'200 C}Y){. in Mar. hom 5i. v. 2'3 Dt' vita A.njt'l. l z in rf. Jtl{dm. 1 Th,f, I, l o, l'[al. 16. i, 2 Qen. 1. 1. Jol.n 14• •· ~Cor: 5, '' ®Cil!tattO'tl. Com-lujion. tri this confidence, ret11rn 0 my foul mno thy re]!-, f~r the Lord hath bw1 beneficial um; i!Jee. But for ever hereafter hate Jin more than h~l11t fclf: when all c?mes to all, fin · 5 a greater ill than the eternal damnatiOn of a wan, nay than the ddhuchon of all the ~reatur~s in th~ world.. .Airhough many do thit,k_that hell is the clwjefl and thegrcarejl ef a/! c-vils,yct Ithid:.. (f:tlth Chnfot1om) that"" much buto·er to cjfcr.d Chrijf, thar.to be ton:ncnted eternally in hdl, and ~ would !''uher have hell, bm-:g mn.cr;ent tu:J.free from kn (faith Anfelme) than polluted wJth the .Jiith rherecf to poJJi !(' lt!t k:.ng~lvme uj heaven, 1 kn?W thefe were cxtraordmary elevatiOns of holy, d1vmc, and he1 O!Cal fp1nts; yet imitate them, 0 my foul, and hate fin, as ~nowmg fin tobe ;he only obJCc't 1 of Gods ex.. treme hatred :....:-and as knowmg fin to be the only mer:ronou~ caufc of tms et<rn 11 ycf hell. And now 111 the clofe of all remember Jcfus Chnfl: rt was h1s fufTermgs tlm prevents thy fufferings of hell-flame.s: fo deare was h1s love to thee that he underwent Gods heavy wrath that thou :111ght fl: cfcape 1t: Remember that text, 1t was jefus, c-ve, Jefns who deli-vered thee from the ~;rath to _come, 0 mmd thy J efus, and lovnhy Jcfus, and live to thy JefiiS, and wbl!lft thou hvefl:, fing prayfes to thy redemption. Say as the Pfalmift in this cafe, I n·tll praife thee 0 Lord my Uod JVJth all my heart, "'''d 1 u·,a glorijie thy mtme for evennore~ for great is thy merc.y totwrrd me, and thon haft de!n;ered mJ foul from the looveft hell. Pfal. 86. 12. ad jinem. S E C T. 7. .Another Example of the eternity oflmnJCll, () My foul what is this eternity ofhea-vw whereof thou fiudieft? It is theemire and · perfeEt pojfelfion of a l'{e, together; a;1~ at onc:e~ tht.!t never}hall have end, it r's a cinlt of joy running bacJ;)nto tt felj; whofe centcr.u alwayes, tmd circumference without dl end 11 is a d~traiion ofplcP-Jure alwayes prefent; tTJ thy prefence there is Jitlntfs of joy, apdm rhj right hand are ptlaf~res ~vcrmore; ~:~~one perpewal day ,whzch tJ '!o~ di·mded zmo rhat wf::l:h is pafl>' ~nd that whu:h ts to C(;I~Ic, tt u an t~ge cfages, £'7.167 flou~ijlung, tievcr .C·\'firmg,rtit a begmnmg ofglory, never qtdmg,alwayes begmnmg .' why thiS 0 my foul IS the tter•it] of heaven. 2. Dijlribution. There is a twofold el-ernity ofhea-ven, a parte ante, and ·" parte poj/. In refpec't 0 [ beginning, if we look on heaven m Gods decree, 1t was from eternity; or if in refpea of exiftcnce, it was not till the creation; one!y it was the firfl: crchture that ever God made. !nth; begmning God ~;·eated heaven and earth: By hea-vtn; fome underllan<l the Empyreal heav-en, excludmg all mfenour orbs, t~ough others' othcrwile: how. foever tGis heaven which is the place of Gods glory, and of the Angels habitation who \irerc ~reafed together with it, w~s.tpe firfl: in order of the firll; <lays work; but let tlm go; ih rcfpec9: of endhig; heavenis "ind,cd eternal, a,nd witbout 'l"!l end. In,heaven is no cprruption, nor old age; but folcmn glory, and continual folemnity ; there is an everlafilng fpring, there is alwaies the flower ancl grace of yo11th; and pcrfcc't ljealth, with thee isthe fMntaine oflife; and in thy ljght j/;, 1l!fCfee light. · · ... · 3: Caufes. ' 'The caufe of this eternity is Gods rcfolution fro)l) eternity: it is refolved from eternity that heaven it felf lhould be eternal without all O{ld; or JJife why•hath God given os immortal fouls? if the Lord intended not eternal provifions for his Saints, to what l"mpofe thouid they have fouls capable of eternity? Gqd and nature (faith the Philofopher) never do any thing il1 vaine. , Surely God, and grace, and his infinite wifdom cannot work in vaine; Againe, Jefus Chrit1 hath purchafed an eternal manfion for· us:. So he calls the purchafe(l inheritance; In my Fathershoufe there are mail} manfion~ ·' . now manfions are not tabernacles, l>ut <\urable houfes : We k_n•w that if our.earth/j ho1tj'c •f !his taberna.le Wtre dijfol-ved, ove have(f building ofGod, an honfo, 1101 l!Jitdnvith"h4tlds' eternal in the"he4-vens. . ' . ) · 4· EjfeEfs. ' ' And what are the cffeCls, 0 my foul, of this eternity? 0 many glorious, blelfed, comfortable effects ! I thall inflance only in thofe rouzing, raifi ng, and moll r~vilhing thoughts;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=