to preserve each other in the Way And they who would wear the same Crown of rejoycing in the Presence of Christ will assist each other here that they perish not in the agony and conflict The Egyptians Embalmed the Carcasses of the Dead to preserve them if it were possible through all the parts of Time being guided by an opinion that so long as the Body continued undissolved the Soul would not forsake the Earth but continue hovering about the place where the Bodies lay In like manner the Souls of men which by many kinds of Association may be united into one mass and heap and as it were become parts of one another will continue the more vigilant and active for each others everlasting Welfare so long as they are perswaded against an eternal divorce and dissolution and do contrarily believe they shall be rewarded by a sense of each others happiness and that that union which is among themselves as of one member to another shall not be dissolved but perfected by that Union which shall unite them to Christ as to their Head and through him unto God Ignotus I might stop here for I hope by this time I have made it plain that the Saints know one another in Heaven But this being a Curious Point I shall yet bring more Authoritys to prove it and the next I shall Name is the Pious * See His four last things Bolton Who positively asserts The knowing of our Friends in Heaven his Words are these All comfortable knowledge shall be so far from being abolished in Heaven that it will be inlarged increased and perfected But to know one another is a comfortaâ—lâ— knowledge Yherefore we shall know one another in Heaven Our knowledge shall be perfected For We shall know as we are known 1. Cor. 13.12 Which is set out by Comparison of the less That our knowledge then shall differ from that now as the knowledge of a Child from that of a Perfect Man In Heaven all the mists of Ignorance and Blindness being perfectly cleared up and taken away we shall see one another together with all the Saints though we did not know them before For if Adam by vertue of the Divine Image stampt upon him knew Eve though taken out of his Body while he was asleep Why should not we being Transformed according to the same Image from Glory to Glory by the Father Son and Holy Ghost know the Members of the same Body Those full of the Spirit and Wisdom of God may as easily be suppos'd to know one another as Adam before the Fall while he retained the Image of God knew Eve who and whence she came And as Samuel knew Saul by the Inspiration of God though he had not seen him before Sam. 9.17 And John knew our Lord Christ in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin So their Minds were Enlightened by the Rayes of the Holy Spirit Then Conceive if thou canst Ignotus how grateful that knowledg will be by which we shall know all others as all others shall know us The Knowledge which all men in this Life unprofitably desire shall be such to the Good that they shall be ignorant of nothing they are willing to know For the Good shall be filled with the perfect Wisdom of God and shall see Him Face to Face and in seeing of this shall behold the Nature of all Creatures which they shall see in God better then themselves For then the Just shall know all things which God hath made knowable as well those which are past as those which are to come When the Elect shall see the antient Fathers in their Eternal Inheritance they shall know them by Sight whom they knew in their Work for they shall see them all by a common Illumination What is it they can there be ignorant of when they know him who knows all things The Vision of God is not only promised to the Saints in Heaven but also of all things that God has made as the Sun Moon Stars Earth Seas Rivers Living Creatures Trees and Mettals But our Minds know nothing i. e. No perfect Substance nor Essential Differences nor Properties nor Virtues Nor did ever any Man see his own Soul but we grope like the Blind and acquire the Knowledge we have by Discourse VVhat shall the Joy then be when we shall see by the Light bestowed upon us the nature of all things barefaced And how wonderfully shall we be transported when we shall see innumerable Armies of Angels in the Differences of their Degrees and Order And in Heaven as we shall know the Saints not in Outward Worldly Respects but as we know them in Christ by the Illumination of the Spirit so also we shall know the Spiritual Substances Offices Orders Excellencies of the Angels and the Nature Immutability Operations and Original of our own Souls c. and in a Word all things knowable Here 't is the happy Residentiaries Understandings are wide open'd to all the amazing Lights and Discoveries of Truth to the Mysteries of Creation and Providence of Redemption and Sanctification to the now puzzling Difficulties of Nature and of Grace of God's Prescience and Man's Free Will Here 't is the Wills also of the Glorified are render'd conformable unto are swallowed up in and made one with God's Holy Will and Pleasure ' There says the ingenious Boyle we shall have clearly expounded to us those Riddles of Providence which have but too often tempted even good Men to question God's Conduct in the Government of the World whilst the Calamities and Persecutions of Virtue and Innocence seem approved by him who accumulates Prosperities on their Criminal Opposers And I must profess adds he as Vnfashionable as such a Profession maâ— seem in a Gentleman not yet Two and Twenty that I find the Study of those excellent Themes Gods Word and his Providence so Di ficult and yet so Pleasing and Inviting that could Heaven afford me no greater Blessing than a clear Accompt of the Abstruse Mysteries of Divinity and Providence I should value the having my Vnderstanding Gratified and Enriched with Truths of so Noble and Precious a Nature enough to court Heaven at the rate of renouncing for it all those unmanly Sensualities and trifling Vanities for which Inconsiderate Mortals are wont to forfeit the Interest their Saviour so dearly bought them in it But this is not all for here we shall with wonderful Ravishment of Spirit and Spiritual Joy be admitted to the sight of those Sacred Secrets and Glorious Mysteries 1. Of the Holy Trinity into which some Divines may audaciously dive but shall never be able to explicate 2. Of the Union of Christ's Humanity to the Divine Nature and of the Faithful to Christ 3. Of the causes of God's Eternal Counsel in Election and Reprobation 4. Of the Angels Fall 5. Of the manner of the Creation of the World c. Neither is this all for we shall also be beatifically enlightned with a clear and glorious Sight of
was perceptible to thy Family that thou hadst been with God thy first Visit in the Morning was to Heaven and the sweet smell of that was not to be worn off by any other Visits throughout the day Thou wast like Martha not slothful in business and at the same time like Mary fervent in Spirit serving the Lord. Thou knewest that thy Soul was more excellent than thy Body and therefore didst spend the chief of thy time about the affairs of Eternity and wast more frequent at thy Prayers than at the Toilet or Glass the Review of which made thee say in thy last sickness were my work now to do I were undone for ever Thy Carriage in thy Family was Mild and Gentle not provoking but encouraging to Servants both by Example and Precept Thou shewedst thy Goodness by thy dutiful behaviour to my self and remembredst that thou wast a Subject as well as a Companion and didst exactly resemble Sarah and Rachel in thy loving and dutiful deportment towards me thou didst bear with my Infirmities coveredst them in love didst not run to this Neighbour and that with abusive or silly stories a but overcam'st me by gentle He that will but one â—â—de hear Tho he judge right is no good Justicer Herbert Exhortations and Intreaties and in all thy Prayers my Soul was minded as thy own Thy Words nor Carriage were never disrespectful to me Tho thou wert ' kin to a Noble Family yet the Blood that fill'd thy Veins (a) See Mr. How 's Sermon at Mrs. Hammond's Funeral did not swell thy Mind Thou wast always ready to gratifie me in all my lawful requests and thoughtest nothing below thee that might tend to my satisfaction and advantage When I was abroad thou longest to see me and wheh I returned home I was received with Smiles If at any time I was perplexed in mind thou wast not quiet till I was so too Thy Sympathy with me in all the Distresses of my Life both at Sea and Land will make thy Vertues shine with the greater Lustre as Stars in the darkest Night and assure the World you lov'd me not my Fortunes Fair course of Passions where two Lovers start And run together Heart thus yok'd in Heart In my Health thou lovedst me as a Wife and in my Sickness attended'st me as a Nurse My Head no sooner ak'd but thy Heart felt it and had I faln Sick in your dying Hour you 'd e'en then have (a) Eliza spake often to this Effect in her last Sickness crawl'd up Stairs to have seen me Thou wast afflicted with all my Sorrows and delighted with all my Joys When Man and Wife love so little that the one is unconcern'd in the others Tryals there follows a Hell of Disquiet in the Mind a greater Clog upon the Conscience than Man is able to bear and ordinarily a Blast upon the Estate besides Guilt and Shame unspeakable but thou like a Wife who studied duty in order to practice didst not expect God would bless thee in any thing whilst you saw me uneasie and did not attempt to remove it or lessen it by taking part of the Grief And indeed all our Distresses of Body and Mind were so equally divided that all yours were mine and all mine were yours we remembred we married for better for worse for richer for poorer and that we were one Flesh and therefore were no more offended with the Words or Failings and Wants of each other than we wou'd have been had they been our own And this made thee as careful to conceal my Losses as thou wast forward to repair them A Woman of Sense knows she must shine by her Husband's Honour and must be darkned if he suffer an Eclipse and therefore did'st never keep this Joynture for the sake of thy Husband that House for the sake of a Brother and this Bag for the sake of some She-Cousin no if my Occasions requir'd it they were all forc'd into my Lap with My dear I rejoyce I am able to serve thee and as long as I have it 't is all thine In this you imitate Madam C y who sold her Estate unask'd to oblige her Spouse and indeed the Design of Jointures is to defend against bad Husbands and not to ruin those that are Sober and wou'd be Honest if their Wives wou'd let them and therefore didst often say What does a Jointure signifie to a Woman that loves her Husband Thou wert not Sordidly (a) As is hinted in the following Pages Covetous or as Cowely calls it so Emphatically poor as to talk of wanting in the midst of Plenty under all my Distresses thy Motto was God will provide When I into thy Closet look Wherein you greatest Pleasure took I find i' th' Front of every Book God will provide Let an Anatomist with Art Dissect each Member and each Part He 'll find this written on thy Heart God will provide God will provide was ever in thy Mouth as a Cordial to ease thy Cares and Mine This encourag'd thee to a generous Charity with this you cheer'd the Spirits of those that had lost their Friends and Estates 't was from this we both of us received a fresh and full Supply under all the Losses we ever met with and in a word 't was to this Motto and your Prayers for me that in some measure I owe all the Blessings I now enjoy or hope to receive hereafter How oft would you chear Philaret with saying See how the Birds of the Air do all depend upon God! and the Sparrow that hath dined and knows not where to get his Supper yet chearfully waits on Divine Providence and shall not we God hath my Dear Provided for us hitherto then why should we mistrust he will not provide for us for the future Our Unbelief indeed may make him hold his Hand and hinder him from doing any mighty Work for us but what can we fear if in the Use of Lawful Means we throw our selves upon him How often have we been in Straits and Exigencies and God hath found some way or other to deliver us and shall we by our Unbelief hinder him from working such another Deliverance for us Of how many Men have we read and heard that have trusted God in despight of all Improbabilities and God hath succour'd and assisted them beyond all Expectation How oft would you say Come Phil. we do not want for the present why should we believe we shall want hereafter when we know not whether we shall live a Day to an end Come come tho your Bag is empty to Day 't will be fill'd to Morrow You never yet wanted Money when you had occasion to use it those unexpected Friends I met with when you were in America should cure us of all Distrust of Providence besides what did we ever get by immodeate Carckings but torment of Mind Is it not much sweeter to rest upon God's Goodness and enjoy Content We are never the nearer a Supply when
Immoderate Sorrow for the Death of Friends 1 Thess 4.13 14 18. I wou'd not have you says he to be ignorant Brethren concerning them which are asleep that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him wherefore comfort ye one another with these Words Now if our Friends were to rise in such a disguised manner as not to be known again by us this kind of Consolation wou'd be Impertinent and Vain Neither let the many Cavils my dear Ignotus which Atheistical Scoffers oppose against the Resurrection of the Dead with the same Bodies startle us since besides the Divine and Rational Proofs I have urged for it there are more Natural Arguments against than for these Opposers for to omit other Allegations it must needs be very Absurd in 'em to grant that God first took a Parsel of Matter and moulded it into the Body of such and such a particular Man fashioning it with such and such Features as might distinguish it from the Bodies of other Men and yet not be willing to own he can tell how to take up and collect together the same Individual Parts of Matter again and make them up again into the same Fabrick with the same Features since Nature it self assisted by a little Art is daily found to effect something very approaching that Divine Operation it being a very usual thing with expert Chymists by their Skill and Conduct to make the dispersed Particles of a calcin'd Flower or Plant to fly up and assemble together again in the perfect Shape and with the lively Colour of the Flower or Plant to which they belong'd but slighting these Men's trifling Objections let us Ignotus keep fast to that Infalible Word that promises Eternity to our new Friendship and that all the Innocent Joys it gives us here shall be remembred and continued in Heaven Thus have I largely prov'd by Arguments drawn from Scripture Reason and the best Writers that if we get to Heaven we shall know one another there by Face Stature Voice and the Relation we had to each other on Earth And not only so but that we shall know the general Assembly and Church of the First Born whose Names are now written in Heaven the * Heb. 12.23 Patriarcks Prophets Apostles Martyrs and People of God that have lived in all Ages and Nations from the beginning of the World to the end of it Object But may some say if we shall know me another in Heaven I 'de be further inform'd what wi l be the subject Matter of our Discourse there And in what Language shall we then talk Nay good Sir excuse me here for who has ever mounted to the highest Scale of Heavenly Bliss Ler him come down and tell as what is the Pious Conference and Language in Heaven Let him come down and tell us the Mysteries wrapt up in Clouds the Secrets hid within the Veil of Inaccessible Light Let him describe the Wonders of the Beatifick Vision and say how deep the Rivers of Pleasure are which run by Gods Right-Hand for evermore for my part I must confess I 'm lost in that Abyss of Wonders and therefore shou'd modestly withdraw my Pen to Subjects within my Reach However something I 'le guess at tho that 's all to Answer these Curious Inquirers but hold says another before you go any further I wou'd also know strange How far will some mens Curiosity lead them That if we shall know one another in Heaven By Face Stature Voice c. Whether we shan't alse know one another By difference of Sex Answ Yes doubtless we shall and because this Question hath something of Novelty in 't for it opposes the general received Opinion particularly Mr. Baxters who says the Saints shall know one another in Heaven but adds he I think not by Sex I 'le prove this in the First Place And then tell you as far as I can what will be the Discourse and Language of that Blessed Acquaintance that get to Heaven and with that Conclude this tedious Letter And here seeing Novelties make an impression on the Mind before I Handle this Nice-Point I 'le First Premise that 't is charity to lend a Crutch to a lame Conceit However if I am askt for my Authorities I Answer what appears reasonable wants no other Recommendation than being so and as to what appears over strange let Ignotus consider that Philosophy had never been improved had it not been for New-Opinions which afterwards were rectified by abler Pens and so the First Notions were lost and nameless under new Superstructures but such a Fate to use the Words of a late Author is too Agreeable for my Judgement to repine at or my Vanity to hope for But that there 's a difference of Sex in Souls and will be Male and Female in Heaven tho the Notion's new yet I never doubted it and hope to make it plain before we part Object But you 'l say when the Holy Spirit speaks of separated Souls that are gathered up into Heaven he does not speak of Male or Female but only of Souls without distinguishing either kind or Sex And further that 't is said there is no Marrying in Heaven Mark 12.25 And that in Jesus Christ there is neither Male nor Female Gal. 3.28 VVhich it directly contrary to the distinction of Sex in Souls For if Sex be only for the sake of Marriage where there is no Marriage there is no need of Distinct-Sex Then why that in Heaven which there 's no need of All that 's of the Essence of a Man will undoubtedly he there and that 's a Rational Soul united to an Organiz'd Body but what Organs will be necessary then we can't tell however these cannot Besides this difference is only Accidental Man and Woman being in Essence the same But in a State of Bl ss and Perfection all that 's Imperfect or Accidental shall be removed and accordingly one wou'd think Sexes should I won't add for another Reason what as I remember one of the Fathers has said That were there any Woman in Heaven the Angels could not stand long but would certainly be seduced from their Innocency and fall as Adam did But one wou'd think that if Souls were to Marry it ought to be in Heaven which is the Element of Spirits after the Bodies had been united in Marriage upon Earth the Seat of material things Perhaps you 'l also Object the Words of St. Austin who says The Soul is not distinguished into Sexes And that of St. Cyril who liv'd before him who also says The Souls of Men and Women are absolutely alike nor is there any parts of their Bodies wherein there is any difference to be observed To this I Answer That Souls may be distinguish't into Male and Female notwithstanding these Objections since 't is a Common saying The Soul of a Man and the