The harmonie of Holie Scriptures vvith the seuerall sentences of sundry learned and vvorthy vvriters : collected for the comfort of all such as are desirous to seeke after theyr soules health / by I.B.

§. 33.

And, as concerning the soules of the* 1.1 righteous, they shal then also, be enriched with as many fauours from GOD as each glorified body hath. The first beatitude which shal be giuen them, is perfect wise∣dome: for, there the soule of euery simple Swaine, shall possesse more knowledge & vnderstanding, then euer did all the Phy∣losophers or greatest Clarkes in this life.

The second beatitude or blessednesse of the soule, shal be the true amitie, & vnfay∣ned friendship of one righteous person to another, as members all of one body, whose head is Christ Iesus the Lord. And in that blessed societie, shal neuer be any enuy, ha∣tred, or discorde: but euen as long and as well, as any man in that kingdome dooth

loue himselfe, so long, and so well, shall he loue euery one else, that resteth in the same fellowship with him.

Theyr third beatitude, shall be the con∣cord or agreement which then shal rest be∣tweene the body and the soule of euery Saint that disagreed in this life; for they shal then be at peace and vnitie: the body shall will as the soule willeth, and the soule shall desire as the body desireth: so that in all poynts there shall be perfect agreement betweene them. Besides, this concord shal not onely rest betweene the body & soule of euery particuler Saint, but also between the whole congregation of the godly; for they shal will no contrarieties, but all shall will as one willeth, and one shall will as all willeth.

Their fourth beatitude, shal be honour: for, almightie GOD shal then fully deli∣uer all his Saints from the filthy vlcers of sinne, many miseries, and infinite infirmi∣ties & passions, where-vnto the corrupti∣on of the flesh made them in this vvorlde daily subiect. Hee shall heale them, & re∣store them to perfect health; & most mer∣cifully adorne them, with the ornament of absolute righteousnes and immortality. He

shall adopt them for his sonnes and chyl∣dren, and shall make them inheritours of his heauenly kingdome, and coheires with his best beloued and onely begotten sonne Christ Iesus.

Theyr fift beatitude, shall be power: for the righteous shal then be able to doe what they wil: because they shal haue the Crea∣tor of heauen and earth, agreeable in all things to what-soeuer they desire.

Theyr sixt beatitude, shall be securitie: that is, they shal not onely haue power to doe what they wil, and to enioy what plea∣sure soeuer theyr hart desireth; but they shall also be without any feare or doubt of euer losing the same: seeing God which is the giuer thereof, wil neuer alter his mind, nor change his first determination.

Theyr seauenth and last beatitude, shall be absolute or perfect ioy: such as no pen can expresse, nor any mortall hart be able to comprehend. For, there shall be thou∣sands of thousands, and more then tenne thousand hundred of thousandes of the righteous, whom no tongue can number, which shall all enioy this heauenly happi∣nesse; and ioy altogether in the same bles∣sednes. And euery one of this blessed cō∣panie,

shall as much reioyce & giue thanks vnto GOD for the felicitie of others, as for himselfe.

They shall also aboue all this, [as hath partly before by another Authour beene expressed,] reioyce with an admirable ioy at the onely sight of almightie GOD, in whose presence they shall cōtinually abide, and whose glory they shall alwaies behold. They shall delight in him, more then in themselues: and they shall for euer be be∣loued of him, more then they can loue themselues. They shall abound in all ioy, and be filled there-with both within and without: they shall haue ioy aboue them, and ioy beneath them, and ioy on euerie side, and round about them: so that theyr reioycing shal be incomparable, and theyr felicitie without measure or end.

For, as there is no end of Gods greatnes,* 1.2 nor number of his wisedome, nor measure of his benignitie: so is there neither end, number, nor measure of his rewards, to∣wards them that loue him, and continue constant in his truth vnto the death.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The seuerall beatitudes of glorified soules in the kingdom of God. Accor∣ding to the saving of Anselmus.
• * 1.2

  Augustine.