The divine life in three treatises

2. And for believers, 1. You may see by their lives that they have some apprehensions of Eternity: why else do they differ from you, and deny themselves, and displease the world and the flesh it self? why do they set their hearts above, if they have not lively thoughts of an Eternity!

2. But if you ask me, Why their apprehensions are not a thousand times more lively about so Infinite a thing; I answer, 1. Their Apprehensions must be suitable to their State. Our state here is a state of Imperfection; and so will our apprehensions be; But a perfect state will have perfect apprehensions. It is no proof that the Infant in the womb is not made to come into this world, and see the Sun, and converse with men, because he hath no apprehensions of it. Our state here is a conjunction of the soul to a frail distempered body; and so near a conjunction, that the actions of the soul must have great dependence on the Body; And therefore our Apprehensions are limited by its frailty; and the soul can go no higher then the capacity of the Body will allow; 2. And our Apprehensions now are fitted to our Use and benefit; We are now Believers, and must live by faith: And therefore must not be Beholders, and live by sense. If Eternity were open to mens Natural sight, or we had here as clear and lively apprehensions of it, as those have that are there, then it were not thanks, no praise ⟨p. 42⟩to us to be believers, or to obey, and live as Saints! And then God should not Govern man as man here in the way by a Law, but as a beast by sense, or as the glorified that have possession. Where there are perfect Apprehensions of God and Glory, there will be also perfect Love, and Joy, and Praise, and consequently perfect Happiness; and this were to make Earth and Heaven, the way and the end to be all one. Perfect apprehensions are kept for a perfect state of Happiness. But here it is well if we have such Apprehensions as are fitted to the use of travellers and soldiers as will carry us on, and prevail against the difficulties of our course. If you had never been at London, you could not have any such clear Apprehensions of the place, as those that see it have; And yet your imperfect Apprehensions might be sufficient to make you take a journey thither, and you may come as safely and certainly to it, as if you had seen it. Moreover, the body, the brain, which the soul in Apprehending now makes use of, cannot bear such Apprehensions as are suitable to the thousandth part of the greatness of the object, without distraction. The smallest eye may see the sun, but the greatest cannot endure to gaze upon its Glory; much less if it were at the nearest approach.