The Blef[ednefs of indolency an.d freedom from Pain and Labour,. fuch as a mecr Beaft enjoys, and far from betng that confummated Bleffing wh1ch thofc that die m the Lord enjoy, my Text fubjoins, rheir IVo1ks /hall jollow them. Now, th is may be underitood firft of the Works thcmfclves, they foilorv them to Heaven, and arc there performed by them i n Glory, the fame Works end in E3rth , and enter into Heaven with them: As they were performed here weakly and imperfe&ly fo there they lha\1 be performed with a moft abfiJlute pcrfedion: Therefore 'whatever Ju~h been fpoken of this P~cfi:, it m~ft no~ be undcrftood ·as if the glorified Samts and .Angels were una(hvc, and COJOyed In Heaven on ly a long Vacation, and lying down to reft tJpon fwcet jlo1vry Banks _in pleafan t Jhad?WY Gr_oves, and w~thout F_ea~ and Care }aughcd av.:ay an Etermry. No, ~o~ thetr Reft ts operative, they are contmually bleOwg :md pratfing of God, and afcnbmg Honour and Glory to him that fits upon tl!e .Thronc1 :i.l~d t~ t~e L:amb for. ever and ever, continually beholding and ad1mnng God, rcJoycwg Ill h1m, and 10 one another's mutual Happinefs. This is that Work of Heaven. that fuall never grow toylfome nor grievous to them. 11. Their w~rks /h>llJ Jollolv them; that is., the Reward of their Works. This is fo great., that neitheY Eye hath {ten , nor Ear bath heaYd, neither bath it enter'd into the Heart of Mau to conceive, what the Lo-rd bath pupared for thofe that Love him. lf PauL was now to Preach to you, and encourage you againft the Fear of Death from the confidcration of that Infinite Glory and Reward that is laid up for the~ after Death. Poffibly you would expea that he who had fulfered a Tranflation lhould at his return make fomc relation of it, difcovering to you what the RicheJ and Glory of that place was: An'd yet when he purpofely relates this his V6yage in the other World, he tells us no more than this, That he w.u caught up into Par"difo and that he hea"rd Word; unutterable, that it io not lawful for a Man to utter, 2. Cor. 12: 4· to the' r. Vcrfe. It is fo great, that it cannot be fully known till it be fully enjoyed. The Scriptme feems to labour for Expreffions to fet fo rth the greatneji of it; it is called a remaining Reft, inacceffibie Light, frejh and overflowing Plea{ures, an incorruptible Inheritance, a Kingdom that cannot bejbaken. To fpeak thus in general of that. Heavenly Glory, would be more accommodate to the greatnefs of the Subje8:; but yet it would be more encouragement and faiisfa(tion to t reat of it in particular, fo far as our Conceptions will reach to it. No this unfpeakable Happincfs doth chiefly confift in thefe things. Firft , In the immediate Vijion and Fruition of God, the Soul'; chiefefl and moft [~ttis• fying good. God is now to us the Spring· head of our Mercies and Comforts; but we lie below at the fall of the Spring, and draw Refrelhments from him, only t hrongh the Conduit..pipes of Providences and Ordinances, and live upon fecondhand Enjoyments: But In Heaven we fualllie clofe to the Fountain it felf, and fhall drink in Divine Communications, as they flow immediate ly from God,without ha\•ing them deadened and flattened in the Conveyance. Now we behold God through a Glafs darkly, in Heaven we foal! fee him Face to Face, aud know him w we are known. And if it caufeth now fuch Raptures of Joy in us, when God fome· times darts in but half a Glance of his Eye upon the Soul ; 0 then, within what bounds can our Joy coutain it felf, when we fuall conltantly fix our Eyes 11pon him, and ftedfaftly behold his Face, that Face from which the moil: Glorioru .Angels, as confcious of their own unworthinefs to behold, do cover and veil their own? Now when God gives us fome Glorious Difcoveries of himfelf, we are ready to faint and melt down under them. Certainly in Heaven, when we fuall lie under the Glorious Rays of the Deity, beating fo fully upon us; It is fo great, that there were no living there, did not the fame God ftrengthen as well as fill our Capaci~ ties. This is that Beatificat Vijion that H ea"Jen of Heavens, that Glory wherein the .Angel; are fatisfied in the fight of; ·wherein God fuall beftow upon us a clMrcr Eye than that of Faith, and be always prefem with us in a nearer way than that of Comfort. Secondly, The Happinefs of H eaven conjifteth in the Society zhat the Saillts converft with for tver: And they are HoLy .Ang el;, and the Spirit; of juft Men made ptrfe!l. Here on Earth the AngeL; are given for our Guardiam, in Heaven for our Companion.r. And though we are the Adopted, and they the mmmll Children of God~s grMt Family, nia~~
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