A feast is a comfortable thing. They are called a feast. A kingdom is a glorious thing. They are called a kingdom. Marriage is a sweet thing. They are set forth by that ; by an inheritance ; and adoption of children, and such like. So that all these things are taken to be shadows of those things. And indeed they are but shadows ; the reality is the heavenly kingdom of grace and glory, the heavenly riches, the heavenly inheritance, the heavenly sonship. When all these things vanish and come to nothing, then comes in the true kingdom, sonship, and inheritance.
Again (2.) We know them in this world hj wag of taste. For the things of the life to come there are few of them but God's children have some experimental taste of them in this world. God reserves not all for the life to come, but he gives a grape of Canaan in this wilderness.
(3.) Thirdlj% hg arguing from the less to the greater. If peace of con- science be so sweet here, what is eternal peace ! If a little joy here be so * Tliat is, 'love,' 'choose.' — G.
158 A GLANCE OF HEAVEN.
pleasant and comfortable that it makes us forget oui'selves, what will be that eternal joy there ! If the delights of a kingdom be such that they fill men's hearts so full of contentment that ofttimcs they know not themselves, what shall we think of that excellent kingdom ! So by way of taste and relish we may rise from these petty things to those excellent things, which indeed arc scarce a beam, scarce a drop of those excellencies.
If Peter and John, when they were in the mountain, were not their own men, — when they saw but a glimpse, but a little glory of Christ manifested in the mount. Mat. ix. G, — what shall we think when there is the fulness of that glorious revelation at the right hand of God, where there is ' fulness of pleasures for ever' ? Ps. xvi. 11. How shall our souls be filled at that time ! Thus by w-ay of rising from the lesser to the greater, by tasting, feeling, and by divine revelation, we may know in some measure the excellency of those things prepared for us.
Now to clear this thing more fully, know that there arc three degrees of revelation.
First, There must be a revelation of the tJiiiu/s themselves, htj ivord, and vritiufi, or speech, and the like ; as we know not the mind of a man but either by speech or writing. So there must be a revelation of these things, or else the wit of angels could never have devised how to reconcile justice and mercy, by infinite wisdom, by sending a mediator to procure peace, God-man, to work our salvation. Therefore we could not know them without a revelation and discovery outward. This is the first degree, that we may call revelation by Scripture, or by the doctrine of the gospel. Who could discover those things that are merely supernatural, but God himself ?
Second, Then again, When they are revealed by the word of God, and by men that have a Junction to unfold the wisearchable riches of Christ by the ministry of the gospel, yet notwithstanding they are hidden riddles still to a company of carnal men. Put case the veil be taken ofi" from the things themselves, yet if the veil be over the soul, the understanding, will, and affections, there is no apprehension of them. Therefore there must be a second revelation, that is, by the Spirit of God. Of necessity this must be ; for even as the apostle saith in this chapter, ' None knoweth the mind of man but the spirit that is in man,' ver. 11, so none knoweth the mind of God but the Spirit of God. What is the gospel, without the Spirit of Christ to discover the mind of God to us ? We know not the good mean- ing of God to us in particular. We know in general that such things are revealed in Scripture ; but what is that to us if Christ be not our Saviour and God our Father ? unless we can say as St Paul saith, ' He loved me, and gave himself for me,' Gal. ii. 20. Therefore you see a necessity of revelation by the Spirit.
But this is not all that is here meant. There is,
Thirdly, A higher discovery, and that is in heaveyi. That that is revealed here is but in part ; and thereupon if we believe, we believe but in part, and we love but in part. If our knowledge, which is the ground of all other graces and affections, be imperfect, all that follows must needs be imperfect also. Therefore St John saith, ' We know that we are the sons of God, but it appears not what we shall be,' 1 John iii. 2. What we shall be in heaven it doth not appear now. There must be a further revelation, and that will be hereafter, when'our souls shall be united together with our bodies. And then, indeed, our eyes shall see, our ears hear, and hearts shall conceive those things that while we are here in the womb of the church we neither can