[Second.) God xvill have a difference between tlie ivarring church and the triuwjihinff church.
This life is a fife of faith, and not of sight. "We walk and live by faith. "Why '? Partly to try the truth of our faith, and partly for the glory of God, that he hath such servants in the world here that will depend upon him, upon terms of faith, upon his bare word ; that can say. There are such things reserved in heaven for me, I have enough. "What a glory is it to God that he hath those that will trust him upon his bare word ! It were no commendation for a Christian to live here in a beautiful, glorious manner, if he should see all and live by sight. If he should see hell open, and the terrors there, for him then to abstain from sin, what glory were it ! The sight would force abstinence. If we should see heaven
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open, and the jo3-s of it present, it were no thanks to be a good man, for sight would force it.
2tZ Ficason. The second reason is this, that God will have a hiown differ- ence hctnccn hj/pncrites and the true children of God. If heaven were upon earth, and nothing reserved in faith and in promise, every one would be a Christian. But now the greatest things being laid up in promises, we must exercise our faith to wait for them. Now, there are none that will honour God in his word but the true Christian. That there are such excellent things reserved in another world, in comparison of which all these are base, there is none but a true Christian that will honour God upon his word, that will venture the loss of these things here for them in heaven, that will not lose those things that they have in reversion and pro- mise for the present delights of sin for a season ! Whereas the common sort, they hear say of a heaven, and happiness, and a day of judgment, &c. But in the mean time they will not deny their base pleasures and their rebellious dispositions, they will cross themselves in nothing. Do we think that God hath prepared heaven for such wretches as these ? Oh let us never think of it ! God therefore hath reserved the best excellencies for the time to come, in promises and in his word, if we have grace to depend upon his word, and in the mean time go on and cross our corrup- tions. It is an excellent condition to be so. It shews the difterence that God will have between us and other men.
Sd Reason. Again, thirdly, our vessels coidd not contain it. We are in- capable ; our brain is not strong enough for these things. As weak brains cannot digest hot liquors, so we cannot digest a large revelation of these things. As we see St Peter w-as not himself in the transfiguration ; he forgot himself, and was spiritually drunk with joy, with that he saw in the mount. He wot not what he said, as the scripture saith, when he said, 'Master, let us make throe tabernacles,' &c., Mark ix. 5. Nay, St Paul himself, the great apostle, when he saw things in heaven above expression, that could not nor might not be uttered, could not digest them, 2 Cor. xii. 4. They were so great, that if he had not had somewhat to weigh him down, to balance him, he had been overturned with pride. Therefore there was a ' prick in the flesh ' sent to Paul himself, to humble him, 2 Cor. xii. 7. Are we greater than Paul and Peter, the great apostles of the Jews and Gentiles ; when these grand apostles could not contain themselves ? When they see these heavenly things, and but a glimpse of them, the one did not know what he said, and the other was humbled, by way of prevention, with a prick in the flesh ; and shall we think to con- ceive of these things ? No ! we cannot ; for that is to be in heaven before our time. These and the like reasons we may have to satisfy us in this, why we cannot conceive of the things to come as they are in their proper nature. God saith to Moses, when Moses would have a fairer manifesta- tion of God, ' No man can see me and live,' Exod. sxxiii. 20. If we would see God as he is, we must die. If we w^ould see heaven, and the joys of it as it is, we must die first. No man can see the things that the apostle here speaks of, in their proper hght and excellency, but he must die first.
They are not proportionable to our condition here. For God hath resolved that this life shall be a life of imperfection, and that shall be a per- fect estate of perfect glory. Alas ! our capacities now are not capable, our affections will not contain those excellent things. Therefore God trains us up by httle and little to the full fruition and enjoying of it. Thus we
170 A GLANCE OF HEAVEN.
see how we come to liavo some knowledge of them, and why we have not a full knowledge of them here.