Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A55504
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The sovles life exercising it selfe in the sweet fields of divine meditations and prayers. Collected for the comfort of all those who willingly adventure their lives for the defence of the Gospel, in these blood-thirsty times of war.
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Portman, Richard.
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1645
(1645)
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Wing P3001B; ESTC R220485
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26,310
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146
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soule goeth for certainly it shall bee with God for ever in Heaven where it shall enjoy the society of all the blessed Saints and Angels where it shall have riches honour peace and plenty where this soule shall bee ravished in her fruition which fruition like herselfe shall bee everlasting MEDITAT XX. Meditations of the joyes of Heaven reserved for the godly THe joyes that are prepared for the Elect are infinite beyond the capacity of any mortall man to conceive but so farre as they are revealed in the holy Scripture I may safely set downe here First that as soone as thy soule is departed from the body it goeth to Heaven where thou shalt see God thy Creator and Protector the Sonne thy Redeemer and Intercessor the Holy Ghost thy comforter and directer where thou shalt see Angels Archangels Vertues Powers Principalities Dominations Thrones Cherubins and Seraphins and these are a multitude of the heavenly hoast who are alway praysing God Thou shalt see the Celestiall Citizens arrayed in comely Robes of linnen pure and white like their innocency These are the soules of just and perfect men which even in the very in stant of departure from this life are presented by the Angels to their Saviour and by him adorned with these invaluable Robes of Righteousnesse Here mayest thou see the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs Virgins and besides these an innumerable multitude of all Nations Kindreds and People and Tongues standing before the Throne of God and before the Lamb with palmes in their hands in token of assured victory and crying with a loud voice Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb And thou mayest heare all the Angels answering and saying Blessing and glory and wisdome and thanksgiving and honour and power and might bee unto God for ever and ever when God shall wipe away all teares from thine eyes and there shall bee no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away Oh God! what soule would not desire to be uncloathed to be cloathed upon to be at rest with thee to enjoy all this happines which farre exceeds any happines we can possibly thinke off Be joyfull and glad O my soule for thou hast a Kingdome provided for thee a Crowne of glory a place where all joy and blisse abounds This world is but dung and drosse in comparison of it therefore mind not the world nor worldly things but let thy conversation be in Heaven let thy sole delight be there think upon it continually and give thy soule no ease nor rest till it attaine that eternall rest MEDITAT XXI Meditations of mans vain mispending his time HOw comes it to passe that many men set their hearts and sole delight upon the world and worldly things neglecting the service of God and their souls good spending the greatest part of their time in carking and caring how they shall gaine riches being never satisfied with that portion of meanes God hath lent them but coveting for more and more as if they made this world the end of their happinesse Others there are that spend most of their time in the pleasures and delights of the world as if they were sent hither to no other end and purpose but to serve their own vaine wills and filthy desires sporting and delighting themselves in courting of women in chambring and wantonnesse in lusts and evill affections setting their hearts wholly upon the pleasures and delights of the world and so trifle out their owne time Suâ—e these men know not what the power of religion is for if they did they would consider that this is no abiding place they must not remaine here long this is not their home their home is Heaven But let me tell this sort of men they are travellers and pilgrims and if they loyter and wander out of the way perhaps they may come short of home O God what soul content can these men have when they shall consider seriously how they have spent their time what account will they make when thou O God shalt reckon with them for all the sinnes that ever they committed what a sad and dismall day will that be when they will not be able to answer one of a thousand how terrible will it be to thinke on the torments of Hell where there is nothing but howling and crying weeping and gnashing of teeth and where those torments shall be everlasting how sad will they be to thinke how they have neglected the service of God and their souls good in pleasing themselves with their ungodly vanities Consider these things in time all yee that forget God and be sure to spend your time in his service casting away all covetous desires and worldly vanities then shall you bee right Pilgrims and Travellers indeed and shall never goe out of your way your journey shall bee pleasant and delightfull to the end your home shall be Heaven and your entertainment shall be riches honour delight and pleasures for evermore Such as eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor ever hath entred into the heart of man what God hath prepared for them that love him MEDITAT XXII Meditations on the sight of a pleasant Garden MEE thinkes when I come into a faire and pleasant Garden and see the infinit varieties of flowers and herbs I cannot but admire the wonderfull goodnesse of God his power wisdome and love to mankinde I cannot but consider that these things had never been but for the bountifull providence of the Almighty intending the good of his creature man How pleasant and delightfull are these flowers to the eye we see various sorts of them yet not one like the other See the rarenesse of their dresse the beauteous variety of their colours how richly they are set forth and shadowed no Painter in the world is able to come neare them for excellency Art is but Natures ape doe but pluck them and make them into a Nose-gay and you shall see a most glorious shew and the scent of them will infinitly delight you See the different sorts of herbs they are all greene and yet if you view them well you shall find them all differ both in colour and fashion How pleasant and delightfull are they to the eye and scent nay that is not all they are usefull to some for food others for physick and many for green wounds and bruises nay the natures and uses of them all are not knowne to the rarest and most learned Herballist or Physitian in the world certainly none ever knew them rightly but King Solomon See the goodnesse of God to his people how he doth not only provide cloathing food and such necessaries but sends things delightfull medicinall and healing too My thinks this Garden puts me in minde of that heavenly Garden of Gods Word you may see there varieties of comfortable flowers both for soule and body and for all necessities There you may see
Musicke to the Reader rather then hee shall remaine disaffected wee will fetch arguments from Heaven to perswade him And without doubt the glorified soules of Men and Angels do perpetually rejoyce and sing Halelujaes to God in Heaven from whence once they brought a consort to this lower world when that quire sung at the birth of our Blessed Saviour Glory be to God on high c. if then the Angels in Heaven do seem to exercise themselves in this divine Art by using this metaphor of Musicke and musicall instruments I wonder what is in it which displeaseth which to make good see Revelation Chap. 8. And I saw seven Angels which stood before God and to them were given seven Trumpets And in the 14 Chap. And I heard the voyce of Harpers harping with their Harps And in the 15 Chap. And I saw as it were a sea of glasse mingled with fire and them that had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image and over his marke and over the number of his name stand on the sea of glasse having the Harps of God and they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy waies thou King of Saints Yet O my soul though thou lovest Musick so well I wish thou mightest loose the pleasure of all to heare the blessed harmony of those glorious Instruments those Harps of God But of all this one consideration may warrant this my Meditation that when the exercise of Arts faile yet in heaven as long as there is a God to praise so long there will be Musick even to eternity for there it shall not want time to measure it where infinitnesse shall be its proportion and sure if we may admire the similitude and shadow of any thing then is Musick to be admired which is nothing but the shadow and embleme of Paradise of which it puts us in minde by which only heaven expresseth its triumphs to us mortals when t is pleased we should know them here that wee may enjoy them hereafter And O that now I could but pierce thorough that glorious bespangled Canopy O that I could but heare some soft eccho's only of that celestiall harmony O how should I be ravished with the sweet mixture of that heavenly Musicke O that I could bee wrapt up and for ever dwell there yea would I were but a doore keeper in that quire t were too much happinesse to beare a part in that celestiall consort and yet not to desire it is to lose it Therefore O my soul till thou art fitted for this glorious Quire let the sweetest Musicke thou enjoyest here seem harsh discords compared to that heavenly consort that quire of Angels where thou mayest see what here thou couldst not attain too Jehovah praysed in the height of harmony in the perfection of Musicke The Table I MEditations and Confessions of mans sinfull wayes II Meditations of a penitent sinner hoping for pardon through the merits of Christ III Meditations of the wonderfull goodnes love of God to mankind IV Meditations of the love and sufferings of our Saviour Christ for mankind V Meditations of Gods preservations of man VI Meditations of the miseries and calamities of the time VII A prayer upon the same subject VIII Meditations of Gods great love to his servant IX Meditations of the judgements and afflictions that attend people in this world for sin X Meditations of the misery of man from his infancy to his old age XI Meditations on the ill life and actions of man XII Meditations of the ingratitude of friends XIII Meditations of the vanity of pride XIV Meditations of Summer and Winter XV Meditations of the covetous rich-man and the poore labouring man XVI Meditations of the sufferings of Gods dear children in this world and of the benefit they shall receive thereby XVII Meditations of the covetous desire men have to attain riches XVIII Meditations of the feare of death XIX Meditations on the same subject with satisfaction to him that feares death XX Meditations of the joyes of Heaven reserved for the godly XXI Meditations of mans vaine mispending his time XXII Meditations on the sight of a pleasant Garden XXIII A Meditation on Musick in which as it were by way of digression the lawfulnesse of that Science is asserted FINIS