Second sermon preach'd before the King and Queen and Queen Dowager in Their Majesties chappel at St. James's upon All-Saints Day, November 1, 1685 by ... Ph. Ellis, monk of the holy order of S. Benedict and of the English Congr.

SECOND SERMON Preach'd before the KING and QUEEN , AND QVEEN DOWAGER , On All-Saints Day , Nov. 1. 1685. Gaudete , & exultate , quia merces vestra copiosa est in coelis . Matth. 5.12 . Rejoyce , and be exceeding glad , for great is your reward in heaven . Matth. 5.12 .

IT is more then Eight hundred Years ( most Sacred Majesty ) since the Church Militant , the Parent as well as Sister of the Church Triumphant , condescending to pious Instances of her Children tending to Perfection , appointed this Solemnity for our encouragement , and in memory of the just made perfect . And tho' a Feast of this Denomination be not so much recommended for its Antiquity , as for the Piety , which is always seasonable , and the fitness of its Institution ; Psal. 150.1 . yet it is no new thing to praise God in his Saints , as the Royal Prophet exhorts ; Hebr. 6.10 . nor to minister to them while living ( as the Apostle advises ) nor after their departure to erect Altars to Almighty God under their Invocation , crown'd with Garlands , and ecchoing with Hymns of Joy , on the Anniversary Days of their Deposition , as was the Practice of the first Ages .

For since they possess what St. Paul with so much earnestness and assiduity of Prayer wish'd the Ephesians ; Ephes. 1.17 . The spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God , the eyes of their understanding being enlightned , to discern what is the hope to which the Father of Glory calls them , and how great are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in his saints ; We who are Candidates of that Wisdom , who are cleansing and preparing our Eyes for that Revelation , can do no less then congratulate their Felicity , then celebrate their Victories , then attend their Triumphs . And since we all fight under the same Standard where they conquer'd , observe the same Order and Discipline which render'd them victorious , joyn in the same Faith , ( or at least in a preparation of mind to it ) and in the same Practices of a holy Life , ( or in a tendency to them ) which produc'd their Reward in Heaven ; So is it fitting that Once a year we draw all our Devotions together , which were dispers'd thro' the revolution of their separate Festivals , and that the Church Militant joyn in Body with the Triumphant , to contemplate that Glory which we hope one day will be our own , nay which is already ours by Anticipation , because it is that of our Fellow-Members and Brethren .

For besides the blessed hope that we shall arrive to the fellowship of the saints , a hope that do's not only intitle us to a Possession , but even gives while it promises , since They were in a mortal Condition whom he calls not strangers and forreiners , Ephes. 2.19 . but citizens of the saints , and the houshold of God . Besides this , I say , there is not any one in this most Honorable and Religious Assembly , that has not a peculiar interest in the Honor of this Day ; There is not any one of us that do's not piously confide , that he has a Parent , or a Child , or a Relation , or a Friend , and what is an accumulative joy to a Christian Heart , an Enemy and Persecutor enroll'd in this blessed Society . And how joyful a Reflection is it to your Sacred Majesties , that so many of your Royal Ancestors , and mighty Predecessors , 1 Pet. 5.4 . inherit a never-fading crown of glory , and possess a Kingdom which they do not transmit , but willingly share with their Posterity , without lessening their Greatness ! a Kingdom , where the Enjoyment is eternal , where Peace is essential , where the Lion and the Lamb lie down together , the red and white Roses are twisted in the same Garland , the Edwards and the Henrys embrace , and the fierce Britain rejoyces that the Royal Blood of Scotland runs in English Veins . This blessed Expectation bore up their Spirits under the weight of Cares and Solicitudes , which are inseparable from an earthly Crown ; it kept a rein upon the effervescence of Nature amidst the Temptations that hover about a Court ; it made them postpone the Magnificence of their State , to the adorning their Souls ; and while they desir'd what they did not see , made them contemn what they saw , Phil. 3.8 . and count all as dross that they might gain Christ . Now they see what they believ'd , they possess what they hop'd , they obtain what they desir'd ; and thus shall the man be blessed that fears our Lord ; especially your Sacred Majesties , who inherit their Vertues no less then their Crowns , making it the principal Subject of your Joy , That your reward will be great in heaven . I beg also it may be the Subject of your Attention , after I have implor'd the assistance of Him that is the crown of all the Saints , and which I hope to obtain by her Intercession who is so dignifi'd a Member of that blessed Assembly , that if the other Saints are the Friends and Domesticks , she alone is the Mother of God , becoming so when the Angel Saluted her , Ave Maria.

Rejoyce , and be exceeding glad , for great is your reward in heaven .

THere never was a Question started so early in the World , nor so warmly discuss'd , and , what was most unhappy to Mankind , so late resolv'd , as that of the Rational Soul existing in another World , and of a well-spent Life being attended with a Reward in Heaven . The sober and sound Men of every Age singled it out as the chiefest Object of their profoundest Speculation , and the Libertine made it the Subject of his Mirth and Raillery ; with this only difference between other Times and these we live in , That the most Witty , and best Parted Men of the Gentiles , were the most serious Enquirers after this Verity , arriv'd to a glimpse of it by the light of Nature , and wrought out an imperfect Idea of it by the force of Reason : But in our Days , in the Noon of Christianity , and the clearest Proposal of our End , it is become the Character of a Wit , either wholly to neglect this greatest Concern , or to study the Resolution meerly to revive the Question ; and while the Heathen submits to the Doctrine of Christ , the Christian endeavours to subject it once more to Dispute ; verifying the Paradox of the Philosopher , That no one can be happy against his will , nor wou'd the ill Man be so by his good will .

Indeed no Man can be so miserable as not to desire to be happy , and self-love , which is the occasion of his misery , is the root of this desire . But Men frame to themselves so childish , so mean , or so sensual a Beatitude , that themselves blush to own ; but while they are not asham'd to pursue it , they lay an Obligation upon us , who are the Dispensers of the Mysteries of God , to shew ,

That there is no true happiness to be found in the World ( which is my First Point ; ) unless it be in a firm Belief , Division . 1 and serious Practice of Christian Religion , which is admirably compris'd in the Gospel of the Day : This is my Second Point , and the only way that leads to a final Beatitude in Heaven ( my last Consideration ) where it is bestow'd as a reward of our Faith and good Life , which shall make my Conclusion .

I. THE Holy Ghost instructing King Solomon how to delineate the folly of Man , and his progress in it , who calculates his Happiness from worldly Enjoyments , reduces the multitude of our Errors and Mistakes touching that Point , to Three principal Heads , as our Blessed Master and Doctor of Justice , seated on a Mountain ( to express the sublimeness of his Doctrine , ) comprehends all the Methods leading to a true Felicity , in Eight Beatitudes .

For every Man that yields to the bent of Nature , seeks his Enjoyment either , 1. In corporal Pleasures , the Delights of the Senses ; 2. Or in Honor and Greatness , the Delights of the Passions ; 3. Or in Wisdom and Knowledge , the Delights of the Mind .

A Gradation taken notice of by S. John , tho' express'd in other terms , 1 John 2.16 . Concupiscence of the flesh , concupiscence of the eyes , and pride of life .

1st . When a Man is arriv'd to the opening and bloom of his Reason , that part of Life we call Youth , he becomes more heady then to be govern'd intirely by the Reason of another , yet remains more weak and unsteddy then to be guided by his own : Wherefore Sense takes the Chair , the heat of Blood and corruption of Nature put in for his bosom Counsellors , and by their advice he abandons himself to Libertinism and Disorder . His Language and Behaviour is admirably personated in the Book of Wisdom ; Let us go , says he , Sap. 2.6 , &c. and enjoy the things that are before us . Et utamur creatura tanquam in juventute celeriter . Let us live apace , and use the creature before that and our youth pass away . Let us bathe our temples in rich wines , and shed sweet oyntments on our heads , let no flower of the field escape our hand ; we will crown our selves with roses before they wither ; we will leave marks of our luxury and riot where-ever we go , Quoniam haec est pars nostra , & haec est sors , This is our portion , and this is our end ; 1 Cor. 15.32 . Let us eat and drink , for to morrow we shall die .

But when by access of years that irregular Heat evaporates , and the Spirits grow more cool and temperate , he soon grows weary of such Pleasures as he finds by a woful Experience to ruine the Health and Constitution of his Body , and sadly to deface the Beauty of his Soul . Then he upbraids his charming Deceivers , and expostulates with the Objects of his folly ; Risum reputavi errorem , Eccl. 2.2 . & gaudio dixi , cur frustra deciperis ? Laughter and merriment I thought a cheat , and I said to joy , Why hast thou vainly deceiv'd me ? For he plainly sees , that can never be the Happiness of a Reasonable Creature , which is a torment to the Reason , and a remorse to the Conscience , where the Delight passes , and the Sting remains .

2 ly . With such Reflections the Prodigal returning into himself , takes leave of his former Courses , and enters upon another more refin'd and elevated , changing indeed his Passion , but not his Slavery . He quits the concupiscence of the flesh for concupiscence of the eyes , and pride of life ; the proud and curious Person being only the sensual Man reform'd . He aspires to Honor and Preferment , courts Fame and Esteem , entertains the largest Retinue he can make , and worships the Populace , that they may return his Adoration with Interest ; and , in a word , labours to hide and varnish over the Stains of a corrupt and infamous Life , with the formalities and lustre of Greatness . But no sooner is he well acquainted with his new Choice , then he discovers the vanity and emptiness of that too ; the thing for which he is so valu'd by others , sits uneasie upon his Shoulders ; Use and Custom take off the sense of Pleasure , and his Happiness corrupts into Affliction of spirit . He experiences that Honors too have their weight , that Dignities are Burthens and Servitude under a finer Name ; Fulgidi compedes & clara miseria , Golden Fetters , and a dazling Misery : Riches , but the occasion of Disquiet ; Pomp , the object of Envy ; Fame , but the opinion of Men , and of no longer duration then their other Fancies . Psal. 75.6 . Dormierunt somnum suum ( says a Prince , as Great and Powerful , as he was Learn'd and Holy , ) & nihil invenerunt omnes viri divitiarum in manibus suis ; Thus the Rich and the Great sleep out their golden dreams , and when they awake find nothing in their hands .

3 ly . But perhaps the Contemplation of Wisdom may afford a more solid fruition . To distinguish Verity from Vanity , Truth from Falshood , seem to raise a Man above the level of Mankind , distinguishes him from the unthinking Multitude , and cuts off many Branches of our Misery which spring from Ignorance , and want of Reflexion . But alass , the Crop do's not answer the Tillage : Eccles. 1.18 . Qui addit scientam , addit & laborem ; He that increases knowledge , adds to his labour , but not to his satisfaction . In many things our Principles are meerly supposed , our Maxims prove but Opinions ; the causes and natures of the lowest and most obvious things are so far above our reach , and our Understanding so clouded and circumscrib'd within so narrow limits , that again with the wifest of Men he deserts all his labour , and discovers even This to be the greatest vanity of all ; while the fruit he reaps from so much pains , 1 Cor. 8.1 . amounts only to a puffing up of the mind ( as the Apostle speaks , ) and as S. Augustine ingeniously Comments from his own experience , Superbae dejectioni & inquietae lassitudini , To a haughty dejection of Spirit , and restless weariness of Heart .

There is no Man that gives way to the Inclinations of corrupt Nature , but has follow'd one or more of these Courses ; and I appeal to his own experience , if he has not fail'd of his expectation : if his eye has been satisfi'd with seeing , or his ear with hearing , or his heart with desiring . I allow him to have found a Beatitude where no wise Man wou'd have fought it . But while I see him like the Dove flying from the Ark , and not finding where he can rest his foot ; while I contemplate every Sinner in the state of a weary and weather-beaten Traveller , that sits down on the barren Sands in an untrac'd Desert , uneasie in himself , and uncertain whether he be nearer his Journeys end then when he first set out ; I am ready to pronounce with the Royal Prophet , Psal. 11.9 . In circuitu impii ambulant ; The wicked walk in a circle : They make forward in vain , they only change their Place by shifting their Pleasures , but they approach not a Hairs-breadth nearer the Centre , Beatitude .

You desire to be happy ; so far you are in the right , 't is what you were created to : Bonum quaeris , St. Aug. sed non benè ; What you seek is good , but 't is not where you look after it ; Job . 28.13 . It is not found in the land of those that live deliciously , said holy Job . You search after Life in the Region of Death , and in despite of our Saviour's Admonition , you are still looking for Grapes upon Thorns , and Figs upon Thistles ; for Joy in the Vale of Tears : non invenitur . You place your End among things inferiour to your selves ; Luc. 17.27 . you enquire after Happiness among things without , while the Kingdom of God is within you .

It is my Second Point , That nothing but Christian Religion , and the observance of its Doctrines and Precepts , can make Man happy .

II. It is the peculiar advantage , the excellence , and ( as I may say ) the incommunicable Attribute of Christ's Doctrine , that it discovers a Man to himself , that it opens , and searches and heals those Wounds , which all other Religions either imperfectly cure , as the Old Law ; or labour to conceal , as the Moral of Philosophy ; or widen and inflame , as the Pagan and Mahometan Worship . None but Christianity proposes an End worthy an intellectual Being , and prescribes Means to obtain it proportion'd to a reasonable Agent .

For the Jewish Law , Rom. 7.12 . ( as the Apostle says ) indeed was just and holy , yet brought nothing to perfection ; Hebr. 7.19 . its Promises for the most part mean and carnal , a Land flowing with milk and hony , a numerous issue , and length of life : The Means servile and coactive , terrible in the Promulgation , amidst Thunder and Lightning ; Severe in the Exaction , with Menaces of Death , repeated at every turn ; And in fine , difficult and heavy in the Execution , a yoke , Acts 15.10 . which neither our fathers , says St. Peter , nor we were able to bear .

The Religion of the Pagans or Gentiles , stands condemn'd for no less then gross and palpable Contradictions to the in-born Principles of Reason . For a fundamental Error in the Object of Divine Worship , by constituting a plurality of Gods , by paying Divine Honors to Creatures . For the manner too of their Worship , humane and ungrounded Inventions , and these , either unnaturally cruel , as the sacrificing of Men ; or superstitiously foolish , as adoring Idols ; or shamefully unclean , such as Cato , or any grave Person , wou'd blush to assist at . For the End , either meerly Negative , by teaching the mortality and perishing of the Soul ; or by assigning it an idle and empty Happiness in the Elysian Walks , which rises no higher then to a meer privation of Pain .

Every one knows the Doctrine of Mahomet to be stuff'd with so many Absurdities , the Means of its propagation so violent and bloody , and the End ( a carnal Paradice ) so beneath the Inclinations of an honest Mind , that one may wonder how it can be favour'd by any , except that barbarous People , whose Brutality it indulged , and with whose Arms it travell'd and conquer'd . Believe me , Christians , a just Punishment of God upon those Nations ( a Punishment which I pray may never come home to our own Doors , ) for the abuse and contempt of a more holy Religion .

And these Religions consider'd in their sounder Parts , principally regard the exterior , and Ceremonies of Worship more then the Substance ; they draw not Man into himself , and therefore merit not the Denomination they bear ; they are levell'd to the gross Conceptions of the Vulgar , but are not Religions for Men of good Sence and Learning .

A Religion purely spiritual , wou'd indeed be more adapted to the Understanding of sharp and Learned Men , but what wou'd become then of the far major part of Mankind , that is led by sensible to spiritual things ? Now only Christian Religion can pretend to this double perfection , being a debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians , both to the wise and to the unwise , to the Unlearned as well as to the Learned ; shewing in her exterior a grave decency of Rites and Ceremonies ; and offering to the interior a Doctrine so chast , so pure , so perfect , that a gentile and docil Soul wou'd be sorry it shou'd not be true , and which a Man of Reason must acknowledge to be the only true one .

For that Religion can only be so , which proposes to Man the knowledge of himself , as I before alledged ; for without the discovery of himself and of his Nature , he can never know what is his End , or what are the Means directing to it , and by evident Consequence can have no true Idea either of God or Vertue .

Now to the knowledge of his own Nature , 't is requisite he discern the Dignity and Misery of it ; the Perfection of which it is capable , and the Corruption in which it is immersed . If we do not conceive our selves to be most excellent and noble Creatures , ( says an eminent Writer ) we are intolerably stupid ; and if we do not perceive at the same time , that we are wretched , full of pride , passion , and weakness , we are strangely blind . Yet not any Teacher besides Jesus Christ ever pretended to clear and lay open those two important Verities , That by the excellency of our Nature we are capable of enjoying the sovereign Good , and of reigning with God in Heaven ; but by the Corruption of our Nature we are unworthy of him . 'T is absolutely and equally necessary in order to Man's Happiness , that he be convinc'd of these Truths ; for it is equally dangerous to know our design'd End , without knowing our deserv'd Misery ; and to know our Misery , without knowing the Means how to repair our Ruines , to retrieve our Innocence , to ward the Punishment , and to re-entitle us to the Reward in Heaven .

But this is above the flight of Reason , without the assistance of Revelation , that is , Religion . Philosophy leaves us quite in the dark , the Stoa and the Academy talk wildly upon the Point , and prescribe Methods that can never be reduc'd to Practice , and would not do the work if they could be : And tho' divine Plato discover'd the Happiness of the Creature to consist in becoming like the Creator ; yet his Morals are as defective as those of his Neighbours , and he must yield up his mighty Title to Jesus Christ the Teacher of Justice , who in the Gospel of this Day ( which is the beginning of that truly divine Sermon recorded by the Evangelist in this and the two following Chapters ) establishes all the natural Principles of Truth and Goodness , fills up the Imperfections of the Judaical , dashes out the unlawful Permissions of the Heathen Moral , delivers a perfect Idea of the Science of Saints , Sap. 10.10 . Scientiae Sanctorum ; and in a word , draws an exact Map of all the Ways that lead to our eternal Beatitude . To shew this is my last Point .

III. God often tells us in his holy Word , that he has set fire and water , good and evil before us , that we may stretch out our Hand to which we please , giving us sufficient strength to pursue the one , and to avoid the other : In the right use of which liberty , and compliance with Divine Grace , consists true wisdom ; Eccles. 12.13 . for to fear God , which chiefly regards the avoiding of evil , and to keep his Commandments , which regards the election of good , is the whole duty of man , Deum time , &c.

Now this avoiding of evil is chiefly placed in restraining our Affections , and weaning them from the love of temporal things ; and because ( as S. Paul observes ) those that will be rich , fall into temptation , 1 Tim. 6.9 . and the snare of the devil ; Therefore Beati pauperes , Blessed are the poor . Yet because a Man may turn his Poverty into a Subject of Vanity , and as Plato smartly reply'd to the Cynique , may trample upon Riches and Greatness with greater Pride then another retains them , Therefore , Beati pauperes spiritu ; Blessed are the poor , not simply , but such as are poor in spirit . For when God has bestow'd upon you a plentiful Fortune , the Law of Christ do's not oblige you to renounce that as evil , which is the Gift of God , and a Blessing ; but to limit your Desires , and to consider your self as his Steward , thro' whose Hands he conveys his Blessings unto your indigent Neighbour . This you must do , if you would avoid evil . But the election of good stops not here ; Charitas Christi urget nos , The love of Christ carries us on to be earnest and zealous for the performance of every Duty ; earnest in our own Practice , and zealous to encourage others in the Ways of Heaven ; Therefore Beati qui esuriunt , Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice , and when they arrive to the term of their labours , they shall be satisfi'd . But the mean time they must not lose courage , if they meet with any opposition in the way ; 2 Tim. 2.5 . for he shall not be crown'd that do's not fight lawfully . The Law of Arms to the Soldiers of Christ , is chiefly passive Valour . Prayers and Tears are the only Weapons of a Christian , ( say the Fathers ) and those that otherwise resist , Rom. 13.2 . ( cries the Apostle ) shall receive to themselves damnation . Therefore Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur , Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake . And that no one may think this a hard Lesson , the Encouragement is so bright , that any wise Man as well as St. James , would count it all joy to fall into divers temptations ; for the reward is so great in Heaven , that nothing less then the Kingdom of Heaven it self shall be the Reward : for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven .

Such is a Christian in the Field ; but he is also the Member of Civil Society , and the best Constituted Government in the World ; which teaches him such Calmness in his Motion , such Modesty in his Behaviour , such Sincerity in his Dealings , such a Command of his Passions , as set a Beauty on our Religion , which never any other so much as pretended to , as Canonize Civility , and make good Breeding a Christian Vertue , worthy a Beatitude , for Blessed are the meek , deserving a Reward , for they shall inherit the land , no question that which the Psalmist mentions , Psal. 26.13 . the land of the living .

But if you sit down contented with your own Performances , you will fall short of the Reward ; Eccl. 17.12 . Because Mandavit unicuique de proximo suo ; God has commanded every one to be concern'd for his Neighour . And it is not sufficient to take notice of his corporal Wants , if you pass by his spiritual unregarded . Therefore , Beati qui lugent ; Blessed are those that mourn , that lay to heart , and take home to themselves the Excesses and Corruptions of their Fellow-Members . For if the King and Prophet had reason to lay claim to a share in the Merits of all good Men , Psal. 118.63 . I am a partaker with all those that fear thee , and keep thy commandments ; have not we as much reason to apprehend we shall be accountable for all the Sins of Mankind that we can obviate , or for not bewailing them , if we cannot ? and tho' the Effect correspond not to our Endeavours , yet our reward shall be great in Heaven ; Ipsi consolabuntur , Such shall be comforted .

But some Offences are directed against our selves , which we must be as ready to pardon , as to correct those which are committed against others ; This being the Heroick , and ( as I may say ) the Specifick Vertue of a Christian , inspiring a Generosity not only to pass by an Injury , not only to scorn a Revenge , ( a thing so sweet to Nature , and so honorable to false Reputation ) but even to bear above the Resentment ; and if I may apply the Apostle's Phrase , To insert the olive-branch into the wild olive , and graft Kindnesses upon the Stock of Injuries and Ingratitude : for Blessed are the merciful , for they shall obtain mercy . And tho' the word 〈◊〉〈◊〉〈◊〉〈◊〉〈◊〉 properly signifies those that give Alms , St. Augustine teaches us there is no Alms-deed like that of forgiving an Injury .

Yet this Charity limited to our private Concerns , is not easily distinguish'd from Self-love ; and to forgive that we may be forgiven , carries so much of Interest along with it , that a Man who is not tender and compassionate to his Brother , is at the same time barbarous and inhumane to himself . Love , therefore , is of a more diffusive quality , and must extend to all those Feuds and Differences which are daily breaking out between such as have no other relation to our selves , then the common Bands of Humane Society . And upon this account Blessed are the peace-makers , Beati pacifici ; a Benediction that reaches from the Cottager to the Monarch that sits upon the Throne , takes in all Mankind that lends a Hand towards establishing the Empire of Peace , but sheds it self more plentifully on the Head , that sacred Head by whose most wise Conduct , and unwearied Industry , we rest this day in the beauty of Peace , while he sits above a living Representation of the only God we worship , Psal. 75.3 . whose Place is made in peace . And if such as contribute the most to the welfare of Mankind , deserve a higher Reward , we that are in a lower Station , cannot envy them a more elevated Benediction ; Quoniam Filii Dei vocabuntur , They shall be stil'd the Sons of God , because they carry on the great Work which the Son of God began in the World , reaching from end to end powerfully , and disposing all things sweetly , Sap. 8.1 . as the Wise-man predicted ; and by propagating a Blessed Vnion in this nether Hierusalem , antidate the Joys of that which is above , which is our Mother , and where all her Children have but one heart , and one soul ; neither divided by Interest , nor disquieted by Passion , nor stain'd by Imperfection ; but perfectly resembling that of their Blessed Master , describ'd by the Apostle , Hebr. 7.26 . Holy , unblemished , innocent , made higher then the Heavens , ( which is only the Place of their Beatitude ) the Beatitude it self consisting in this , Blessed are the clean of heart , because they shall see God . I reserved this to the last , it being the very top of the mystical Ladder , where our Lord appears leaning ; for upon such his Spirit rests , and by such Purity they rest eternally in him .

And now before I was aware I have clear'd the last Point that I design'd to Discourse to you , the essential Glory of the Saints . Clear'd it , did I say ? 't was an improper word : Had I the Tongue of Men and Angels , I cou'd never express what the heart of man cannot conceive ; 1 Cor. 2.9 . and you know the Heart can conceive infinitely beyond what the Tongue can express . The great Apostle in his Rapture to the Third Heaven , I am apt to think , among those arcana verba , 2 Cor. 12.4 . those unspeakable words he heard , had some account of this blessed State ; but he gives us no other Prospect then thro' a Glass , and in a Riddle , 1 Cor. 13.12 . that we know now only in part ; the rest is wrapt up in the obscurity of Faith , is left to the expectations of Hope , and an impossibility of Expression , Non licet homini loqui .

But while my Gospel acquaints you that you shall see God , what need you more to raise your Imaginations , to inflame your Hearts , to quicken and inspirit your Desires ? or if the word seeing cannot put into you a lively Idea of that Glory , add to it the Explication in another Text , John 17.3 . This is eternal life , to KNOW thee , the true God , and whom thou hast sent , Jesus Christ . To have our Understandings fill'd with a clear knowledge of the most perfect Being , of the sovereign Truth , of the original Cause of things , and in that of all other Causes , Effects , and Productions , as well natural as supernatural , makes the Man of Reason , the Lover of Truth , to sally out of himself , to strive to break his Chains , and languish to be with Christ , and wish with the Royal Prophet , Psal. 55.6 . that He had the wings of a Dove , that he might flie , and be at rest , in Contemplation of that self-evident Truth , supream Reason , VERITY , ( as I say ) the chief Attribute of God .

But you are not to imagine that the Beatitude of the Saints is plac'd in a perpetual gazing upon the Divine Beauties , or in a sterial Speculation of Truth ; from the Mind it flows into the Heart , from the Understanding into the Will , penetrating all the interior of the Soul , transforming her in a certain manner into God , begetting Ecstasies without emotion , Languishings without defect , Enjoyments without satiety , Love without measure , and Fruition without end .

O you Joys of Heaven , how do you swallow up our thoughts , and fill us at once with Pleasure and Amazement ! and yet we must cry out as the Queen of Sheba did when she beheld a faint Representation of you in the Court of King Solomon , that Half your Delights have not been told us . Blessed are they that stand in thy Courts , and minister to thy King Day and Night ; Day without Night I shou'd have said , where every Moment is an Age , Psal. 89.4 . Et mille Anni tanquam Dies , and a thousand Years cannot fill up a Day : Love is the measure of this Duration , and the Eternity of God the measure of Love .

Blessed God! thy Nature is Goodness , and therefore thy Work must be Mercy ; that thou art so free of thy Creatures , I do not wonder ; thou bestowest them on Man , thy better Creation ; but why art thou so liberal of thy Self ? Why hast thou prepar'd such a Happiness in Heaven for those that are seeking a Paradice upon Earth ? that are contented to barter their Eternal weight of Glory for a gaudy Trifle , for a shining piece of Earth , for the gratifying a Lust , or an Ambition , for a mean , or a sordid , or at the best , but a momentary Pleasure ? Cur posuisti pretium in manu stulti ? Why hast thou laid such an inestimable Treasure in the hands of ungrateful and insensible Men , that neither know the value , nor value the use ?

No , Christians , we have no reason to expostulate with our God ; for tho' by condescending to our infirmity , he has underset the Joys of his Kingdom , yet there are Conditions propos'd , and without the performance of which , there is no Heaven for us . Apoc. 21.7 . Qui vicerit possidebit haec ; He that overcomes ( says he ) shall possess these things : And do we fondly promise our selves the Triumph before the Victory , or a Victory before we have struck a Stroke ? Indeed Christ bids us be confident , John 16.33 . for he has overcome the world ; but do's not he give us warning , that whosoever observes not the same Discipline , takes not up his cross , Matth. 10.38 . and follows him , is not worthy of him ? But is not Jesus Christ the author of eternal salvation ? Hebr. 4.9 . Yes ( replies the Apostle ) to them that obey him . Rom. 1.17 . Gal. 5.6 . But do's not the just man live by Faith ? Yes , if it work by Charity : For he that trusts to the strength of his Faith , without the support of a good Life , is as blameable as the Apostles , when they rejoyced at their power of ejecting Devils . Tho' our Faith be of such prevalency as to remove mountains , still by Good-works we are to make our calling and election sure , 2 Pet. 1.10 . still we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling , Phil. 2.12 . and only rejoyce that our reward is great in Heaven , a Reward not bestow'd on those who stand all day idle in the market-place , but to those that labour in the vineyard ; a Reward that shall be distributed in number , weight , and measure , in proportion , and beyond all proportion to our smallest Performances ; but shall be more plentifully bestow'd on those , who like your Sacred Majesties , bear the burthen of the heat , and of the day ; which we wish for the good of your People , you may long support , and hear , not till after a long and prosperous Reign , that comfortable Invitation of your Original , Luc. 22.28 . Ye are they which have continu'd with me in my temptations , and I appoint unto you a Kingdom , as my Father hath appointed unto me ; that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom , and sit on Thrones , judging the Tribes of your own Israel , In the Name of the Father , and of the Son , and of the Holy Ghost . Amen .

FINIS .