The saints treasury being sundry sermons preached in London /

Secondly, the things of heaven that are the objects of faith are substantial, because there is most of God in them. Now God is the infinite first being of all, and gives being to all: that therefore which hath most of the first being in it, must needs be the most substantial and real good: Now though it be true that all creatures are filled with Gods excellencies, yet spiritual and heavenly things are above all other most filled with God: the very divine of nature of God is in them, and there is the very life of God, and the Image and glory of God, and there God doth especially communicate himself. God hath two ways of his communication: the one is to his Son, and that is in an infinite way that we understand not: and the other is to his creatures: and his special communication of himself to his creatures is in spiritual and heavenly things: therefore they must needs be the most substantial and real things to the soul.

Secondly, the things of heaven that are the objects of faith are substantiall, because there is most of God in them. Now God is the infinite first being of all, and gives being to all: that therefore which hath most of the first being in it, must needs be the most substantiall and reall good: Now though it be true that all creatures are filled with Gods excellencies, yet spirituall and heavenly things are above all other most filled with God: the very divine of nature of God is in them, and there is the very life of God, and the Image and glory of God, and there God doth especially communicate himself. God hath two wayes of his communication: the one is to his Son, and that is in an infinite way that we understand not: and the other is to his creatures: and his speciall communication of himself to his creatures is in spirituall and heavenly things: therefore they must needs be the most substantiall and reall things to the soul.

And then Thirdly, they are substantial things and not notions ⟨p. 69⟩and conceits, because they are the very centre of the thoughts and intentions of God himself, and that which he aims at in all his works towards his creatures, and the very centre of the happiness of the most excellent creatures that ever God made. Now that which is the very issue of the great design of God in making the world, and of all the works he doth in the world, and the highest good any creature is capable of, certainly it is no conceit, but hath a great deal of substantial being in it: but the good we have in spiritual and heavenly things, is the very issue of Gods design from all eternity, in his full communication of himself unto his creature; and it is the highest good any creature is capable of: therefore spiritual things are real and substantial.