An essay of the true happines of man in two books / by Samuel Gott ...

XVII. Of Heaven.

HEaven is the contrary of Hell, but far more glorious then Hell is miserable. It is not only a paradise, or reduction of Man to his primitive state of perfection, but an higher exaltation of his nature, as far above it in Glory, as it is in si∣tuation. Though Man was created perfect according to that state in which he was then made, yet he was capable of an higher perfection; and that capacity was not imperfe∣ction, but the foundation of this greater perfection; not a want of any thing which he then ought to have, but only an absence of that which he might afterward have. As a Child in the womb is a perfect Child, and of a more excellent na∣ture then the Foetus of any Beast, though it be not perfect in all the

degrees and operations of Man; so is Man in the womb of this World: or as the Apostle expresseth it by a Grane or Seed, which is a perfect Grane, but not a perfect Ear of Corn, though it be the Seed there∣of. As Redemption was the End of Creation, so is Glorification the End of Humane Perfection. The Body shall be changed in qualities, but not in substance, for it must still continue the same, and not be tran∣substantiated. It shall be cleansed and purified, not only from all na∣turall imperfections, as Pains, and Diseases, and all Distempers, or Deformities; but also be stripped of all those naturall Virtues, which are inferior perfections, serv∣ing to supply the present ne∣cessities thereof, as Eating, Drink∣ing, Matrimony, and the like. For as in the naturall state Augmentati∣on ceaseth, when a man hath at∣tained his Acme, so shall Nutrition and Generation, when he shall thus

be perfected in himself, and in his whole Species. Then also all the ob∣jects of these inferior delights shall cease. As it is the sumptuous excel∣lency of a great feast to want all grosser meats, being furnished with more curious dainties; so it is the super-excellency of Heaven to want them all. The Crowns and Scepters of the most glorious Princes, their rich Treasures, their Pomps, and Triumphs, and Roiall State, and all the Glory of the world, and the De∣lights of the sons of men are so much inferior and heterogeneall to Heaven, that they cannot mingle with the pure nature thereof: and so far from adding the least mo∣ment to that weight of Glory, that like the dust of the Balance, they would rather defile it: which shows the perfect Vanity of all those worldly things whereof we formerly discoursed, though in this Life they are the Handmaids of Happiness, to do the drudgery

thereof, yet must they then, when there shall be no more use of them, turned out of their service. Surely Mahomets Heaven is very mean and base which is made up of the dross and refuse of the true Heaven of Christians. The Body being thus stripped of all those Husks, shall be endued with all Glorious qualities, and perfectly fitted to serv and at∣tend the Soul, which now is forced to drudge for the Body, and lay in Provision for it, as the Wise man saith, All labor is for his mouth, and yet the Appetite is not satisfied: but then the main and only Business shall be Spirituall; and therefore the A∣postle calls it a Spiritual Body, not a Spirit, but advanced to the neerest likeness whereof it is capable, and made as fit an Instrument for the Spirit as may be. Probably it shall be purified and sublimated to the perfection of the Celestiall matter, which is the purest part o•• the whole Body of the world, and

the Country or Region wherein Man shall live for ever: and there∣fore as now living on the Earth his Body is sutable and connaturall to it, so when he shall be taken up to Heaven it shall be refined to the temper thereof: and shall need none of Mahomets Loadstones to lift it up, but like the Stars in their Orbs move in the highest Heaven of Heavens most freely and natural∣ly. Thus the Apostle speaking of the resurrection of the Body seems to argue, Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, neither can Cor∣ruption inherit Incorruption: and a∣gain, The first Man was of the Earth Earthly, the second Man is the Lord from Heaven; as we have born the Image of the Earthly, so we shall also bear the Image of the Heavenly. This is the highest perfection whereof the Body is capable, and was reser∣ved for Christ the second Adam, and his glorified members: as the A∣postle doth also infer. Howbeit that

was not first which was Spirituall, but that which was Naturall, and after∣ward that which was Spirituall. As God is the Light of that place, so the Soul is the Ey which shall see him, and immediately enjoy him: and as the Body, so the Soul much more shall then be discharged of all Im∣perfections, as Errors, Lusts, and the like: Reason and Discourse, yea, Faith it self shall then be resolved into Vision; Desire into Joy, and Hope into Fruition. Not only all Sin shall be excluded out of Hea∣ven, but also many inferior Graces, which now serv to bring us thither. The Soul shall then attain an higher perfection then it hath or can have in this world: God saith, No man can see him and live, that is, no living Man can possibly see him, though the common Iews did interp•••••• ••therwise, as appears by the Story of Manoah, yet Moses who saw as much of God as man could do, did not therefore dy. But he saw only his

Backparts, or Attributes, which are but the demonstrations of his Na∣ture: in Heaven we shall behold him face to face, and know him as we are known; according to the utmost capacity of finite Creatures: and thus the Soul shall be wholly filled with the sight of God, as the Ey is filled with Light, possessing and en∣joying it in it self, and changed by it into the same Glory. Then shall we also love God as we are loved of him; yea, as he loves himself accor∣ding to our finite capacity; and so accordingly partake of the same Happiness which he enjoieth in him∣self: which is a most wonderfull and inconceivable Blessedness; and therefore sensuall and carnall men who are only acquainted with the Creatures, wholly neglect it, as be∣in•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for fools to under∣stand, and would be better pleased, and more taken with a Poeticall Elysium, or Circean Paradise. But a true Christian may satisfy himself

with this, that though he cannot comprehend this future Blessedness fully and particularly, yet in gene∣rall he believs it to be the highest and purest Happiness whereof he is capable. Every Vessell of Mercy, as a Vessell, shall be made only to hold Mercy, and be wholly filled with it; Yet shall not all the Saints be equall in Glory, but differ therein, as in Grace: for though all the Spirits of Just men shall be then made perfect, yet they shall be proportionably perfected in Glory according to their degrees of Grace, by an A∣rithmeticall, not by a Geometricall proportion: as in the Parable of the Talents, He who gained two Talents, was made Ruler over two Cities in his Lords Kingdome: and he who gained five Talents was made Ruler over five Cities. There is no proportion between 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and Cities, yet there is a proportion between Two and Two, and beween Five and Five. Thus shall we be re∣compensed

according to our works, though not for our works: and this may be as great and quick an inci∣tation to working, as the proud opi∣nion of merit, attaining the same ef∣fect, and ending in the same reward of Blessedness. And though there cannot properly be any merit in the Creature, but only a performance of Covenants; yet the obedience of Angels, through that Grace which was first implanted in their Nature, and never forfeited, is far short of this free Grace of God in Christ▪ which as it is a manifestati∣on of the greater Love of God to Man, and the ground of his greater Delight in him, so it begets in us proportionably a greater Love toward him, and a greater De∣light in him, wherein the chief Happpiness of the Creature doth consist ••nd thus the Soul of Man ••••nds the highest perfection of Glory, and the very Heaven of Heaven, through free Grace enjoy∣ing

Christ as the fountain of all Happiness, and God himself as the Ocean thereof. As Heaven in the separation from all worldly things doth most plainly manifest the Va∣nity thereof, so in it self, and in its own nature it is the most perfect, universall, and eternall Blessedness; and the preparation for it, and ex∣pectiation of it, the only true Hap∣piness of Man in this Life.

FINIS.