The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…

Or this difference in the continuance of things may be fitly expressed by the description of eternity made by Boethius. Eternity is the interminable, total, perfect and together pleasant possession of life: for in this description each word makes a difference between things in their duration: for first, some things so continue that they have both beginning and end, as the brute beasts, these are barred out by the word interminable. Again, some things are interminable in respect of essence, but have no life as the heaven of the blessed: Thirdly, some things are interminable, both in respect of essence and life, but their life is miserable and painful, as the spirits in hell: and so they have not pleasant possession of life: Fourthly, some things have an interminable pleasant possession of life, but it is not total: as all the blessed in heaven before the day of Judgement: for they have a pleasant possession of life, but it is in their souls, not in their bodies: Fifthly, some things have a total possession of pleasant life, but it is not together: so the Angels before the day of judgement have a total possession of ⟨p. 102⟩pleasant life, because their whole Nature lives blessedly, but it is not together, because there is even in the Angels a succession of Revelations and so of Joys, as things are from time to time discovered to them: Sixthly, some things shall have a total possession of pleasant life and together too, but it is not absolutely perfect, taking perfect here, for that which needs nothing besides it self to make it happy: and so are the Angels and godly men after the day of Judgement: because though they shall then totally and together enjoy a blessed life, yet they shall even need their sustentation and preservation from God, without whom they could not be; much less be happy: for though their blessedness be perfect in their kind, yet it is not absolutely so, because it is a blessedness they have not of themselves, but received it of God.

Or this difference in the continuance of things may be fitly exprest by the description of eternity made by Boetius. Eternity is the interminable, totall, perfect and together pleasant possession of life: for in this description each word makes a difference betweene things in their duration: for first, some things so continue that they haue both beginning and end, as the bruit beasts, these are barred out by the word interminable. Againe, some things are interminable in respect of essence, but haue no life as the heauen of the blessed: Thirdly, some things are interminable, both in respect of essence and life, but their life is miserable and painefull, as the spirits in hell: and so they haue not pleasant possession of life: Fourthly, some things haue an interminable pleasant possession of life, but it is not totall: as all the blessed in heauen before the day of Iudgement: for they haue a pleasant possession of life, but it is in their soules, not in their bodies: Fifthly, some things haue a totall possession of pleasant life, but it is not together: so the Angells before the day of iudgement haue a totall possession of