come.

would have us, beg the assistance of the Holy Ghost to guide us in this way of understanding, which we shall find incomparably the best, to settle in our mind a sense of the happiness to "For when the soul comes to the perfection of the Spirit, wholly purged from all affections, and united to the Spirit, the Comforter, by an unspeakable communion, so that by this heavenly mixture it becomes worthy to be a spirit, it is all light, all eye, all spirit, all joy, all rest, all exultation, all love, all goodness and sweetness."... "It becomes hereby privy to the counsels of the heavenly King, and knows his secrets. It hath a confidence in the Almighty, and enters into his palace, where the angels and the spirits of the saints are, though it be as yet in this world. For though it hath not attained the entire inheritance prepared for it there, yet it is secure from the earnest it hath received, as if it were crowned and possessed of the kingdoma."

66

Who would not labour then to be so happy, not only hereafter, but also here? there in possession, and here in hope! What a work is it to ascend up into heaven! What laborious steps can lead us to so great an height? What are the sweats of this mortal life to those eternal recompences? By what pains shall we be worthy of friendship with our Maker? How shall we make ourselves a proper habitation for him to dwell in? for he hath said, I and my Father will come and dwell in him that loves me and keeps my commands. This is the end of the good we have in hope: this is the heavenly kingdom: this is the enjoyment of eternal pleasure: this is the never-ceasing joy, the perpetual triumph, the retribution transcending all our labours, nay, all understanding. There are no labours, no, not in thought, equal to this recompense of reward. They all fall so infinitely below it, that for mean, for inconsiderable pains, our transcendently good Lord will give an enjoyment far surpassing all our thoughts. All human endeavours are of no account, though we should wear out a whole life in them, compared with the future blessedness. Though we should sustain a perpetual combat all our days, though they should be prolonged to an hundred years, or to

a Macar. Hom. xviii. [§ 10. apud Galland. Bibl. Patr. tom. vii. p. 8o A.] et xvii. [§ 2. p. 73 B.]

twice as much, or thrice, or a thousand times, and all this while we should contend in a virtuous course, we shall seem to have done nothing when we come to confer it with what we shall receive.

"And therefore let us gladly, by such small and poor labours, strive to purchase these supersublime recompences, and treasure up these never-consuming riches. I call those poor and small, which not only seem so to all, but the perpetual combat of an whole age, the most unwearied pursuit of virtue, the most incessant and fervent pains in its service. For such are the goods which our munificent Lord will give in exchange for them, such are the superabundant riches of his retributions, such is the hyperbole of his loving-kindness and goodness, that, for few things, he will give infinite; for beggary, the greatest riches; for perishing things, goods that last for ever.

"These let us seek, and dedicating ourselves wholly to the Lord, make haste to the obtaining so inestimable a good. Let us consecrate soul and body to him, and be fastened to his cross, that we may be worthy of his eternal kingdom, giving glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen."

CHAP. IX.

Concerning the witnesses on earth; and first of the Water.

You have seen already how many there are that solicit our affections, and persuade us to believe in the Lord Jesus, and heartily consent to him in whatsoever he requires. So many, that how we should deny him, after he himself hath appeared so often with the promises of Eternal Life, and the Father also and the Holy Ghost have commended him to us as the Prince of peace and the Lord of glory, it is harder to give any reason, than it is to prove that he is the Son of God, and that in him is Eternal Life. For, as if these witnesses were not sufficient,

b Georg. Nicomed. in concept. S. Annæ. [Auct. Nov. Biblioth. Patr. Græco-Lat. per Combefim, tom. i. col. 1037 sqq.]

or that we may be borne down by numerous testimonies, there are three more, who are our neighbours, (as I may say,) with whom we are well acquainted, and whose witness none could ever deny, that speak the very same thing, and affirm it as strongly as the other, that God hath given us eternal life, and that it is in his Son Jesus.

Let us call them in too, and hear what they say, in the same order wherein we examined them before in the former business: first taking the testimony of the Water, then of the Blood, and then of the Spirit.

Of the Water.

By Water I have shown we are to understand either that purity whereof it is the instrument, which was most eminent both in Christ's doctrine and life, or else baptism, both John's and his own, by which he appeared to be the Son of God. Let us have so much patience as to hear all these once more, and consider what they say to the point in hand.

I.

And as for the purity and holiness of his doctrine, there is much in it to persuade us that he hath life in himself, and will bestow it upon his followers. Certain it is that (1) it naturally lifts up the mind towards heaven, and disposes those that entertain it to look for eternal life, for which it is but a preparation. For it teaches us to abstract our hearts from this flesh wherewith we are clothed, and from this world wherein we live, as not worthy of all those thoughts and that care which we are apt to bestow upon them. The very intent and purpose of it, we cannot but sce, is to wean our minds from earthly enjoyments, and to take off our affections from the pleasures of sense; to make riches and the praise of men seem little things, and to give us contentment with our portion of present goods though never so small: in short, to render us something like to God himself whilst we are at this distance from him. What can any man make of this, but that it is a preparation for another life; an institution which designs to form men, and make them fit for an higher world? Do but take a review of that compendium which I have drawn of this doctrine in my former book, and you will be satisfied that it is nothing else

but a contrivance to make us heavenly; and intends to guide us to such a life as is a prevention of heaven, a beginning of the celestial state, whereby we shall live, in part, as men of another world, and not of this.

Which future world (2) it is manifest his heavenly doctrine supposes; or else it would be so far from that wisdom which was eminent in him, that it would be the greatest absurdity that can be imagined. For it teaches us, if his service require it, to deny ourselves even in the most innocent and lawful enjoyments of this life; to forsake father and mother and houses and lands for his name's sake; yea, to lay down our very lives rather than forsake his doctrine, and violate his commands. These are express lessons which his sermons teach his disciples: but are things so sublime, so much above the reach of flesh and blood, that it would be the vainest thing in the world to propose them to men's observance, without the hope of something in another life to reward such hard services. He would have had no followers on these terms, had he not made it as plain and evident as the rest of his doctrine, that he would be the Author of eternal salvation to them that would obey him. Men were not so fond of troubles and torments and death as to expose themselves to the danger of them, if they had not seen the greatest reason to believe that their Master would recompense their present sufferings with a future happiness so incomparably greater, that it would be the highest folly to avoid them. None can suppose the author of such a religion to be so weak as not to understand that men would never embrace this profession, unless, at the same time that he called them to this high pitch of piety, he called them also, as the apostle speaks, to his kingdom and glory. And therefore, without all doubt, our Lord took care to preach this as the principal thing, and to give good assurance of a blessed state to come; because without this it had been the most ungrounded and foolish undertaking that ever man went about, to persuade the world to be so mortified, to quit all present possessions, and to part with their lives for his sake. He must have been the most unreasonable of all other men in preaching such doctrine, and supposed the world void of all reason, if he expected to have it believed, had he not been certain himself, and been able by evident proofs to persuade others, that all

those who hearkened to him should be no losers, but exceeding great gainers, by quitting all things upon his account. If he had not held this truth in his hands, as clear as the sun, that they who would follow him should be immortally happy, he might have stretched them out long enough before he had drawn so much as one follower after him. The trees would as soon have followed him as men; who would never have stirred a foot in such a narrow path, unless he had shown them plainly that it led to everlasting life.

Let us consider and illustrate this a little. Would not he expose himself to laughter and scorn, that should earnestly persuade his neighbours to go and labour hard in his fields all day, by which they should get just nothing for their pains at night? Would it not seem a piece of strange mockery and contempt of us, and as strange a folly in him that should invite us to enter into his service, which he confessed would make us sweat, and engage us in many toilsome employments; and, when we inquired what wages he gave, should be able to assure us never a farthing that lay in his power or will to bestow upon us? Would they not be equally ridiculous, he that should make and they that should embrace such a proposal? Might not such a trifler expect rather to be kicked than to be followed by the multitude? Should we not hear them expressing their indignation in such speeches as these: What! Do you take us for arrant fools? Do you think that we are mere mushrooms? that our brains are made of a sponge, or our heads stuffed with wet straw? What do you make of us? or what have we done that argues us to be such blocks and trunks as you suppose us? And yet such was the constant preaching of our ever blessed Saviour, that if he had not made his promises as plain and certain as his commands, he would have been liable to such language. For he calls men, as you read in that parable Matt. xx., to a laborious life of piety. From the beginning of his preaching to the end of it he had no other design. Early in the morning, when he first appeared in the world, he went out: and what was it to do, but to hire labourers into his vineyard? At the third hour he went out again, and said to those whom he found idle, Go ye also into

c Matt. xx. I.