Thirdly, The application or appropriation of this preparation to the persons that shall now enjoy it, ' For you ; ' which respects not only the qualification, but the persons.
1. Not only for such as you, but for you particularly. In the general, heaven was prepared for believers. God never intended unbelievers should have such a glorious estate ; such as love the world do not prize nor long for this happiness, and therefore it is fit they should never enjoy it ; for though the preparation be a work of abundant mercy,
52 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SeR. XXI.
yet that mercy is so tempered and limited Ly his wisdom and justice, that it will not permit him to give such holy things to dogs, or cast pearls before swine. No ; it was prepared to he enjoyed only by believers and holy ones.
2. For you personally and determinatively. This is most agreeable to Christ's scope and sense, for all the conditions were also prepared for them. God did elect us to faith and holiness, as well as to eternal life. Faith is the fruit of election, not a cause ; he did not choose us because we were holy, or because he did foresee that we would be holy, but that we might be holy, Eph. i. 4; that, being sanctified and renewed by the Spirit, we might be placed in the new Jerusalem. For you in person, that is Christ's meaning.
Fourthly, The antiquity or ancientness of this preparation, ' From the foundation of the world ;' that is, from all eternity ; for the scrip- ture goeth to the highest point of time unto which we can ascend in our thoughts. So that airo Kara/BoXr}'; signifieth as much as irpo Kara/3o\'7]<i ; as it is expressly said, Eph. i. 4, ' Before the foundation of the world.' The phrase is ordinary in scripture, and is as much as to say, from all eternity, or before any time was ; for God's purposes are as he is, eternal and without beginning ; therefore, if we speak of God's intention and purpose, it was before all worlds. Those that understand this, ' For you,' that is, for persons so qualified, will deny the meaning of the phrase to be that the dignities of the kingdom of heaven were designed to be the reward of all the faithful servants of Jesus Christ before all worlds ; and they that know the scriptures cannot but conclude that from all eternity he made choice of us to be justified, sanctified, and glorified. The elective love of God is of an ancient standing, even from all eternity, and therefore most free, there being nothing in the elect before they had a being to move his love towards them ; and this will be the glory of his grace at that day, that we are invited into that estate that was prepared for us long before : and who are we, that the thoughts of God should be taken up about us so long since ? Titus iii. 2, ' Which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began ;' so 2 Tim. i. 9, ' Who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, according to his purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ before the world began.' He indented then with Christ to bring us to what we shall at last enjoy. But if any morosely insist upon the [)hrase, because it doth not necessarily signify eternity, we must then understand that though the purpose of God were from everlasting, yet the things designed and acted by him, they take their beginning in time, or with lime ; and so the words must be under- stood— (1.) Of preparing the place which shall be the state of the blessed. The third heaven is the dwelling-place of the saints, which was framed about the beginning of the creation. So good and gracious was our God, that he did not make man or angel till he prepared a place convenient for them. Or (2.) To the promise presently made upon Adam's fall ; but the former exposition is more sim[)le.
Well, then, you have heard what entertainment the faithful shall have from Christ at his coming, so far as oiu- dull minds can conceive of it, and with weak and imperfect words can express it to you. Now let us see what use we may make of all this.
VeR. 34.] SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. 53
Use 1. Let us be convinced that there is such an estate, and will be such a time, and that there is no true blessedness but this enjoyment of God in the kingdom of heaven, that we shall then have. The world hath been much puzzled about disputes of happiness, and the way to it. The philosophers, some placed it in knowledge, some in that virtue which they knew, some in pleasure ; some in this, some in that. Austin out of Varro reckoneth up two hundred and eighty-six opinions about the chief good. They erred thus because they sought it in so many things, whereas it consists in one — the enjoyment of God ; and because they sought it in this world, where all things are mortal and frail, and we can find not one thing that can make us completely happy. This discovery was left for the scriptures, which teach us that our happiness lieth in God alone, and that our perfect enjoyment of him, in body and soul, is reserved for Christ's coming, when there is a perfect conformity to God and communion with him : 1 John iii. 2, ' Beloved, we are now the children of God ; but it dotli not appear what we shall be, but we know when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.' The Lord revealeth his truth to us in the word, but before we can be convinced of it we must be enlightened by the Spirit ; for spiritual things can only be spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. ii. 14. We may talk of tliese things by rote one to another, and have an assent to them, which is called a non-contradiction, though not a positive understanding and conviction of the truth of them : ' Believest thou this ?' John xi. 26.