But who be the parties that God hath prepared these things for ?
' For them that love him.'
This is the fourth part, the disposition of the parties for whom, * for them that love him.'
Quest. 1. Wluj not for those that God hath elected? Why doth he not go to the root of all ? The great things that God hath prepared for those that he hath chosen to salvation ? No. That is out of our reach. He would not have us to go to heaven, but rather go to our own hearts. We must search for our election, not above ourselves, but within ourselves.
Quest. 2. Why doth he not say, to them that believe in him, because faith is the radical grace from whence the rest spring ?
Ans. But faith is a hidden gi'ace many times ; and the apostle's scope is to point to such a disposition, that every one may know, that is more familiar. Sometimes faith is hidden in the root, and it is shewed in the efiect more than in itself, in love. A poor Christian that is in the state of grace, that saith, ' Oh, I cannot believe,' ask him if he love God. Oh yes ; he loves the preaching of the word ; he loves good people and good books, and the like. When he cannot discover his faith, he can his love. Therefore the Holy Ghost sets it out by the more familiar disposition, by love rather than faith.
Quest. 3. Why doth he not say, For those that God loves? God's love is the cause of our love.
Ans. Because God's love is manifested more familiarly by our love to him ; for that is always supposed. Wheresoever there is love to God, and good things, there is God's love first. For our love to God is but a reflection of that love he bears to us. First, he shines on us, and then the beams of our love reflect upon him. Therefore he need not say, whom God loves
176 A GLANCE OF HEAVEN.
(though that bo the cause of all), but who love God ; and know thereby that he loves them.
Quest. 4. But v'lii/ for them that lore him more tlmnfor amf other thing ?
Ans. liecaune all, can love. Therefore he sets down this affection. There is no man living, not the poorest lazar* in the world, that hath a heart and affections, but he can love. He doth not say, that are pi-epared for this great Christian, and that learned llabbi. No. But for all that love him, bo they poor or rich, great or small, all those that love him. Therefore he sets down that to cut off all excuses. Yea, and all that love him, be they never so many, are sure to have these gi'eat things prepared for them. God hath ' prepared these things for those that love him,'
To come therefore to some observations. The first general thing is this, that
Obs. God doth qualifij all those in this ivorld, thatlie ha tli prepared heaven and happiness for in another world.
The cause of it is his free love. But if you ask me what qualifications the persons must have ? They are such as ' love him.' This is not the proper cause why, but the qualification of the persons ^for whom these' things are. There must be an inward disposition and qualification, before we come to heaven. All those that hope for heaven without presumption must have this qualification, they must be such as ' love him.'
Why?
Reasons. The Scripture is plain, (1.) No unclean thing shall enter into heaven. No whoremonger, or drunkard, or filthy person. Be not deceived, saith the apostle, you think God is merciful, and Christ died, &c., but neither such, nor such as you are (and your consciences tell you so) shall ever enter into heaven, 1 Cor. vi. 9, seq. We must not think to come e cmno in cceluin, out of the mire and dirt of sin into heaven. There is no such sudden getting into heaven ; but there must be an alteration of our dispositions, wrought by the Spirit of God, fitting us for heaven.
(2.) Another is, that that I touched before, that heaven and earth differ but in degrees, therefore what is there in perfection must be begun here.
(3.) Then again, thirdly, it is imiwssible for a man, if he be not truly altered, to desire or ^oish heaven as it is holy. He may wish for it under the notion of a kingdom, of pleasure, and the like ; but as heaven contains a state of perfect holiness and freedom from sin, he cares not for it. A man that is out of relish with heavenly things, and can taste only his base sins, whereon his affections are set and exercised, cannot relish heaven itself. A common, base sinner, his desires are not there. There must be some proportion between the thing desired, and the desire. But here is none. He is not for that place, being an unholy wretch.
Therefore his own heart tells him, I had rather have this pleasure and honour that my heart stands to, than to have heaven, while he is in that frame of desire. Therefore there is no man that can desire heaven that is not disposed aright to heaven before. Beetles love dunghills better than oint- ments, and swine love mud better than a garden. They are in their element in these things. So take a swinish base creature, he loves to wallow in this world. Tell him of heaven : he hath no eyes to see it, no ears to hear it ; except he may have that in heaven that his heart stands to (which he shall never have), he hath no desire of heaven. Therefore in these and the like respects, of necessity there must be a disposition wrought before we come there. These things are prepared for those that ' love God.' * That is, ' diseased beggar like Lazarus.' — G,