Practical meditations upon the four last things viz. I. Death, II. Judgment, III. Hell, IV. Heaven / by R. Sherlock ...

MEDITAT. III. Of the Company of Heaven.

1. Of God's presence there.

1. GOD who is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is the chief and principal In∣habitant of the Heaven of Heavens: God indeed is every where in respect of his Es∣sence, Presence, Power, but in Heaven in respect of his Glory, and the supereminent brightness of his Majesty, which is in Hea∣ven most conspicuous, full, and ravishing: nor could Heaven be called so, it were not Heaven, if not enlightned, and enhappied by God's superlative presence there: And where ever, O Lord, thou art present, either in grace or glory, there is Heaven: and Death and Hell is every where, where thou art absent.

2. But what doth it avail the company of Heaven that God is there especially present, since God dwelleth with the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen or can see? The very Angels of Heaven cover their faces with their wings in the presence of God, that the excessive brightness of his Majesty and great Glory overwhelm them not. 'Tis true, but however so much of this eminent glory shall appear, and so fully the splendid Rays thereof be display'd in Heaven, as shall ravish all the blessed behold∣ers thereof with a joy unspeakable and glo∣rious.

They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house, (viz. of Celestial glory) and thou shalt give them drink of thy pleasures as out of a river: so full and overflowing shall be their satisfaction and contentment.

For with thee is the Well of Life, [unspec 9] and of all the joys and consolations of Life: and in thy light shall we see light, even the ravishing Light of Glory in the Light of God's coun∣tenance: in whose presence is fulness of joy.

2. The Angels of Heaven.

Next to the blissful presence of God, the society in Heaven is Angels and Archangels, Cherubims and Seraphims, Thrones and Do∣minions, Principalities and Powers, and all the several Orders of celestial Spirits.

The very sight of one blessed Angel upon Earth, would be more joyous and ravishing than to behold the greatest beauty, and most

splendid excellency that is liable to the eyes of flesh: yea all the pomp and glory of the World is not comparable to such a sight: how much more joyful and glori∣ous will it be, not only to behold, but to enjoy the society of those innumerable mi∣nistring spirits of whom we read, Thousand thousands ministred unto him, and ten thou∣sand times ten thousand stood before him?

These rest not day and night, crying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabbath: Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory: To make one in this Hymnidical Quire, and to be received into one of these Mansi∣ons of Glory from whence the Apostate Angels fell, is such an astonishing joy as cannot by the tongue of men and Angels be expressed.

3. The Saints in Heaven.

To these Angelical spirits are joyned in society as Members of the same Church Tri∣umphant in Heaven, The glorious company of the Apostles, the goodly fellowship of the Prophets, the noble army of Martyrs, the in∣numerable train of holy Confessors, Priests, and people of each Sex, and of every con∣dition, of whose numberless number we read, Rev. 7.9. And I beheld and lo a great mul∣titude which no man can number of all nati∣ons, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, cloathed with white robes, and palms in their hands—and cryed with a loud voice, Sal∣vation to our God—

These are they, which come out of great tri∣bulation, [unspec 14,] and have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the Throne of God, [unspec 15,] and serve him day and night in his Temple, and he that sitteth upon the Throne shall dwell amongst them.

They shall hunger no more, [unspec 16,] nor thirst any more.

The Lamb in the midst of the Throne shall feed them, [unspec 17,] and lead them to the living foun∣tains of water: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Blessed Souls in whom the King of Glo∣ry placeth his Throne, and reigneth in them for ever: Blessed are those mouths which shall taste and be satisfied with the Waters of life everlasting, and blessed are those tears which shall be wiped away with the right hand of God himself, and ever∣lasting joy succeed in the stead thereof.

Into this glorious Communion of Saints in Heaven, there daily are, and daily shall be for ever received all such true servants of God, and stout Soldiers of Jesus Christ, who under his banner have overcome the Devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, all the sinful lusts of the flesh: who have warred a good warfare o∣ver these their ghostly enemies, and kept the Faith whereinto they were baptized, with∣out any tincture of Heresie, or Schism, ob∣serving God's holy Will and Command∣ments, and walked in the same all the days of their life.

All of these returning from their weari∣some Pilgrimage through the wilderness of

this world, to their native home of Heaven, shall be received into, and rejoyce in their proper and peculiar mansions of peace: each differing indeed in the degrees of glory, ac∣cording to their difference in the degrees of grace, but all shall enjoy their full propor∣tion of happiness, and with common joy shall sing together perpetual Hallelujahs to him that sitteth upon the Throne, and to the Lamb for ever.

And 'tis wonderful amongst the joys of Heaven, and adds exceedingly to the greatness thereof. That as the number of Saints is great, and their joys many: so are the joys of each particular Saint, even as many, and blissful, as the joys of all: And this because each one shall rejoyce as much in the felicity of others, as if 'twere his own peculiar happiness.

Happy and for ever happy were I, if with a floud of Tears and incessant Pray∣ers, if with the devour surrender of all that I am, and all that I have to the love and service of God, I might be admitted into this celestial Society: To come unto Sion, and unto the City of the living God, the Heavenly Hierusalem, and to an innumera∣ble company of Angels, To the general assem∣bly and Church of the first-born, which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the Spirits of just men made per∣fect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant—

All this I believe as a Christian, but my Hope to be admitted into this blessed Society

is too weakly grounded: whilst my Charity both towards God and his Saints is too cold and benumb'd.

I do profess to love God, and do desire that my heart may be every day more and more inflamed with the sacred fire of divine charity: but doubtless I must have withal a due regard and veneration for his Saints; for as God is praised in his Saints, so is he dishonoured in their dis-respect, He that toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye.

Qui derogat alicui sanctorum—Who de∣tracts from any of the Saints of God, de∣tracts from Christ himself, who is the Saint of all Saints, and detracts also from all the Saints in Heaven; for all are united in the sa∣cred bonds of Charity, all think the same thing, all do will alike, and all do love both themselves and all in one. T.K. 2, 3. c. 58.

If the zeal of some persons towards the Saints in Heaven exceed its due bounds and limits, I must not therefore throw off that devout respect which is due unto them; remembring that 'tis the end of my Faith, the summ of my Hope to be by holy Charity joyned with them in the same mystical bo∣dy of Christ our common Lord, and Re∣deemer, and with them to love, and to praise the Lord: yea to praise and love him for ever, which is the happiness of the Saints in Heaven: for, blessed are they that dwell in thy house, they will always be praising thee.

And further, the greatness of the joys of Heaven may be in some degree esteemed by the greatness of their purchace: It is not

doubted but the bloud of the Son of God is of so great value, that the least drop thereof was of sufficient dignity to redeem ten thousand worlds; and yet our blessed Redeemer, who only knows how to value all things according to their worth, gave every drop of his precious bloud, accom∣panied with unspeakable torments, pangs and sufferings, to purchase this Celestial in∣heritance: hence all truly Religious have Heaven their desire, and the Earth their pa∣tience, being of the same mind with S. Paul, Cupio dissolvi—I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ—

But I am unworthy, too much unwor∣thy, sinful dust and ashes, to be admitted into the blissful presence of my dear Re∣deemer: But I will not despair since he hath, 1. purchased this happiness for me ; since 2. he hath promised to receive me thereinto ‖; and 3. he hath prayed also for my actual possession thereof, saying, Father, I will, that they whom thou hast given me, may be with me, where I am, that they may behold the glory which thou hast given me.

O Sweetest Saviour, who to save and re∣deem man vouchsafedst to be made man, and to appear in the likeness of sinful flesh; O when? when will that happy hour come, wherein I shall be admitted to behold thy blessed Face, which the Angels in Heaven behold with joy and wonder? When I shall awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it, satisfied to the greatest height and fulness of content, when I shall behold that

glory thou hadst with the Father before the world was: even so come Lord, Jesus, come quickly.

Notes

• Tho. a Kemp.
• 1 Tim. 6.17.
• Isa. 6.2.
• 1 Pet. 1.7. Ps. 36.8,
• Col. 1.16.
• Dan. 7.10.
• Isa. 6.3, &c. Rev. 21.10.
• Rev. 7.9, 10.
• Rev. 5.13.
• Heb. 12.22, 23, 24.
• Ps. 150.1. Zech. 2.8.
• Ps. 84.4.
• Heb. 9.12, 15, 24.
• ‖

  Joh. 14.3.
• Joh. 17.24.
• Ps. 17.16.
• Joh. 17.5.