliss and Joy Next to these are the Spirits of Just Men made perfect who are by succession as they go out of the World taken into this Happiness Now in all these Instances it plainly appears to what a height of Happiness Holy Men are designed being made like God equal to Angels in the assurance of which good Mens Souls enjoy the Consolations of that better state in this and are daily removed into it when they dye For the Order of Spirits Miserable and Unhappy Spirits of which the Devil is the Prince although indeed there cannot be such a Misery as should stand a counterpoise to Gods Happiness for Misery is but a retreat from God and his Happiness from his Favour and Grace as Darkness is from Light and being under the Executions of his Wrath yet all this is within the inclosure of a Finite Being and were there not an unchangeable Will of God and a Decree of his Justice that he will not reverse all Misery might be removed off from the most Unhappy of Beings and taken quite away But as things are The Misery of Spirits may be thus understood in the great Exemplar of it the Misery of Fallen Angels and the Prince of them the Devil 1. There is a Height and utmost stretch of Action The Devil is represented as always in Motion from the first beginning of Misery he hath no Rest even while he is in Chains as fierce Mastives he moves as far as he can and rages at the shortness of his Chain he hath had no sleepy moments of Non-action since the day of his fall no Breathing Time no Truce Thus the Soul in Misery is extended as we now speak day and night that is perpetually without intermission with an endless Action and Motion Consider what is Rest and Sleep to a Man of a tormented Mind and wearied Thoughts a Sleep wherein he is not scared with Dreams and terrified with Visions how unhappy doth he think himself in the want of it how unwilling is he to be awakened out of it And from thence understand the Misery of being perpetually awake in Misery 2. There is an ignobleness a baseness in all his Motions he goes upon his Belly and eats Dust he hath no Motion that can give him comfort from any glimmering of worthiness or generosity in it in all the multitude of his Motions he has none that can in the least cool the Furnace of his tormented Thoughts Any Degree of Worthiness in his Action would abate his Unhappiness All is full of Cruelty Envy Black and Malicious Design breathing the Fire and Smoak of Hell He goes up and down Angry Fierce Malecontent Cruel to himself and full of Rage against others as a Ravening roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour This is the state of miserable Souls There is a continual gnawing and scorching of wickedness without any thing to cool the tip of the Tongue any the least intention and motion of Goodness that might cool one flaming hellish Thought There is a Rage against God an Envy at the Blessedness of Heaven returning with unexpressible Misery upon those unhappiest of Beings a Hatred an Execration of themselves 3. There is a Horrour Amazement and trembling Sense of the Supreme Justice Holiness and Power of God over him with the Conscience of his own Guilt The Devils believe Jam 2. 19. and tremble The Fountain of Life Beauty and Happiness is Hell from Heaven to them because they find nothing in themselves but distance and contrariety horrid enmity and hatred They are convinc'd of that High Justice and Righteousness in the midst of so great Wrath and Vengeance upon them and this without leisure or intermission and therefore perpetually shake with Fear and Horrour while