Bates - HP BX5200 B3 1700

Of HEAVEN. Chap. H. tha~i·~;n.~!;,11 ~;~~dt~1~d~~~e~ ~~~ fn~~~~~~:u~~a~~a~:. ab~~~,~h:b~lt~e~~~t:~:i~h~ Wcalmefs of rhe FlcOJ, an~ fomctimes the violent A £faults of Spiritual Enemies. St. Paul himfclfbrca!<S forth into ~ mournful Complaint, 0 wretched Man that I am, who jha/1 de/i. ver me from thii Body of Death! And when haraffed by the buffets of Satan renews his molt cm·nett Addreffes to God to be freed fi·om them. Here our Purity is ~ot abfolute wcmufibc alwaysclcanfingourfclvcs from the Re!iqucs of that deep Defilement t!Ja; cleaves to our f'{aturc. Here our Peace is prcferv'd with the Sword in our Hand by a continual warf.1re againtl Satan and the World. But in Heaven no Ignorance dark~ns the Mind, no Paflions rebel againtl the fanClified Will, no inherent Pollution remains. T/Je Church u without Spot or Wrmkle, or any Jiteh thing : And all Temptations fhall then ceafe The Tempter wasca!\ out of.Heaven, and none of pis poifon'd Arrows can reach that pu: nficd Coll!pany. GlonousLtberty! here ardently dcfircd, but fully enjoyed by the Saints above. And as Sin, foall the penal Confcquenecs of it arc quite taken away. The pref:~~t:~ ~saac~~~e~a;,~~;~a~~cc~~~J~~:tk~~~fi:.ren!~~ ~~ht~~~:~~;~~f(e:~~~gD~:~ dials, yet their Joys arc mix'd with Sorrows, nay eaufed l:>y Sorrows. The tears of Repentance are their fweeteH: refre01ment. Here the Jiving Stones are . cut and wounded and made fir by fufferings for a Temple unto God in the New 'Jerufa/em. But as in build~ ing of Solomon's Temple, the noife of a Hammer was not heard, for all the parts were fram'd before With that exaC.l defign and correfpondenee, that they firmly combined together ; they were hcwen in another place, and nothing remained but rhe putting them one upon another, and then as Sacred they became mvwlable: So God the wife ArchiteU, having prepar'd the Saints here by many cutting AffiiC.lions, places them in the Eternal Buildmg, where no Voice of Sorrow is heard. Of the innumerable Alfembly above is there any Eye that weeps, any Brealt that fighs, any Tongue that complains, or any appearance of Grief? The Heavenly State is called Life, as only worthy of that Title. There is no infirmity of Body; no Poverty, no Difgrace, no Treachery of Friends no • Pcr_fecution of Enemies. Tbere U no more Death, nor Sorro1v; nor ftuU there he 4»J ~ore Pam; for former ;hingi are taJlaway. God rvi/1 wipe away all Tears from the Eyes of hi> People. Their Salvation is compleat in all degrees: Pure Joy is the Privilege of Heaven unmixed Sorrows the Punifhmentof Hell. - ' 2. A concurrence of all pofitive Excellencies is requifite to Bleffednefs. And thefe are to be coofider'd with refpea to the inrirc Mari. '·· The Body 0Ja1! be awak'd out of its dead ileep, and quicken'd into a glorious immortal Life. The Soul and Body are the effential Parts of Man; and tho the inequality be great in their holy Operations, yet their concourfe is neceffary. Good AC.lions are defign'd by the counfel and refolution of the Spirit, but perform'd by the miniltry of the F!elh. Every Grace expreffes it felf .in vifible AC.lions by the Body. In the Sorrows of Repentance it fupplics Tears; in religious Falls, its Appetites are re!lrained; in Thankfgivinll' the Tongue brea!<S forth into the joyful Praifes of God. All our ViC.lories over feofible Pleafure and Pain arc obtain'd by the Soul in conJunC.lion with the Body. Now 'tis moll becoming the Divine Goodnefs, not to deal fo differently, that the Soul fhould be everlallingly happy, and the Body loft in forgetfulnefs i the one glorified in Heaven, the other };~~~!~e:h=~ug;ll !j~~t~~~~~~~~~~~~cY. 0~~~et3~eiic':J':di:~~~~~~~f~~; ~}':Kc ~~~~{~~ Obedience and Suflerings, hereafter in Fruition. When the Crown of Purity, or Palm of Martyrdom fhall be given by the great Judg in the view of all, they fl1all both parral<e in the Honour. The Apoaieaffuresus, the Bodies of the Saints !hall be revived and refined to a fpirirual and glorious PerfeC.lioo. Flefb and Blood, the Body with its terrene ~alities, is mutable and mortal, and cannot i~herit the /(jn_e,dom of Heaven;. it cannot brcarh in fo pure an Air. God tells Mofei, No Man can fee my Face and lwe: The fight of the Divine Glory is riot confiltent with fuch temper'd frail Tabernacles of Flefl1. Nay, ~~~~~Jr f~tth~~.!~~l'~~v~~ fo~f,c~.n!. It7~r~~~e~;i~=~~~e~~~~~~··~:tr~~ t:;:ra:~ of the natural fenfitive Life, which was in a perpetual Flux, the vital Heat walling the radical Moilture, fro!!\ whence there was a neccffity of Food and Sleep to repair the Subltance and Spirits, and preferve his Life in vigour: But in the Divine World, the Body fl1all be fpiritual in its ~alities and. the Principle of its Life; it flmll be fupported by the fuper· natural Power of the Spirit, without the fupplies of outward nounfl1menr, and exempted from all the low Operations of Nature: Therefore our Savio)lr tells us, the Children of the Rejt~rre{]ion fball be eq11al tQ the Angels, prepar'd for the employment and Cn)oyments of thofe bleffed Spirits. And

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