A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

there the Scripture can speak but in part, there are no Words nor Notions in the World sufficient to express what God hath provided; and we have not Ears to hear it. All the Notions now we have of things, must be taken from what is obvious to sense, and present apprehension; and therefore certainly, because Heaven surpasseth all that hath been, we cannot apprehend the Glory of it. The Scripture leaves it rather to be admired in silence; there are Joys unspeakable; there is no Language intelligible to us that is fit to represent Heaven. O then admire the Love of God the Father, that hath provided such great things for us.

2. Consider how deeply we are engaged to Jesus Christ, to deliver us from Wrath to come: He himself was made a Curse, and tasted the Vinegar and Gall; Gal. 3.13. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law, being made a Curse for us. Something he suffered that answered Wrath to come. In Hell there is poena damni, and poena sensus, the Loss, and the Pain and Sense of God's Wrath. The Lord Christ had for a while the suspension of the Joys and actual Consolation of his Divine Nature, a loss that cannot be imagined: Mat. 23.46. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? there's his Loss. Then he had an actual feeling of the Wrath of God; therefore he saith, Mat. 27.38. My Soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto Death; there was his Sense of Pain. He was forsaken, that we might not be separated from God for ever; and his Soul was heavy to the Death, that we might not be cast into Eternal Burnings. Then for the positive Part, that we might have Everlasting Glory, Christ left his Heaven, that we might enjoy ours: he came from ⟨p. 126⟩Heaven, and is gone to Heaven again, and will come from Heaven the second time, and all to bring us thither with the more triumph; so that going and coming, coming and going, he is still ours. He came at first out of the Bosom of God, to establish the Merit, and pay the Price for our Glory. God sold it not at an easy Rate; the Blood, and Agonies, and Shame of the Son of God, must go for our Glory: it was no easy matter to bring sinful Creatures so near to God. The Lord would not so much as treat with Apostate Angels; when once they were Sinners, they were no more to remain in his Presence, nor to come near him, but they were cast out of Heaven. The Door was shut against sinning Creatures, but Christ came to open it. Christ came to open Paradise, that was guarded with a flaming Sword; he catched the Blow, that we might have Communion with God, and therefore he sueth it out as the Fruit of his Sufferings. When Christ was about to die, he made his last Will and Testament. Heaven was his by Purchase, to bestow upon all his Heirs. He had bought it at a dear Rate, therefore now he shows what he would do with it;