Two sermons preach'd at the funerals of the Right Honourable Robert Lord Lexington and the Lady Mary his wife by Samuel Holden.

III. Why then, the Heavens shall be no more.

For should they still continue as they are, and should man ne're revive, whil'st they continue so; how could his Death be term'd a Sleep, to which no waking ever should succeed?

The Heavens now are like an open Book, full of strange Characters, which men consult (how wisely, let their effects determine) to be inform'd, when great mens Lives shall be no more; when Kingdoms, and when States shall be no more; when publick Blessings, and when publick Curses shall be no more. But there will be a season (and e're long 'twill be) when they

themselves shall be no more; They shall perish, fayes the Psalmist: But of the critical moment, not a word in all the Book of Spheres. What Tales soe're they tell of other Beings, they will still keep their own coun∣sel; and whensoe're they break (like to great Tra∣ders here on earth) their breach shall be the worlds surprize: Of that day knoweth none. Their Prophecy in that, is silent as their Harmony; yet such a day there will be: But the question is,

First, What Heavens shall be no more?

Secondly, How shall they be no more?

First, What Heavens shall be no more? Besides the Empyreal, or Supreme, Philosophers compute the num∣ber of the Orbs (counting the Fire and Air) to be eleven. But the great Bishop of Hippo (reflecting on the rapture of S^t Paul into the third Heaven, where he had the glimpse of great, unutterable glo∣ries) concludes the Empyreal (the Heaven of Gods more immediate splendor, and the receptacle of the bless'd, to see him, as 'twere, face to face) to be the third Heaven; computing none besides, excepting the Sydereum & Aereum, the Starry and the Aery.

But be they more, or be they less, the Heaven of heavens is generally exempted from dissolution: which some conclude from Thy Throne is established for ever. So that, of all the rest, although we cannot certainly determine what is their number, yet we may conclude a little of their nature; though we are insecure how many they be, yet we may well be resolute what they shall be, or rather what they shall not be, They shall be no more: But

Secondly, How no more? They shall perish (t) 1.1 Now what should be this perishing, but their change? For as mans death is call'd a change (u) 1.2, I will wait till my change come: So the Heavens change is call'd a death, or perishing; for, that the word (perish) im∣ports no more in the forecited place to the Hebrews, is evident from the ensuing Verse, As a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed.

Nay, this very place, the Heavens shall be no more, is (in the vulgar Latin) atteratur Coelum, till the Hea∣vens be worn away, not annihilated. Worn like an old Garment, Psal. 102. Man is the little world, and as his Cloaths cover him, so the Heavens cover the great world, Tegit omnia Coelum. Hence, * 1.3 when we Travel, Lucretius tells us, We change the cloathing of Heaven (w) 1.4. Conformable to this is even the Sep∣tuagint, in this of Job, which renders it, Till the Hea∣vens be * 1.5 unsow'd. How has God cloath'd the Macrocosme, as we the Microcosme, with the best Cloaths on the outside? We all, at great Solemnities, contrive to habit our selves after the newest fashion: Lo, then shall Christ appear in Solemn Triumph; Lo, then shall be the Marriage of the Lamb; and then the world shall change its fashion too: The fashion of this world passes away (x) 1.6. When Sunday comes, 'tis generally entertain'd with Citizens best Cloaths; Lo, then the Sabbath of the Saints shall come; then the Lords day; the day of the Sun of Righteousness; and then the Ʋniverse shall be aray'd in cleaner and more splendid Vestments.

Now Job's, shall be no more; is S^t Peter's, shall pass away, whil'st the Elements melt for fervent heat (y) 1.7.

Now, whatsoever melts, melts not to nothing, but into substance of a purer nature; so likewise, to pass away, is not to cease to be, but to be vary'd in its place or properties. Heaven and Earth shall pass away, sayes our Saviour; and there shall be new Heavens, and a new Earth, sayes S^t Peter (z) 1.8. Both these are uni∣ted, Rev. 21.5. Behold, I make all things new. Now, to make all things new, is not to make all things nothing; no more than mending is destroying. To be no more, than, is to pass into new; and 'tis not needless to ob∣serve that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to change, is render'd Psal. 90.9. by passing away, or passing over: from whence the world is stil'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a change, or passing over.

But you may ask, What change is this?

'Tis not a change of substance, but of accidents; Heavens shall not absolutely cease to be, but to be as they are; so also the Elements. All compound Beings (except mans Body, which must subsist with the Soul) shall lay aside their Essence. Birds, and Beasts, and Fish, so likewise Trees and Plants, which owe their Beings to their Compositions, shall bid farewell to Na∣ture; when every Element shall challenge from them, what each contributed to their composure. Earth shall retreat to Earth, Water to Water; and whatso∣ever Fire or Air bestow'd, for ever shall recede into its native properties.

But for more simple and unblended Natures, their change shall be but a refining. Some (a) 1.9 have con∣ceiv'd indeed, That Fire and Water should both be total∣ly consum'd, whil'st Earth and Air should be no more than mended. But this the rest reject. Aquinas (b) 1.10 thinking, that Fire and Water should but lose their heat

and cold. But that were neither to be Fire nor Wa∣ter. But that Lorinus candidly expounds him, That by their losing heat and cold, he means, that heat and cold should be restrain'd from acting.

As is the change with the Elements, so with the Heavens; the variation's not of things, but qualities. Aristotle pronounced Heaven incorruptible; and so it is indeed as to its fitness for duration, (which the Schools call its internals) but not as to its power, ab∣stracted from divine disposure * 1.11; for whatsoe're at first results from nothing, by the same vertue, may relapse into nothing; or, as the cause of its first being plea∣ses, be vary'd from its present being. Therefore THOƲ shalt change them (c) 1.12. By which change, sayes Lori∣nus (d) 1.13, is meant some kind of renewing, by a vaca∣tion from Motion and Action, and influence on Subluna∣ries, and on Man leading a mortal life. And thus be∣ing alter'd, they will better suit with the condition of renew'd Mankind. In which, S^t Austin tells us, That at the general Conflagration, those qualities of the corrup∣tible Elements (which agreed well enough with our cor∣ruptible Bodies) shall utterly perish by Combustion; And the same substance shall (by miraculous change) acquire qualities convenient for immortal Bodies; to the end, that the world, being renewed for the better, may the bet∣ter suit with men renew'd for the better in their flesh (e) 1.14.

From these things then we may raise these Conclu∣sions.

• 1. That the Heavens shall no more measure time; For,
• 2. Time shall be no more, Rev. 10.6. And hence indeed, in proper speech, the Heavens shall be no more. Shall, is the Future Tense; but in Eterni∣ty there's no Futurity. Now when there is no time, but all Eternity, who can, without great impropriety, say the Heavens shall be; when, Shall, imports a time to come?
• 3. If no time, then no motion; for time is the mea∣sure of motion (f) 1.15: and therefore
• 4. No more action; for without motion, there is no action in Naturals.
• 5. Therefore no more influence on Sublunaries; for without action, no influence: therefore
• 6. No more generation nor corruption; for these are not without influence. Thus then, the Heavens shall be no more: And now

Notes

• (t) 1.1

  Hebr. r. 11.
• (u) 1.2

  Job 14.14.
• * 1.3

  Ovid.
• (w) 1.4

  Coeli∣mutamus ami∣ctum.
• * 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. No more be sow'd together.
• (x) 1.6

  1 Cor. 7.31.
• (y) 1.7

  2 Pet. 3.10.
• (z) 1.8

  2 Pet. 3.13.
• (a) 1.9

  Greg. Bed. Gloss.
• (b) 1.10

  Aquin. in 2 Pet. 3.
• * 1.11

  Ab intrirse∣co Coelos esse incorruptibt∣l••s, communis Scholastico∣rum est opinio. i. e. secundum sabstantiam & aptitudinem, non dispositio∣nem divinam & actum. Lo••. in Psal. 102.19.
• (c) 1.12

  Psal. 102.26.
• (d) 1.13

  De sola nonnulla reno∣vatione, per vacationem à mo••u & actu & ministerio in res sublu∣nares, homi∣nemque vitam ducentem mortalem. Ibid.
• (e) 1.14

  Conflagratione mund•…•…â Elementorum corruptibilium qualitates, quae corporibus nostris corruptibi••ibus congruchant, ardend•• penitus interibunt; Atque ips•• substantia eas qualitates habebit, quae corporibus immor∣talibus mirabili mutatione conventant. Ut scilicent mundus in melius inroua••us, apt•• accommodetur hominibus etiam in carne meliùs innovatis. Aug. de Civ. Dei. lib. 20. cap. 16.
• (f) 1.15

  Tempus est mensura motus; omnis motus est in tempore.