Book I, Part 1, Chapter 9. Of the ninth Motive that obliges us to Virtue, which is, Heaven, the third of the four last Things

1. Any one of these considerations, we have here proposed, should suffice to persuade us to the love of virtue. But because the heart of man is so stubborn, that very often all of them together are not able to prevail on it, I will here add another motive, no less powerful than any of the others ; that is the happiness and reward promised to a good life, which is, the possession of everlasting glory : wherein two things particularly occur to be taken notice of ; one is, the beauty of the place itself, which is heaven ; the other, the glory and excellency of the King, who keeps his residence there with all his elect.

As for the first, though no tongue is able to express the beauty of this place, yet we will endeavor to guess at it as well as we can, and to discover as it were, at a distance, some part of it. The first thing then to be considered is, the end for which God created this excellent frame ; for, generally, the best way of knowing the worth of a thing is, to inquire into the design of it. Now the design of this place is to make known God's glory. For though, as Solomon says, The Lord has made all things for himself (Prov. xvi. 4), it is plain, nevertheless, that he particularly made this place for this end, because it is here that he manifests the greatness and splendor of his glory in a more than ordinary manner. Therefore, as the great king Ahasuerus (Esther 1.), who reigned over an hundred and twenty-seven provinces, made a sumptuous feast in the city of Suza, the metropolis of his empire, which lasted a hundred and four-score days, with all the costs and state imaginable, to let his subjects see how powerful and how rich he was ; so this almighty King is pleased to make a noble feast in heaven, not for a hundred and four-score days only, but for all eternity, to show the infinite immensity of his riches, his wisdom, his bounty and his goodness. This is the feast Isaias speaks of, when he says, In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto this people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined (Isaias xxv. 6) ; that is to say, of most rich and delicious things. If God has prepared this banquet to make the greatness of his glory known, we must needs imagine, that since this glory of his is so great, the beauty of the place where he resides is proportionable to it.

2. We shall better understand this, if we but examine into the power and riches of the Lord who has chosen it for his residence. As to his power, it is so great, that he created the whole world out of nothing with one word, and with one word can destroy it again whensoever he please. Nay, it reaches so far, that with one single word he could have created not only one world, but millions of them, and have reduced them to nothing with another. And what is more considerable yet, whatsoever he has made has cost him no pains nor trouble, nor was it harder to him to create the noblest seraphim than it was to create the least insect, because this infinite Power can do whatsoever it has a mind to do, and whatsoever it has a mind to do it does purely of its own will, and is neither tired by the greatest works nor eased by the least. If this Lord is so powerful, if the glory of his holy name is so great, and if he has such a love for his own glory, how beautiful must that place or that banquet consequently be, which he has prepared to show us his glory ? What is there wanting towards the perfection of this great work ? There can be no want of hands, because the Workman is infinitely powerful ; no want of skill, because he is infinitely wise ; no want of will, because he is infinitely good ; no wrant of wealth, because he is infinitely rich. If, then, all things be so well disposed to make it great, what must that work be, which is performed by the omnipotence of the Father, by the wisdom of the Son, and by the goodness of the Holy Ghost ? — where goodness inclines, wisdom directs, and omnipotence performs all that an infinite goodness desires, and an infinite wisdom prescribes, though all these things are the same in the same divine Persons.

3. There is another remarkable thing yet to be considered in this matter, which is, that God has prepared this stately place, &ot only for his own honor, but also for the glory of all his elect flow solicitous God is for them, and for the effecting of all he has promised in their behalf, when he said, Whosoever shall glorify me, I will glorify him (1 Kings ii. 30), plainly appears by his actions, since he has put every thing in the world under their command, even whilst they are in this life. How wonderful was it to see Josue command the sun to stand still in the midst of its course, and to make it stop, as if he had the direction of the whole world in his power ! God, as the Scripture says, obeying the voice of a man : Jos. x. 14. How strange was it to see the prophet Isaias bid king Ezechias (Isa. xxxiii. 8) choose whether he would have the sun go back ten degrees upon the dial, or forward, for either should be performed ! How prodigious was it to see the prophet Elias (3 Kings xvii. 1, and xviii. 43, &c.) lock up the waters and clouds of heaven as long as he thought fit ; and then command them, by virtue of his word and prayer, to pour down their rain again ! Nor is it during their life-time only that God has given his saints such powers ; he continues the same after their death, and confers it on their very bones and ashes; 4 Kings xiii. 21. Who can forbear praising God, when he reads of the prophet Elisha's bones raising a dead man to life, who was accidentally thrown by a band of highwaymen into the prophet's grave ? Who will deny that God bestows great favors on his saints, when he Hears that the sea opened for three miles together, the day that St. Clement was martyred, that so those persons who had mind to see the relics of one that had suffered for Christ's sake, might pass over ? God has been pleased to inspire the whole church to institute a feast in honor of St. Peter's chains, that we may see what an esteem he has for the bodies of the saints, since he commanded us to pay such solemn respect for the fetters they wore. But what is all this in comparison with the honor which God did not only to this apostle's fetters, not only to his bones or body, but to his very shadow ; which, as St. Luke affirms in the Acts (ch. v. 15), cured all persons of their distempers that could come within the reach of it. O God ! how infinitely art thou to be admired ! O God ! how infinitely good art thou, and with what an infinite honor dost thou reward thy saints ! Thou hast given this man what thou never made use of thyself; for nobody ever saw Jesus Christ curing the sick with his shadow. Now if it be certain that God has such a love for his saints, even at such a time and in such a place too as is designed for them to toil and labor in, and not to receive their rewards ; how great must that glory be which he has prepared to honor them with, and for which he will be honored and praised in them ! What may we imagine he, who has so great a desire to glorify them, and who, at the same time, both can and knows best how to do whatsoever is capable of contributing to their glory, has prepared and provided for this end ?

4. Consider, further, how liberal God is in regarding services done him. He commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son, whom he loved so tenderly ; and just as the patriarch was on the point of complying with his command, his divine goodness stopped him, and would not let him proceed any further. The angel of the Lord, said to him, Lay not thy hand upon the hoy, neither do thou any thing to him ; now I know that thou fearest God, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake. By my own self have I sworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake, I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the sea shore : thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. Gen. xxii. 12, 16, 17, 18. Was not this service well requited ? It is truly a return that becomes God, who ought to appear like himself in all things, as well in the favors he bestows, as in the punishments he inflicts.

David began one night to consider with himself, that he had a house to dwell in, and the ark of God had none, and thereupon resolved to build one for it. But God sent the prophet Nathan to him the next morning with this message : Because thou hast thought of building me a house, I swearm to thee, that I will build one for thee and thy posterity, which shall remain for ever ; and I will give thee a kingdom which shall have no end, nor will I ever remove my mercies from it; 2 Kings vii. ; 3 Kings viii. ; 1 Chron. xviii. This was the promise God made David ; nor did he foil in the performance of it, for the kingdom of Israel was governed by the princes of the house of David down to the coming of our Saviour, who reigns there now, and will there reign for all eternity. What follows on this is, that heaven is nothing else but the general reward which .God gives his saints, for all the services they have done him ; and would we but at the same time consider how generous God is, in the present he makes, we might give some kind of guess at least at the qualities and conditions of this glory ; though it is an abyss too deep for us to fathom.

5. Another way of passing a judgment on it is, to reflect on the price God has thought fit it should be purchased at for us. For since he has been so liberal to us, we must not think he would set a greater value on things than they are worth in themselves. Yet that we might, after we had sinned, be made partakers of this glory, nothing less than the blood and death of his only Son could procure it for us. So that God has been pleased to die the death of man, that man might live the life of God. God has suffered those afflictions and tribulations which were due to man, that man should enjoy the rest and ease that belonged to God. Nor would man have ever been honored with a place amona^the choir of angels, had not God been nailed to the cross betwixt two thieves. How great a favor, then, must this be, for the procuring of which a God has sweated blood, has been taken prisoner, has been scourged, spit upon and buffeted ; and, after all, has been fastened to a cross ! What can that be, which God, who is so generous, has prepared, to procure at so great a rate ? Could a man but fathom this abyss, he could have no better way of finding out the greatness of eternal glory.

But besides all this, God requires of us as much as possibly can be required of man, which is, that we take up our cross and follow him ; and if our right eye offend us, we pluck it out ; that we have no further concern for father or mother, nor regard any thing in this world, be it what it will, if it be consistent with whatsoever God shall command us. And after we have punctually complied with all that he enjoins, he tells us he bestows this glory gratis. This is what he says, in St. John: J am Mpha and Omega; the Beginning and the End. To him that thirsteth I will give of the fountain of the water of life, free cost. Apoc. xxi. 6. How great a favor must this be, when God requires so much for it ; and yet, when we have given him all we can, he tells us himself, he gives it to us for nothing. I say, for nothing, with respect to what our actions are worth in themselves, when separated from the value grace puts on them. Tell me now, if this Lord is so liberal in granting of his favors ; if he has been so good as to bestow upon every one so many several kinds of benefits even in this life ; if every creature, both in heaven and earth, has been created for man's use in general ; if he has given the sinner as well as the just, the bad man as well as the good, a free and common possession of this world, how shall we be able to rate those inexhaustible riches, which he has laid up for none but the just ? How will he, who has been so generous in conferring of his favors on those who have not deserved them, reward those to whom his graces are in some manner due ? How noble must he be in requiting services done him, who has been always so forward in bestowing of his mercies ! And if he is so bountiful in his gifts and presents, how magnificent will he be in the returns he makes ! It is certain we can neither express nor conceive the glory he will bestow on the grateful, since he has here laid so many obligations on the unthankful.

§ I. — 6. Something of this glory may be further discovered by the situation and height of the place designed for it, which is not only the most capacious, but the noblest and most beautiful of all the rest. It is called in the Scripture, the land of the living. Whence we are to infer, that the land we now live in is the land of the dying. If, therefore, it is certain, there are so many excellent and curious things in this country of the dying, what must there be where those persons reside who are to live for ever ? Look about, in every quarter of the world, and con- 10 G sider how many beautiful objects there are in it. Observe the greatness of the heavens, the brightness of the sun, moon and stars, the beauteousness of the earth and of the trees, of birds, and other creatures. Consider how pleasant the plain and open fields are : how delightful the mountains, with their unevenness ; the valleys, with their greenness ; and how the springs and rivers, which are dispersed and scattered, like so many veins throughout the whole body of the earth, contribute with their freshness to its beauty. Reflect on the vast extent of the seas, which have such a great variety of wonders in them. What are the lakes and pools of pure water, but, as it were, the eyes of the earth, or the mirrors of the heavens ? Or what can we think of the verdant meadows, interwoven with roses and other flowers, but that they resemble the firmament all bespangled with stars in a clear night ? What shall we say of the mines of gold and silver, and other rich metals, of rubies, emeralds, diamonds and other precious stones, which seem to stand in competition with the stars themselves, for a glittering lustre and beauty ? What shall we say of that variety of colors which is to be seen in birds, in beasts, in flowers, and in an infinite number of other wonderful objects? Besides all this, art has added to the perfections of nature, and so improved the beauty of all things. Hence come those works, which are so pleasing to the eye, glittering with gold and precious stones, noble paintings, delightful gardens, royal garments, stately structures adorned with gold and marble, and innumerable things of other sorts. If, then, there are so many, and such delights in this, which is the lowest of all the elements, and the land of the dying, what must there be, in that sublime place, which as far exceeds all the other heavens and elements, in riches, honor, beauty, and all kinds of perfections, as it does in height! If we consider how much those beauties of the heavens, which are visible to our eyes, as the sun, moon and stars, surpass those of this lower world in brightness, in form, and in duration, how glorious must we imagine those of the next world to be, which are only to be seen with immortal eyes ! All we are able to conceive or think will come infinitely short of them.

7. We know man must have three different places of habitation, answering to the three different states of life. His first place of habitation is his mother's womb after his conception ; his second is the world he lives in after his birth ; his third is heaven, where he is placed after his death, if he has lived a good life. These three several places bear some sort of proportion to one another, so that the third has, in an infinite degree, all those advantages over the second, which the second has over the first, as well in duration, greatness and beauty, as in all other qualities whatsoever. As to the duration it is visible, for the length of life, in the first place, is nine months ; in the second, it sometimes extend to a hundred years; but in the third, it lasts for eternity. The same is to be said of the largeness of the first place, which has no greater extent than that of a woman's womb; the second is no narrower than the whole world itself; and as for the greatness of the third, the best rule we have, whereby to judge of it is, the wide disproportion which is between the first and the second place : nor does it less excel those other places m beauty, riches, and all other perfections and accomplishments, most proper to recommend it to us, than it does in extent and duration. If, therefore, this world of ours be so great and glorious as we have represented it, and if, notwithstanding, the other we have been speaking of, be as far above it as we said it is, how charming must its beauty be, and how vast and spacious its extent ! This we may discover by the great difference there is between the inhabitants of both places, because the stateliness of a building should hold a proportion with the quality of the person that is to live in it. We are to consider, then, that the place we live in is the land of the dying, the other of the living ; the one is the habitation of sinners, the other of saints ; the one is the dwelling-place of men, the other of angels ; the one is a place for penitents, the other for those who are justified ; the one is the field of battle, the other the city of triumph. In the one, to conclude, there are enemies as well as friends ; whilst there are none but friends in the other, and those are no other but the elect themselves. The same difference, that is between the inhabitants of these two places, is between the places themselves. For God has created all places suitable to the quality of the persons they are designed for. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God ; Ps. lxxxvi. Thou art unmeasurable in thy extent, and most stately in thy structure. The matter which thou art made of is most precious, the people that live in thee are most noble ; all thy employments are delightful, all sorts of goods abound in thee, nor is there any kind of misery whatsoever, which thou art not entirely secure from. Thou art very great in every thing, because he who made thee is very great, because the end which he designed thee for is very noble, and because those citizens, for whose sake he has -created thee, are the most honorable of all mankind.

§ 8. All we have hitherto said relates only to the accidental glory of the saints, besides which there is another sort called essential glory, infinitely beyond the accidental. This essential glory consists in seeing and enjoying God himself, which St. Augustine speaks of, when he says, " that virtue shall be rewarded with no less a price than with God himself, the giver of all earthly virtue, whom we shall see for all eternity, whom we shall love without ever being cloyed, and whom we shall praise without ever giving over." So that this is the greatest reward we can receive ; for it is neither heaven nor earth, nor sea, nor any created being whatsoever ; but it is God himself, who, notwithstanding his being free from all kind of mixture, contains within himself all that is good and perfect. For the understanding of this point, you must conceive, that one of the greatest mysteries in this divine substance is, that it comprehends within itself, in an infinitely eminent degree, the perfections of all the creatures, though, at the same time, it is a most pure Being : because God having created them all, and directed them to their last end, he must of necessity possess what he gives to others. Whence it follows, that the blessed shall enjoy and behold all things in him, each in proportion to the glory he shall be partaker of. For as the creatures serve us now instead of a mirror, in which we may behold some part of God's beauty, so God himself will, at that time, be the glass wherein we shall see the beauty of the creatures, but in a much more perfect manner than if we saw them in themselves. Thus God will be the universal happiness of all the saints, he will be their complete felicity and the accomplishment of all their desires ; he will then be a mirror to our eyes, music to our ears, sweetness to our taste, and a most pleasing perfume to our nostrils. In him we shall behold all the variety of the several times and seasons of the year, the freshness of the spring, the clearness of the summer, the plenty of the autumn, and the repose of the winter. There is nothing, in short, that can please all the senses of our bodies, or the faculties of our souls, which we shall not meet with in him. " It is in him," says St. Bernard, " we shall find the fulness of light for our understanding, the abundance of* peace for our wills, and the continuation of eternity for our memories." There the wisdom of Solomon will appear but folly, the beauty of Absalom deformity, the strength of Samson weakness, the long lives of the old patriarchs a short mortality, and the riches of all the kings of the earth mere poverty and want.

9. If, as most certainly it is, all this be true, why do you stay to look for straws in Egypt, and to drink muddy water in filthy puddles, when you should be going on toward this spring-head of happiness, this fountain of living waters ? Why do you beg by parcels, what you may find heaped up together, and more abundantly in this great all ? If you aim at pleasures, raise up your heart, and consider how delightful this good must be which contains in itself all goods and pleasures. If you are in love with this created life, how much greater satisfaction will you take in that life which has created every thing! If the health you enjoy be a pleasure to you, how much more will you be pleased with him who is himself the Author of health ! If you are taken with the knowledge of the creatures, how much more will you be with that of the Creator! If beauty charms you, he it is whose beauty the sun and moon admire. If nobility be what you seek after, he is the very source and origin of all that is noble ; if you wish for long life, he is life everlasting ; if plenty be your desire, he is the fulness of all riches ; if you love music and charming voices, the angels are continually singing in his presence ; if you hunt after company and conversation, you will there have the company of all the blessed, who have but one heart and one soul. If you aim at honorable employments and covet riches, they are both to be found in the house of God ; if, in fine, you would be freed from all kinds of miseries and sufferings, it is there you will be happily delivered from them, and that for ever. God commanded his people in the old law, to circumcise their children on the eighth day, giving us thereby to understand that on the eighth day, that is the day of the general resurrection, which is to follow the week of this life, he will circumcise and cut off all the miseries of those persons who shall have circumcised themselves, and have put a stop to all their inordinate desires, who shall have retrenched all their superfluities and have overcome their feelings for his sake. What can be happier than such a life as this, which is free from all misery and trouble, and which, as St. Augustine says, shall never be exposed to any fear or poverty, indisposition or sickness ; where there never shall be any anger or envy, where we shall never stand in need of eating and drinking, never covet worldly preferments and honors, never be afraid of devils, never dread the pains of hell, nor apprehend the death either of the body or of the soul ; for we shall live there with all manner of content and satisfaction, enjoying the delights of immortality, which shall never be interrupted or disturbed with divisions and factions ; for there all things are in perfect and perpetual peace and concord.

10. To all these advantages must be added, that of living in the company of angels, of enjoying the conversation of all those sublime spirits, and of seeing those noble troops of saints, who are more bright and glorious than the stars of heaven. There the patriarchs shall appear with glory, for their perfect obedience, and the prophets, for their lively hope; there you shall behold the martyrs adorned with crowns, dyed in their own blood, and the virgins clothed in white robes, in token of their chastity. But what tongue shall be able to express the majesty of the sovereign Monarch, who resides in the midst of them all ? Were we every day to suffer fresh torments, nay, should we undergo for some time the pains of hell itself, that we might see the Lord in his glory, and enjoy the happy company of his elect, it would certainly be worth our while to endure all this, that we might arrive at such a height of happiness. Thus far St. Augustine. If, therefore, this be so great a blessing, how happy shall those eyes be, that are to be always fixed on those objects ! What a happiness must it be, to see this stately city, to behold these honorable citizens in all their glory, to have a sight of the face

of this Creator, the magnificence of these buildings, the riches of these places, and the common joy of this heavenly country! What must it be, to behold all the orders of these blessed spirits, the authority of this sacred senate, and the majesty of those venerable elders, whom St. John saw seated on thrones in the presence of God ! Apoc. iv. 4. What a pleasure must it be, to hear these angelic voices, these charming singers, and this harmonious music, not in four parts, as ours here is, but in as many parts and of as many different voices as there are blessed souls in heaven ! How -shall we be charmed when we hear them sing this most ravishing song, which the same St. John once heard : Benediction, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen. ch. vii. 12. And, if it be so pleasing a thing to hear the harmony of these voices, how much more delightful must it be to see the unity and concord of these unanimous souls and bodies! to observe what a union there will be between men and angels, but more particularly between men and God! What a happiness shall it be, to see these fine fields, these fountains of life, and these pastures on the mountains of Israel! Ezek. xxxiv. 14. What a glorious thing will it be, to sit down at this sumptuous table, to have a place amongst the guests, to eat of the same dish with Jesus Christ, that is, to share with him in his glory! There the blessed shall be at rest, and have a full enjoyment of eternal bliss. It is there that they shall sing and praise, and be perpetually entertained with the most delicious banquets. Since, therefore, faith tells us, that such great blessings as these are the rewards of virtue, can any man stand so much in his own light as not to resolve on an immediate pursuit after it, in hope of so large a recompense ?