* That is, ' sentient,' = sense-derived.— G. f Cf. note h, Vol. II. p. 518.— G.
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if not lose the joys of heaven and happiness that ' eye hath not seen,' &c., yet surely I shall lose the comfort and assurance of them. A man cannot enjoy the comfort of heaven upon earth without self-denial and mortifica- tion. Shall I lose peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost for these things ? When Satan comes with any bait, let us think he comes to rob us of better than he can give. His bait is some present pleasure, or prefer- ment, or contentment here. But what doth he take from us ? That which * eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,' &c. He gives Adam an apple, and takes away paradise. Therefore in all temptations consider not what he offers, but what we shall lose ; at least the comfort of what we shall lose. We shall lose the comfort of heaven, and bring ourselves to terrors of conscience.
Religion is not so empty a thing as that we need to be beholding to the devil for any preferment, or riches, or contentment, or pleasure. Hath God set up a profession of religion, and do we think that we must be beholding to his, and our enemy, for any base contentments ? No. It is a disparagement to our rehgion, to our profession and calling, and to our Lord and Master we serve, to think that he will not provide richly for bis. You see here he hath prepared things that ' eye hath not seen,' &c.
And by this likewise we may judge of the difference of excellencies ; the difference of degrees of excellencies may be fetched from hence. The things that the eye can see they may be excellent good things, but if the eye can see them there is no great matters in them. The thing that the ear hears by reports are mox'e than the eye sees. We may hear much that we never saw, yet if we can hear them and conceive of them upon the hearing, they are no great matters, for the soul is larger than they. We conceive more than we can hear ; the conceit is beyond sight and hearing. If we can conceive the compass and latitude of anything, it is no great matter, for it is within the reach, and model, and apprehension of man's brain ; it is no wondrous matter. Ay, but then the things that are most excellent of all they are above sight and beholding and hearing and conceit, that the soul cannot wholly compass and reach them. Those are the excellent things of all. The rule of excellency is to know what we can conceive, and what is beyond our comprehension. The wit of man can conceive all things under the heavens. All the knowledge we have comes within the brain of man ; the government of states and the like. Oh but the things that God hath provided for his never came wholly within the brain of man, and therefore they are the most excellent !
And so by way of contraries for ills ; what are the greatest ills ? Those that the eye can see, that we can feel, and hear of, and conceive ? Oh no. The greatest ills are those torments that never eye saw, that ear never heard of. It is to be in hell to know these things. They are beyond our conceit. ' The worm that dies not, fire unquenchable,' Mark ix. 43, the things above our apprehension are the most terrible things. It is not the gout or the stone. Men feel these things, and yet suffer them with some patience. These are not the greatest ills, but those of another world that are reserved for God's enemies ; as the best things are those that are reserved for his friends.
Therefore let us make use of our understandings in laying things toge- ther, and make use of God's discovery of the state of Christianity, the excellencies of religion. Why doth God reveal these things in the word ? That we should oft meditate of them, and study them, that we may be heavenly-minded. For there are none that come to heaven but they must have a taste of these beforehand. There are none ever enjoy them in per-
174 A GLANCE OF HEAVEN.
fcction. When the day of revelation shall come (the gospel now is the time of revelation, but the day of revelation is the time of judgment), then shall we be revealed what we are. But in the mean time there is a revelation by the Spirit in some beginnings of these things, or else we shall never come to have the perfection of them in heaven. If we know not what peace, and joy, and comfort, and the communion of the saints, and the change of nature is here in sanctilication, we shall never know in heaven the fullilling of it.
And those that have the first fruits here, if thoy he in a state of growth, that they desire to grow better continually, they shall, no question, come to the perfection ; for God will not lose his beginnings. Where he gives earnest, he will make up the bargain.
Therefore let us all that know a little what these things are by the reve- lation of the Spirit, let us be glad of our portion. For God that bath begun, he will surely make an end.