Firat, The doctrine of the gospel, the publishing of it.
And then, secondly, Grace by that doctrine.
And thirdly, Glory upon grace, the consummation of all.
So the mysteries of salvation is, first, the doctrine itself. That is the first degree of the kingdom. The doctrine itself is a mystery to all those that never heard of it ; for what creature could ever conceive laow to recon- cile justice and mercy, by devising such a way as for God to become man, to reconcile God and man together ? That Immanuel, he that is ' God with us,' should make God and us one in love, this could be no more thought of, than Adam could think of himself to be made a man when he was dust of the earth. Could man when he was worse than dust, in a lost, damned estate, think of redemption ? It is impossible for a man that cannot tell the form and the quintessence, that cannot enter into the depth of the flowers, or the grass that he tramples on with his feet, that he should have the witf to enter into the deep things of God, that have been con- cealed even from the angels themselves till God discover them. I add this to illustrate what I said before. Therefore the doctrine itself, till God discover it out of his own breast, was concealed to the angels themselves ; and since the discovery, they are students in it, and look and pry into it, 1 Peter i. 12. But where the doctrine is no mystery, but is discovered, there the application and spiritual understanding, to those that have not the light of the Spirit, is such a thing as ' eye hath not seen nor ear heard.' And therefore we must have a new light, a new eye, a new ear, and a new heart, before we can apprehend the gospel, though we understand it for the literal truth. As for the things of glory, we have no conceit of them fully, but by a glimpse and weak apprehension ; as a child conceives of the things of a man, by some poor weak resemblances. As St Paul saith, ' When I was a child I spake as a child, I thought as a child,' 1 Cor. xiii. 11. So when we are now children, in comparison of that perfect estate we shall attain in heaven, we think and speak as children, of these holy and heavenly things that shall be accomplished in another world.
* That is, = ' scholars.' — G, f That is, ' wisdom.' — G.
A GLANCE OF HEAVEN. 179
And observe this too, that when we would understand anything of heaven, and see anything, say, ' This is not that happiness I look for,' ' I can sec this, but that is not to be seen.' And when we hear of anything that is excellent, ' I can hear this, it is not my happiness.' And when we compre- hend anything, ' I can comprehend this ;' therefore it is not the happiness I look for, but those things that are above my comprehension, that are unutterable and inexpressible.
Moreover, let us be stirred vp to thinlc it a base thin fj for a Christian to lose the comfort and assurance he hath of these things ' that eye hath not seen nor ear heard,' for any earthly thinff irJiatsoever. We account it a poor thing of Esau to sell his birthright for a mess of pottage, Heb. xii. 16. And we all smart for Adam's ill bargain that he made, to sell paradise for an apple. And it was a cursed sale that Judas made, that sold Christ himself for thirty pieces of silver. Surely it is that thsit every carnal man doth ; and howsoever we cannot lose heaven, yet it should be our endeavour to enjoy heaven upon earth, to enjoy the assurance of this condition. When we do anything to weaken our assurance, and to weaken our comfort, w^hat do we but with Adam lose heaven for an apple, and with Esau part with our birthright, as much as the assurance and comfort of it is, for a mess of pottage ? Therefore let us account it a base thing to be over-much in love with any earthly thing, whereby we may weaken (though we could* lose) the comfort and assurance of this happy condition, which is so trans- cendent. All wicked men, and indeed all men whether good or bad, as far as^they fall into sin, are fools ; the Scripture terms them so.f There is none wise indeed but the true Christian, and that Christian that preserves the sense, and feeling, and assurance of his happy condition.
' For those that love him.'
The disposition of the parties is, they are such as ' love God.' He saith not, such as are elected, because that is a thing out of our reach to know ; but by going upward, by going backward, to go from our grace to our calling, and from thence to election ; nor such as believe, because that is less discernible than love ; nor the love of God to us, for that is supposed when we love him. Our hearts being cold, they cannot be warm in love to him, but his love mu&t warm them fii-st. Love is such an affection as commands all other things, therefore he names that above all. And love is such a thing as every one may try himself bj'. If he had named either giving or doing of this or that, men might have said, I cannot do it, or I cannot part with it, but when he names love, there is none but they may love. The point con&idered was, that