A Golden Chain

And howsoever he must not look for heaven here upon earth, yet he is as it were in the suburbs of this heavenly city: and at the end of this life, the king thereof, the Lord Jesus will open the gates, and receive him into his kingdom, for he is already entered into the kingdom of grace. To conclude this point, let every man in the fear of god, be moved hereby to set his heart to prepare himself; that when God shall call him hence, he may be fit to enter into that glory. Secondly, seeing God hath prepared the third heaven for us, it teacheth every man in this world to be content with the estate wherein God hath placed him, whether it be high or low, rich or poor: why so? because here he is but a pilgrim, and lives in a cottage of clay, and in a tent wherein he must abide but a while, as a pilgrim doth, oftentimes carrying his house about with him; and we shall in better sort accept the afflictions which God sends us in this life; if we remember that there is prepared for us a place of joy, which must be our resting place and perfect felicity for evermore. This was the practise of the children of God, especially of Abraham: for when the Lord called him out of his own country, he obeyed, and by faith abode in the promised land, as in a strange country, as one that dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him in the same promise: and the reason followeth,¹ for he looked for a city having a foundation whose builder and maker is God. They believed that these things which the Lord promised, were shadows of better things: and hereon stayed themselves, being well content with that estate whereto God had called them. So Paul was contented to bear the afflictions which God had laid upon him, and his reason was,² Because (saith he) we look not on things which are seen, but on things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And in the next chapter:³ We know (saith he) that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle be destroyed, we have a dwelling given us of God, that is, an house not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens. And for this cause his desire was rather to remove out of this body, and to be with the Lord.

And howesoeuer he must not looke for heauen here vpon earth, yet he is as it were in the suburbes of this heauenly cittie: and at the end of this life, the king thereof, the Lord Iesus will open the gates, and receiue him into his kingdome, for he is alreadie entred into the kingdome of grace. To conclude this point, let euery man in the feare of god, be mooued hereby to set his heart to prepare himselfe; that when God shall call him hence, he may be fitte to enter into that glorie. Secondly, seeing God hath prepared the third heauen for vs, it teacheth euery man in this worlde to be content with the estate wherein God hath placed him, whether it bee high or lowe, rich or poore: why so? because here he is but a pilgrime, and liues in a cottage of clay, and in a tent wherein he must abide but a while, as a pilgrime doth, oftentimes carrying his house about with him; and we shall in better sort accept the afflictions which God sendes vs in this life; if we remember that there is prepared for vs a place of ioy, which must bee our resting place and perfect felicitie for euermore. This was the practise of the chidren of God, especially of Abraham: for when the Lord called him out of his own country, he obeyed, and by faith abode in the promised land, as in a straunge countrie, as one that dwelt in tents with Isaac and Iaakob, heires with him in the same promise: and the reason followeth,