Book IV. THE C E L E ST I A L P A R A D I S E. Prefence is fuliufs of 'joy, and at thy Right-hand.Pleafures for evermore, Pfal. xvi. I 1. and xxxvi·. 8. They drink of the Rivers of God's Pleafures. A R iver abounds with \Vater; fo doth Heaven, like Paradife, with divine and facred Pleafures. IV. /!dam in Paradife knew no Sorrow, he had Joy without Sadnefs, Screugth with– out Weaknefs, Health without Sickne[,, Light without Darknefs, Life without Death ; for Death had nothing to do with hi":' whilft he flood in his Innocency : So in Heaven the Godly are deltvercd from -every mtxture of Evil, God Jhall wipe away all '!'ears from their Eyes, and there jha/1 be no Death, mither Sorrow, nor Crying, neither.fha/1 there be any more Pain, for tbe former 'Things are pajt away, Rev. xxi. 4• H ere is Joy with– out Sadnefs, Scrength without Weaknefs, Health without Sicknefs, Light without Darknefs, Life without Death. V. /!dam in Paradife, before tempted by the Devil, knew no Sin ; he was free, ab– folutelv free from the leafl: .Stain, he had not fo much as an evil T hought, he was created in the ima?"e of God, heingperfectly Righteous: So in H eaven the Saints !hall be free from Sin,"'P'erfeeUy free, not only iree from the Guilt, Filth, Power, and Punifhment of it, but alfo from the Act of it ; they .!hall not be troubled .with one evil T hought more, they are without Fault before the Throne of God and the L amb. Vf. /!dam in Paradife enjoyed the fweet and bleffed Prefence uf God, he converfed, and had glorious 1\.oquaintance and Communion with him ; God and Man lived then in perfect Peace and Friendfhip, there was no Breach, becaufe no Sin, and fo God's Fa·ce was not hid f rom him: So in Heaven, all the Godly enjoy the fweet and Soul– rav.ifhing l'refence of God, and of Jefus Chrifl: ; Wh£re I am, therejhall my Servant be, John xii. 26. And if I go and prepare a Place for you, I will come again, attd"receive you to myfelf, that where I am ye may be alfo, John xiv. 3· So jhall we •rver be witb the Lord, 1 'I'hef!. iv. J 7· Saims there have the Fruiti~n of God and of Chrifl:, for we jhall fee .bim as he is, 1 John iii. 2. and this is the highefl: glory M an can be raifed to, we Jhall not only fee God and the Lamb, but be tilled with the Joy and Delight of God and Jefus Chrifl:. .Hraven fr~m hence is called the Joy of the Lord, if the perfect Enjoyment and Participation of the glorious Trinity, or fulnefs of it, fo far as it is ca– ·pable of Communication, can delight and fill the Soul with Joy and Happinefs, the Godly in Heaven hall have it; God's Face will never be hid from hiS Children any more, there will be no more a Breach between the Soul and its Savior. VII. Adam in Paradite had the Tree of Life, and Liberty, before he Gnned, eo eat of the Tree of Life: So in this Paradife of God, we read of the Tree of Life, which, as fome under!hnd, is Jefus Chriil: ; And to him that o•:ercom,th, will I giw to eat of !he 'I'ree of Life, ·which is in the mid;~ of the Paradife of God, Rev. ii. 7· which doubtlefs ·lignifies the glorious Participation of the Life, .fulnefs, and tranlcendent Sweetnefs of the Lord J etus, and of the Continuance of the Life of the :::>aincs, in its full Scren<>th, Vigor, and Glory to Etern ity. 0 VIIJ. Adam in Paradifc had great .Knowledge, both of God, and the Nature of all Creatures ; God brought all th·e Creatures to /!dam, to fee. what he would call them, and whatfoever ildam ealkd each living Soul, that was the Name thereof, Gen. ii. '9· The Naming ·of the Creatures, faith Ainfwor·tb, was a ftgn of Sovereign ty; italfo ma– nifefl:ed Adam's Wifdom, in naming T hings prefently, according to their Natures ; as the Hebrew Names, by which he called them, do declare: So the Saints in H eaven !hall be perfect in Knowledge, thoy fhall know as they.are known, they !hall know all the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apofl:les, and all the Saints that ever lived, by Name, which we may gather by tharKnowledge, .Peler, JaniCs, and Jobn had of Mofts and Elias, in the Transfiguration of Chrifl: in the Mount, which was a.Figure in Heaven• .D ·J S P A R T Y. L _ADAM's Pleafure and Delight in .P aradife was much of it earthly : But the Saints Pleafure and Delight in tbe celefl:ial P aradife '~ill be heavenly. 1I. /!dam in Paradife was troubled with a tempting Devil : But t he Saint• in the celefl:iaLParadife !hall not be trouble<l any more with a tempting Devil, for he !hall be !hut up.in Chains of eternal Darknefs, co·be tormented for ever. Ill. /!dam foon loft ·his earthly Paradife, by Sin, and was turned out of all : But .thofc·who are accounted worthy to obtain this heavenly Paradife, fhall:never lofe it, nor be turned out of it, but cominue.in it for ever.and,ever. even to theDays of Eternity. 3 H EAVEN
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