~eabcng ~apptnefs. ----------------~ earth, and whofc Glory lhould .be.external, not confidering the fpiritual Kingdom· of Chrii(; fo mofl: in the world look but for a carnal Heaven. It IS a good ev1dence ofthetruthof grace, if you can look to heaven w1th anghtcye, m anght man– ner to look >t the fpiritual part, and fpiritual excellency in Heaven. I conclude, 471 You fee now Heavens fociety, they are Saints, and fingels, and Chrifl, and God bleffedfor ever and ever. Who then would not forfak! f"athcr and Mgthcr, the dearell: fdlowlhip of this Vfe, 1 ; world to be with Chrilt in his Kingdome? You that love one anotner in the dceperl: bonds who cannot part out of this life but with the furvivers grief, and hearts-b1eak : tell m~what a merry day will that be, when (you llnll not onely meet again, 1\ever more to part afunder, but when) Chrill: our Saviour !hall gladly welcome you ( every one of you) into his f0ciety, Tho" jhalt be with me.] And let me fpeak to the joy of us all I·mean all br0ken-heartcd Chrifl:ians (as for you that arc prophane ones, you ha~e your portion here, therefore !land you by, and let the Children c0me to their !hare) a day will come, I trufl: in the Lord, when I !hall meet you, and you me, in the Kingdome of Heaven : a da)' will come, I trufl: in the Lord, when you and I !hall be all admitted into the fociety of God and of Chrijl,and of his St<inrs,and of the fi"gcls: a day will come, I trufl: in the Lord, when with tbcfc eyes we Jha/1 behold our Redeemer; together with that Thief that was crucified with him: a day will come, I trull irr the Lord when we !hall meet agam with all the Samu that arc gone afore us: and is not this; comfor~? What !hall we fay, when we fee our Saviour in his Throne, waited on with Mary his Mother, and Magdalen, and Martha, and Laz.arus, arrd i'aul, and Peter, and all the Apoll:les and Difciples of our Lord and Saviour? yea, whcr\" this Thief !hall be prefcnted to our view, th~ wounds in his hands and his feet ll1ining like Stars, and Pearls, and· Rubies, all his body glittering in glory, and his Soul magnifying the Lord for his converfion'and falvation world without end. Butfl:ay, ,lcfl: we be led too forward, there is no f~ch tbing for us, if we are not in the Covenant of grace: Heaven is both happy and holy, and if we would enjoy Heaven·, Vfe. Z· then we mufl fit our felves to that eO:ate to whichGod hath preferved us:to this purpofe faith the Apoflle,Our com;erfation is in heaven,flom whence !VC loolz_for the Saviottr,Phi!. 3. 20 • He was affured of Heaven,& therefore he converfed as a Citizen· of Heaven before Phi in ~·, he came there, every way he carried himfclf (as much as earth would fuffer him) like them that live in Heaven: and thus mult we (if ever we go to Heaven) become like to thofe that arc in that place. Deceive not your fclves, mither Who,·cmongers, nor fidultcrers, nor Extortioner.<, nor the like, }hall enter into the Kingdom of God, 1 Cor. • 6. 9· Do men who live in thcfc fins without all remorfe or repentance ever think td 1 Cor. 6 · 9; go to Heaven? is it poffible tha_!: ever any flelh fhould go out of the puddle into the Paradicc? no, Ro, fi1vay Jework§rs of iniquiy, I i(}olv you not, faith our Saviour: Muth. •S·4': let no mati chcrill1 preftunptions of an heavenly Kingdome, except he abllain from all fins againfl: Confcience. What then? But fo live we here as becomes his fcrvants; and thus when we part, it is but for better Company: we lofe a few friends but we {hall find him that welcomes all his with this heavenly Harmony; Thou }>al; be----· With whom? wtth me] m Paradife. Hitherto of the Society. The lafl thing conftdetable is the place or Vbi, where hi~ Soul arrtved; but of that hereafter, as the Lord !hall enable me. God give us alf grace fo to hve here, that howfocvcr we go hence one after another, yet at lalt we may all meet together with our Lord and Saviour in his heavenly Para- ~~ . in Paradi(e. ANd where was that? our Adverfaries fay in Limbu!, and yet (to give them their I!!e enimver< . due)Be/larmine [o means not as;hat Limbunvo:s Paradife, but that in Limbu; this Pmadi[HJ dd(– ThJefhad h1s Paradife, to wit, the vifton of God: The vifionof God (faith Bel/armin J ci•rum eft, mm :sa tnee P1rradt[e tndeed:.not local, but fpiritual. But, with Beflarminer leave, w...: haVe corporafti, t1~r no fuch fenfeofParadife in _any part of holy Writ. In the Old Tefl:ament we read of 1:fr~~!;/t~J;: an earthly Paradif~, whercm Ad11m lived; in the New Tefbment we read of an Heateftis. venly Paradife,whither Paul was caught; yet both thefe werclocal: for the one (faith Bettar. de._?: Mofes) was ~garden Eajhvardin Eden, Gen. 2. 8. and the other (faith Paul) was in ["b" Domm. fieaven, wh1chhe callsthethird heaven, zCor. 12.. 2. and that Paradifr in my Text(;~~~·::!{. i)llill:" J 'or.12.2,1'
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=