Of the eternall felicity of the saints fiue bookes. Writen in Latin by the most illustrious Cardinall Bellarmine, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by A.B. Permissu superiorum.

The Preface of the Authour.

THE last yeare, I wrote a small Treatise (chiefly for my owne spirituall good) of the Ascending of the mynd to God, by consi∣deration of certaine steps, or degrees of things created. Now, in that it hath pleased the diuine Maiesty, to draw out a little longer my feeble old age, it came into my thoughts, to make the Heauenly Citty (to the which all we Sonnes of Adam, who bewayling do inhabitate this Vale of mortality, do greedily seeke after) the subiect of my present meditations: and to cō∣mit the same to print, to the end they may not wholy perish. Therefore in the sacred Scriptures (which are, as it were, certaine Consolatory Epistles, sent from our Father in this our exile,

or place of banishment) I fynd foure Names, by which the good and Feli∣city of that place may in some sort be made knowne vnto vs.

The Names an these: A Paradise, a House, a Citty, a Kingdome, Of Para∣dise S. Paul thus saith, 2. Cor. 12. Scio hominem in Christo &c. I know a man in Christ, aboue foureteene yeares ago, rapt euen to the third Hauen: And then a litle after: rapt into Paradise. And that we might not imagine, he spake of the earthly Paradise he did promise and set downe before those words; rapt euen to the third Heauen. Concer-a House, the Sonne of God himselfe thus speaketh: In my Fathers House, there be many Mansions, Ioan. 14. Tou∣ching a Citty these be the wordes of the Apostle: You are come to the Citty of the liuing God, the heauenly Ierusa∣lem. Hebr. 12. To conclude, of the Kingdome of Heauen, our Lord him∣selfe thus in S. Matthew 5. Beatipau∣peres spiritu &c. Blessed are the poore in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdome of Heauen: And no other name through out the whole body of the Scripture, is more frequently vsed, then this of the Kingdome of Heauen.

The Place of the Saints in Heauen is called a Paradise, because Heauen is a most pleasant place, abounding withall spirituall delicacies. But be∣cause some Men may coniectu••e, that a Paradise is but a small Garden, pla∣ced in some one corner of a House ca∣pable to receaue but few Men; the Holy Ghost did adioyne in the Scrip∣ture the Word & name of House, be∣cause a Regall and Princely House is ac∣customed to be a great Pallace, in which besides the Garden or Orchard, there are certaaine open Halls, or pla∣ces of disport, diuers Chambers and roomes of repose and retirement, be∣sides many others of different sort.

Now seeing a House (notwithstan∣ding it be great) cannot containe ma∣ny men; therefore, that wee should not thinke that they are but few, who belong to the Kingdome of Heauen, the Scripture doth annexe the Name of a Citty, which vsually comprehendeth in it selfe many Orchards, and many Pallaces of Pleasure. But seeing S. Iohn writeth in the Apocalyps 7. of the nū∣ber of the Blessed: Vidi turbam magnā &c. I saw a great multitude, which no man could number. And that there

is no Citty, which is capable of an in∣numerable multitude; therefore the Holy Scripture vseth the name of a Kingdome, and of the Kingdome of Heauen; then which place no other throughout the whole Vniuersity of things created, is more capacious.

But now againe, to shew other reasons in warrāt of the former foure different Appellations or Names. Be∣cause in a most ample Kingdome, there are many Men, who neuer see nor know the Names of d uers inhabitāts of the same Kingdome; nor know not whether such Men are, or haue an Existence or Being; and also in that it is certaine, that all the Blessed doe see and know one another, and as friends conioyned in a strait bond of loue, do familiarly conuerse among themselues; therefore the Scripture, as not being content with the Name of a Kingdome, added the Name of a Citty; giuing vs to vnderstand thereby, that all those, who doe dwell in that (though most vast) Kingdome, are truly Citizens of the Saints, and are so conioyned in familiarity among themselues, as the Citizens of one small Citty are accustomed to be. And

that we may be further instructed, that all those happy Men, are not on∣ly the Citizens of the Saints, but also the domesticke friends of God, yea the Sonnes of God; therefore the same Holy Ghost, who had called it a Citty, calleth it also a House. To con∣clude, in that all the Blessed in Hea∣uen do enioy the same delights and pleasures in Heauen, therfore is that place, entituled by the Name of Para∣dise. Thus these foure Wordes; to wit, a Kingdome, a Citty, a House, a Paradise do signify one and the same thing: And that Paradise heere men∣tioned, is so spacious and large, as that it may be truly called a House, a Citty, a Kingdome.

Therefore I haue heere determined to commit to Print, whatsoeuer God sha••l vouchsafe to suggest and mini∣ster to me (by way of meditation) in the secret Closet of my soule, of this most happy place. And this, first vn-the name of a Kingdome; next vnder the name of a Citty; then of a House; and lastly of Paradise. Towards the end of the discourse, I will subioyne six other Names (not of places, but of things) out of the Parables of our Lord▪

to wit, A Treasure hidden in a field; A precious Pearle or Margarite; The dayly Penny; The ioy of our Lord; A great supper; And a regall or Princely mariadge; As also two other Names out of the Apostle, which are, a Price or Reward, and a Crowne; so in all, there shalbe twelue distinct Conside∣rations, by the which the Eternall Fe∣licity of the Saints is described in the sacred Scriptures.