(2.) For the blessedness of the soul, which is the heaven of heaven. Our happiness is called ' The inheritance of the saints in light ; ' Col. i. 12, ' Giving thanks to the Father, who hath made us meet to be
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partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.' It is not for a man that knows no other heaven but to eat, drink, sleep, and wallow in filthy and gross pleasures ; it is an inheritance in ligbt, and for saints, that know how to value intellectual and spiritual delights. But wherein doth the happiness of the soul consist, in knowledge or in love ? Divines are divided, but certainly it is in both ; our happiness consists in the love and knowledge of God, from wbence resulteth union with God and fruition of God. But now, which is to be preferred, to know God, or to love God ? that is a question. In one place it is said, John xvii. 3, ' This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent ; ' so that it seemeth to be the heaven of heaven to bave the understanding satisfied with the knowledge of God. And Ps. xvii. 15, ' As for me I shall behold tby face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied when I awake with tby likeness.' Tbat is our happiness, we go to heaven to know more of God, and the acts of the understanding are most noble. On the otber side, 1 Jobn iv. 16, ' God is love, and he tbat dwelleth in love dwelletb in God, and God in him.' It is not sight merely that makes us happy, tbe embrace of the soul is by love, tbe possession of the soul is by acts of love. One saith, though not modestly enough, Lihentius sine aspectu ie diliger-em, quam te vid- endo non amarem stella de amore Dei — I had rather not see thee tban not love thee. Here in the world the hatred of God is worse than the ignorance of him, and therefore it should seem love should have the pre-eminence. But we need not make a fraction between these graces ; by knowing, we come to love ; and by loving, we come to know God ; as light is, so is love, and so is enjoyment. Here we love little, because we know little : Jobn iv. 10, ' If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked, and he would bave given thee living water.' And tbe more we love, the more we know ; this is a fire that casts light. But to speak more distinctly —
(Isf.) There is the perfection of knowledge. All the faculties must be satisfied before we can be happy, especially the mind, which is the noblest faculty, and that which maketh us men. There is a natural inclination to knowledge, and the soul taketh a great deal of content- ment in tbe contemplation of any truth : Prov. xxiv. 13, 14, 'My son, eat thou honey because it is good, and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste ; so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul, when thou hast found it.' Eight and clear thoughts of God breed a rejoicing : Ps. xix. 10, ' More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold ; sweeter also than the honey and the honeycomb.' A man given to pleasures hath no such clioiceness of delight ; therefore this is no small part of our happiness in heaven to bave more light and know- ledge of God and of his ways. We shall know many mysteries of salva- tion, that now we are ignorant of ; as the nature of God : Ps. xvii. 15, ' As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.' The union of the two natures in the person of Christ: John xvii. 24, 'Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me.' Our union with Christ, and by Christ with God : John xiv. 20, ' At that day ye shall know that I
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am iu my Father, and you iu me, and I in you.' The course of God's decrees and providences for our good : 1 Cor. xiii. 12, ' Now I know- in })art, but then shall I know even as also I am known ; ' that is, we shall be able to see how the unchangeable counsels of God for our sal- vation have been carried on, through all the passages of the present life, to bring us safe to the heavenly state. These are the deeps of God, and now there is a darkness on the face of these deeps. The church is but a grammar school ; heaven is an university. We shall have better eyes and other light ; here prophecy is but in part, but there our intuition is immediate : 1 John iii. 2, ' We know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.' Isovv it is sicut vicU, as he is pleased to reveal himself ; then sicut est, as he is. Now we see what he is not, not corruptible, not mortal, not changeable, rather than what he is. Now we see him as he is in us, and as he is in other creatures ; we track him by the etlects of his power, and wisdom, and goodness ; but then we shall see him as he is in himself ; ipsum cognoscemus per ipsum, we shall know him by him- self: 1 Cor. xiii. 12, ' Now we see through a glass darkly, then face to face.' In the creatures there are vestigium, the tract and foot-print of God ; in the law there is umhra, the shadow of God ; in the gospel there is imago, the image of God, a fair draught of God, as in a pic- ture ; but in heaven there is fades Dei, the face of God. We shall have excellent books to study, the large manifestations of glory, the majesty of Christ's person, the Lamb's face, who is the bride ; we shall be always sitting about the throne, and the Lamb in the midst. There God maketh out himself in the highest manifestations we are capable of.