I 90 Of the Happinefs of Good Men, Vol: II. Dead, and was atcended into Heaven, he promifed to come again at the Endgf the World, and to ralle us out of the Grave, and to carry us into thofe Celeftial Man ions, where use ¡hall be for ever with the Lord. And beyond this he hath made no particular Difcovery to us of the Felicityof that Place, he bath given us no pun&nal Reprefentation of the Glory of it ; he bath not declared to us in a fpe- cial Manner, what our Workand Employment (ball be, in what Way God will communicate himfelf to us, nor what Kind of Converfation we (ball have with the bleffed Angels, and with one another, and how far we fhall know, or be known to one another ; or whether we shall Rand affe&ed in any peculiar Man- ner to thofe who wereourFriends and Relations, and Acquaintance in this World. Thefe, and perhaps a thoufand Things more which may concern the Glories of that State, and the Happinefs and Employment of the Spirits of full Men made perfect, our Saviour hath told us nothing of, but only in general ; and it is im- pof ible for us with any Certainty to make out the ref, any more than Chil- dren can make a Conjeture of the Defigns and Reafonings of a wife Man ; not only becaufe it would be of no great Ilk to us, but becaufe the Imperfe&ion of humane Nature, and of our Faculties in this State ofMortality, is not able to bear a full and clear Reprefentation of fogreat a Glory. When our Saviour was transfigured upon the Mount, and a little Image of Heaven was (hewn toMen, the Difeiples were ftrangely amazed, and knew not what they Paid. And St. Paul tells us, that when he was taken up into the third Heaven, the Things which he faw and heard there, were not to be uttered. So that well might the Apoftle fay here in the Text, It Both not yet appear what we fliall be. Our future State is very obfcure to us, whilewe are in thisWorld, as to anydiLin& and particular Knowledge of it. There are a Sort of idle Men in the World, I mean the Schoolmen, who have been very bufy and bold in their Enquiries, very peremptory in their Determi- nations of feveral Things relating to it : But after all our Search and Study, it is impof ible or us to advance one Step farther in the Knowledge of it, than God bathbeen leafed in his holyWord to reveal it tous. And howmuch God hath revealed, lelhall in difcourfing of the Second Particular confider, namely, that thus much we know of it in general, that it fhall confill in the blaredVifion of God : It cloth not yet appear what wejhall be; but when it (hall appear, we (hall fee him as he is. Thus much all Chriflians know, becaufe our Saviour bath plainly revealed it to them, that the Blefl'ednefs of the Saints fhould confIt in the Vifion of God. Matth. q. 8. Bleffed are the pure inHeart ; for they(hall fee God. Which the Apoftle expreffeth with a littleVaria- tion, Heb. 12. 14. Without Holinefs no Man (hallfee the Lord. Here is a great Thing exprefs'd to us in a fewWords, We (hall fee him as he is: For the better under ftanding of which, it will be convenient to enquire into thefe three Things : I. What is meant here by feeing God. H. What by feeing him as he is. III. The Fitnefs of this Metaphor to exprefs to us the Happinefsof our future State. I. What is meant by feeing God. The Schoolmenhave fpun out abundance of fine Cobwebs about this, which in their Language they call the beatifrckVifion of God, and they generallydefcribe and explain it fo as to render it a very dry and faplefs Thing. They make it to conflR in a perpetual gazing upon God, and con- templating the Divine Eflènce andPerfe &ions, in which, as in a clearer Mirror, they fuppofe Men to fee and know all other Things. But this is a very jejune and infipid Notion of Happinefs, but yet fuitable enough to the GueI and In- clination of thofe that deviled it. And indeed Men are naturally, apt to, form filch Notions of God and Heaven to themfelves, as are molt agreeable to their own Appetites and Inclinations. So the Heathen World framed to themfelves Gods after their own Image and Likenefs, of like Pallions and Inclinations, and Lofts with themfelves ; and fucha Heaven as pleas'd themfelves, and was molt fuitable to their own grofs Imaginations of Pleafure and Happinefs; and there- fore they defcribed it by pleafant Fields, and clear Rivers, and fbady Walks. So like-
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