Gerards meditations written originally in the Latine tongue by Iohn Gerard Doctour in Divinitie, and superintendant of Heidelberg. Translated and revised by Ralph Winterton fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge.

Meditat. XLVII. Of the beatificall vision of God, in heaven. (Book 47)

The saints are pilgrims here below, And tow'rds their countrey heaven go.

* 1.1IN my Fathers house are many mansions, they are the words of our Saviour. Lord, I desire to see that place where thou hast prepared for me an everlasting mansion:* 1.2 For I am a stranger and a sojourner here, as all my fathers were:* 1.3 The dayes of my pilgrimage are few and evil: There∣fore in this life, wherein I live in exile, I do long after my heavenly countrey.* 1.4 My conversation is in

heaven:* 1.5 I desire to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living. This life passeth away in a shadow, my dayes are measured out, and my substance is even as nothing in thy sight: What then is my hope?* 1.6 Is it not the Lord? Lord Jesus, when will it be that I shall come unto thee?* 1.7 When shall I appeare before thy face? As the hart panteth after the fountain of waters,* 1.8 so doth my soul after thee, O God. Oh the true, perfect, and full joy!* 1.9 Oh joy of joyes surpassing all joy, without which there is no joy! When shall I enter into thee, that I may see my God that dwelleth in thee? Thou shalt fill me, O Lord, with the joy of thy countenance: At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore:* 1.10 I shall be abundantly satisfied with the plentifulnesse of thy house:* 1.11 and thou shalt give me to drink of the brook of thy pleasures: For with thee is the fountain of life:* 1.12 Oh life to be desired! Oh blessed felicitie! in which the most holy Trinitie shall be the perfection of our desires, which we shall see without end, love without loathing, and praise without

being weary. To see God, will sur∣passe all joyes: To see Christ, to live with Christ, to heare Christ, will surpasse all the desires of our hearts. O Jesus Christ the most sweet bride∣groom of my soul, when wilt thou leade thy spouse into thy royall pa∣lace?* 1.13 What can there be wanting there? What to be desired, or expe∣cted, where God shall be all in all? He shall be beautie to the eye, hony to the taste, musick to the eare, bal∣same to the nose, and flower to the touch.* 1.14 God shall be all in all, and shall distribute unto every one good things according to the desires of his own heart: If thou desirest life, if health, if peace, if honour, God shall be there all in all. The mysteries which are now sealed up in the great doctours of the Church, shall be then revealed even unto babes: The bles∣sed humanitie of Christ shall be there present unto us, and shall preach unto us with a most sweet voice concerning the mysterie of our sal∣vation.* 1.15 His voice is sweet, and his face is comely: Full of grace are his lips: And he is crowned with glory

and honour:* 1.16 But if God shall be all in all, then shall he be fulnesse of light to the understanding, plenty of peace to the will, and continuance of eternitie to the memorie. The Sonne will satisfie the understanding with perfect knowledge, the holy Ghost will satisfie the will with most sweet love, and the Father will satisfie the memory with the remembrance of both.* 1.17 Thou O God shalt be our light, and in thy light shall we see light; that is, we shall see thee in thy self, in the brightnesse of thy counte∣nance, when we shall see thee face to face: Neither shall we onely see thee, but we shall also live with thee; nei∣ther shall we onely live with thee, but we shall also praise thee; neither shall we onely praise thee, but we shall also rejoyce with thee; neither shall we onely rejoyce with thee, but we shall also be like unto the angels;* 1.18 neither shall we be like unto the an∣gels onely, but even unto God him∣self, blessed for ever.* 1.19 Let the faith∣full soul be here astonished, and adore the mercy of her Saviour: He doth not onely receive us his enemies

into favour, but he doth also forgive our sinnes; neither doth he forgive our sinnes onely, but he doth also be∣stow righteousnesse upon us; nei∣ther so onely, but he doth leade us also into our heavenly inheritance; yea he makes us like unto the angels and even unto himself also. Oh most blessed citie! Oh heavenly Jerusa∣lem! Oh the holy seat of the most ho∣ly Trinitie! when shall it be that I shall enter into thy temple? The Lambe is the heavenly Jerusalem,* 1.20 to wit,* 1.21 the Lambe which taketh away the sinnes of the world, & was slain for them from the beginning of the world. When shall the time come that I may in that temple worship my God, that is, God in God? when will that sunne rise upon me, which enlightneth that holy city? I am yet a banished man from my countrey,* 1.22 but there is laid up for me an ample inheritance. To those that beleeve, power is given to be made the sonnes of God:* 1.23 And if we be sonnes, we are then heirs, heirs of God, and coheirs with Christ. Lift up thy self, O my soul, and long to come to

thine inheritance. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance,* 1.24 and my exceeding great reward:* 1.25 What could the most ample mercie and bountie of God bestow upon us more than this? He bestows life; He bestows his Sonne; He bestows himself: And if he had any thing else greater in heaven or in earth, he would bestow even that also upon us. In God we live, Gods temple we are,* 1.26 God we possesse, here indeed in the spirit, and in a mysterie, but there in truth: There shall our hope become fruition, and there shall we not onely remain, but dwell for ever.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Joh. 14.2.
• * 1.2

  Psal. 39.12
• * 1.3

  Gen. 47.9.
• * 1.4

  Phil. 3.20.
• * 1.5

  Psal. 27.13.
• * 1.6

  Psal. 39.7.
• * 1.7

  Psal. 42.••.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 42.1.
• * 1.9

  Austine.
• * 1.10

  Psal. 16.11
• * 1.11

  Psal. 36.8.
• * 1.12

  9 Austine.
• * 1.13

  Bernard.
• * 1.14

  1. Cor. 15.28.
• * 1.15

  Cant. 2.14 Psal. 45.2. Psal. 8.5.
• * 1.16

  Bernard.
• * 1.17

  Austine. Psal. 36.9.
• * 1.18

  Mat. 22.30.
• * 1.19

  1. Joh. 3.2▪
• * 1.20

  Rev. 21.••2
• * 1.21

  Joh. 1.29. Rev. 13.8.
• * 1.22

  Rev. 21.23.
• * 1.23

  Joh. 1.12. Rom. 8.17
• * 1.24

  Psal. 16.5.
• * 1.25

  Gen. 15.1.
• * 1.26

  Act. 17.28▪ 1. Cor. 3.16. Austine.