Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

angels, the vials of the wrath of an angry and never-to-beappeased God, and hopeth to escape all these by virtue of the death of his Redeemer, cannot but highly value the price of Psal. cxxx. 7. that blood, and be proportionably thankful for so plenteous a redemption.

Exod. iii. 3.

Again, As this Article followeth upon the resurrection of the just, and containeth in it an eternal duration of infinite felicity belonging to them, it is necessary to stir us up to an earnest desire of the kingdom of heaven, and that righteousness to which such a life is promised. I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, said Moses, when he saw the burnMatt. xvii. 4. ing bush. It is good for us to be here, said St Peter, when he saw our Saviour transfigured in the mount; how much more ought we to be inflamed with a desire of the joys of heaven, and that length of days which only satisfieth by its eternity', to a careful and constant performance of those commands to which such a reward is so graciously promised! For as all our happiness proceedeth from the vision of God, so we are certain that without holiness no man shall see him. Secondly, This belief is necessary to take off our inclinations and desires from the pleasures and profits of this life; to breed in us a contempt of the world', and to teach us 398 Col. iii. 2, 3. to despise all things on this side heaven; to set our affections on things above, not on things on the earth, considering we Matt. vi. 21. are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God. For where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also. Therefore we must forget those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Phil. iii. 13, 1J.

1 So St Austin upon those words, Longitudine dierum replebo eum, in the 91st Psalm: Quæ est longitudo dierum? Vita æterna. Fratres, nolite putare longitudinem dierum dici, sicut sunt hyeme dies minores, æstate dies majores. Tales dies nobis habet dare? Longitudo illa est quæ non habet finem, æterna vita quæ nobis promittitur in diebus longis. Et vere, quia sufficit, non sine causa dixit, replebo eum. Non nobis sufficit quidquid longum est in tempore, si habet finem; et ideo nec longum dicendum est. Et si avari sumus, vitæ æternæ

debemus esse avari: talem vitam
desiderate, quæ non habet finem.
Ecce ubi extendatur avaritia nostra.
Argentum vis sine fine? Vitam æter-
nam desidera sine fine. Non vis ut
habeat finem possessio tua? Vitam
æternam quære.' [Serm. ii. § 12. Vol.
IV. p. 979 F.]

2 Nemo vitam æternam, incor-
ruptibilem immortalemque desiderat,
nisi eum vitæ hujus temporalis, cor-
ruptibilis, mortalisque, pœniteat.' S.
August. Hom. 50. [Serm. 351. § 3.
Vol. v. p. 1352 D.]

Thirdly, An assent unto this truth is necessary to encourage us to take up the cross of Christ, and to support us under it, willingly and cheerfully to undergo the afflictions and tribulations of this life, reckoning with the apostle, that Rom. viii. 18. the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us: and knowing that

our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a 2 Cor. iv. 17. far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And this knowledge is not to be obtained, this comfort is not to be expected, except we look not at the things which are seen, but 2 Cor. iv. 18. at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

And now having thus shewed the propriety, proved the verity, and declared the necessity, of this Article, we may fully instruct every Christian how to express his belief in the last object of his faith, which he may most fitly thus pronounce:

I do fully and freely assent unto this, as unto a most necessary and infallible truth, that the unjust after their resurrection and condemnation shall be tormented for their sins, in hell, and shall so be continued in torments for ever, so as neither the justice of God shall ever cease to inflict them, nor the persons of the wicked cease to subsist and suffer them: and that the just after their resurrection and absolution shall as the blessed of the Father obtain the inheritance, and as the servants of God enter into their Master's joy, freed from all possibility of death, sin, and sorrow, filled with all conceivable and inconceivable fulness of happiness, confirmed in an absolute security of an eternal enjoyment, and so they shall continue with God and with the Lamb for everAnd thus I believe THE LIFE EVERLASTING.

more.

FINIS.

INDEX

OF THE TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE

THAT ARE MENTIONED AND MORE OR LESS EXPLAINED IN THIS WORK.

The references are made to the pages of the third Edition 1669, printed in the margin. Those passages marked with an asterisk (*) are in the notes. The whole of a note is regarded as belonging to the same page as the passage to which it refers.

[blocks in formation]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« FöregåendeFortsätt »