And so it more fitly expresses that knowledge which we have, not by discourse and reasoning out of one thing from another, but by immediate intuition of what is nakedly, and at once offered to our view, which is the more proper knowledge of the blessed in heaven. They shall have the glory of God so presented, and their minds so enlarged, as to comprehend much at one view, in which respect they may be said, in a great degree, to know as they are known, in as much as the blessed God comprehends all things at once, in one simple act of knowing. Yet that is not to be understood as if the state of glory should exclude all ratiocination, more than our present state doth all intuition (for first and indemonstrable principles we see by their own light, without illation or argument) nor can it be inconvenient to admit, that while the knowledge the blessed have of God is not infinite, there may be use of their discursive faculty with great fruit and pleasure. Pure intuition of God, without any ⟨p. 48⟩mixture of reasoning, is acknowledged (by such as are apt enough to be over-ascribing to the creature) peculiar to God alone.1 But as the blessed God shall continually afford (if we may speak of continuity in Eternity, which yet we cannot otherwise apprehend) a clear discovery of himself, so shall the principal exercise, and felicity of the blessed soul consist in that less labouring and more pleasant way of knowing: a mere admitting or entertaining of those free beams of voluntary light, by a grateful intuition, which way of knowing the expression of sight, 2or beholding doth most incline to,3 and that is, we are sure, the ordinary language of Scripture about this matter.
And so it more fitly expresses that knowledge which we have, not by discourse and reasoning out of one thing from another, but by immediate intuition of what is nakedly, and at once offered to our view, which is the more proper knowledge of the blessed in heaven. They shall have the glory of God so presented, and their minds so enlarged, as to comprehend much at one view, in which respect they may be said, in a great degree, to know as they are known, in as much as the blessed God comprehends all things at once, in one simple act of knowing. Yet that is not to be understood as if the state of glory should exclude all ratiocination, more than our present state doth all intuition (for first and indemonstrable principles we see by their own light, without illation or argument) nor can it be inconvenient to admit, that while the knowledge the blessed have of God is not insinite, there may be use of their discursive faculty with great fruit and pleasure. Pure intuition of God, without any ⟨p. 48⟩mixture of reasoning, is acknowledged (by such as are apt enough to be over-ascribing to the creature) peculiar to God alone.1 But as the blessed God shall continually afford (if we may speak of continuity in Eternity, which yet we cannot otherwise apprehend) a clear discovery of himself, so shall the principall exercise, and felicity of the blessed soul consist in that less labouring and more pleasant way of knowing: a meer admitting or entertaining of those free beams of voluntary light, by a grateful intuition, which way of knowing the expression of sight, 2or beholding doth most incline to,3 and that is, we are sure, the ordinary language of Scripture about this matter.
- 1Cognoscere deum clarè & intuitivè est proprium & naturale soli deo sicut est proprium ig•i calefacere & solely illuminare Ledesm. de divin. perfect. q. 8. Art. 7.Cognoscere deum clarè & intuitivè est proprium & naturale soli deo sicut est proprium ig•i calefacere & soli illuminare Ledesm. de divin. perfect. q. 8. Art. 7.
- 2Mat. 5. 8.
- 3Heb. 12. 14.
