EPI se[: V L A To SirE o Mu No L u c v. E p 1sT. V I. Difc••rfi~g ofthe di/fereRI dtgrm •f heavenlygl"J.; •nd if•urm•tuaO lcnowlttlge •feachother above. - AS rhofe which never were at home, now aftermuch here-fay travelling to· ward ir,askein the way, What manner ofboufe it is, what fear, what frame, what foik;fo do we in the paffage to our glory:we are all pil(lrims tbithfrsy~r fo as that feme bavelookr intoit afar rhcrow the open windows ofthe Scripture. Go B to then: whiks orhers are inquiring about wor dly dig?iries,and emhly pleafures,l~r 'lis two fweetly confulr of the dbte-of.eu ture bapptneffei yet Wlthobt prefumpuon, without c~Jjolit:Y• AmonJ?fi this infinite cboic~ oh~ougfits, it barb ~leafed r"" to limit our dlfcourfe to two licads. You aske firfi,ifthe )Oyes ofthe glonficd Samts !hall dilf<r indegrees.lfeare nor roaffirme it. Thereis one life ofall,one felicity;bur diversmeafurcs. Our heaven begins here, and here varies in degrees. One Chrifijan enjoyes God above anorher,according as his grace,as his faith is more: and heaven is {\ill like it fdfe, not other above from that beneath. As our grac,e begins our glory,fo it proportions it: Bldfednc:ffe {lands in the perfetl operation ot the befi faculties, about the perfellefi objetl; that is, in the vifion, in the fruitiQn of God. All his S1inrs fee him, but feme more ckeily; as the fame Sunne is feene ofalleyes,norwitbequall C firength. Suchasrbeeye ofom faith was to fee him that is invilible, fuch is the eye ofour prefec>t apprebcnlion to fc:e as we are fcene.Who fees nor,that our rewards are according toour works~ net for them, as on merit (woe be to that foule which barb but what it earnetb) bur after them, as their rule of proportion: and there, bow fenGbly unequall ~ One gives bur a cup ofcold warerto a dil<:iple, another gives his blood for theMafier. Differentworks havedifferent wages, not ofdeferr,bur ofmer. cy. Five raknrs wtll imployed,carry away more recompence then two; yet both ap· , proved,borh rewarded with their Mafim joy.Who can ftick at this,thar knows thofc heavenlyfpirits(rowbom we !hall be like) are marlhalled by their Maker into feverall ranks~ Herhat was rapt into their tlemenr, and faw their bleffed orders, as from qis owoe knowkdge,hath fiiled them,Thmm,Principalitits,PowtrJ, D•miniom. Ifin one 0 parrofrhis Ctlefliall Family, the great Houlholder barb rhus ordered it, why nor in the other~ yeaeven in this he bath infianced; To• jl,./1 fit IR twelve Thrcnt~,andj•dge the twelveTrihu •I l{rati.Ifhe mean not fomeprehemioence to hisApofiles,bow doth he anf,ver1bowdoth be fat isfie them~ Yet more:L•zarN6 isioAhrdh4rmbofomc: rherfore Ahr•h•m is more honoured then L•\!frUJ. I !hall need no moreproofes, if from heaven you !hall look down< intorhegreat Gulf,and there fee divediryof roxments according to the value of linnes. Equalityof offences, you acknowledge an idle Pa radox ofthe Stoicks, to bold unequall fins equally punilhed, were more abfurd 7 and more injurious ro Gods juflice: There is bur one fire, which yet otherwife butti~e firaw, otberwife wood and yron. He that made and commands this dungeonl~~e tortures, tells us that the wilfully difobedienr lball fmarr with moe flripes; rhdgno, E ranrwrtb fewer. Yet foconceive ofthefi: heavenly degrees, that the leafi is glorious, Sodoerhefe veffe11 diffe~, that all arc full: there is no want in any, noenv9. Let us fiuve for a place, not !luve forth< order: howcan we wi!h to be more then happy! Your other quefiion is ofour mutuall knowledge above ; the hope whereof (you think) would give much contentment ro the neceflity ofour parture: for both we arc loth notto knO\v thofe whom we love,and we are glad to rbinke we !hall know them happy: whereof (if it may comfort you) lam no leffe confident. It I may not godo farre, as with the befi of the Fathers, to fay we fhall know one anothers thoughts, I dare fay, our perfons we fhall, our knowledge, our memory. are oorthcrelofi, but perfeded: yea, I feare not to fav we fhall know both our mifai<s pafl, and the prefect fuffcnogs ofrhe damned. It makes ourhappineffe nor a little the fwe<rer, to know that we were miferable, to know that others are and mufi be mif<rable: woe · !hall
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