N01272:127
Meditations on the glory of the heavenly world. I. On the happiness of the…
Meditations on the glory of the heavenly world. I. On the happiness of the soul of believers, at the instant of their separation from their bodies. II. On the glory of the bodies of God's children, in the resurrection world, when they shall be as the angels of heaven. III. On the glory of both soul and body in the heaven of heavens, after the day of judgment, to all eternity. / By Increase Mather, D.D. ; [Six lines of quotations]
Boston in N.E. printed: : Sold by Benjamin Eliot, at his shop in King Street., 1711
Title page typeset from the transcription.
The Glorified SOULS OF Just Men Have attained a Blessed Perfection. › Proposition 4: PROPOSITION IV.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
It is true, that that Expression of Sleeping with Fathers, is sometimes used in the Scripture to denote no more than Dying; it has respect to the Body, whose Death is a Sleep: But that great Divine, whom we have diverse times taken notice of, has Judiciously Observed, that Going to Fathers implies more, viz. that the Soul goes to that World where Fathers are gone before. When Abraham Died, in respect of his Soul he went to Abel, and to Noah, & to Shem, and to other of his Fore-fathers, who were gone into the Heavenly World before him, where the Spirits of those Just men were made Perfect. Before his Burial could be accomplished, his Soul was gone and got among the immortal Spirits of his Fathers. Let us observe further what is said of Abraham, Gen. 25. 8, 9. Where we see that Promise made to him fulfilled: Abraham gave up the Ghost, and ⟨p. 90⟩Died in a good Old Age; and was gathered to his People, and his Sons Buried him. As soon as he gave up the Ghost, that is resigned his Spirit unto God, he was gathered to his People. That Expression implies, that there were a Company gone before him, and Gathered together; and that Abraham instantly at his Death was Gathered with them. Gathering implies Sorting: As long as they are in this world, Good & Bad are mixed together; not Only in the same Country, but the Wheat and the Tares grow together in the same Field of the Church: But at Death all the Good are Gathered into the Heavenly Garner, Mat. 3. 12. And there they are kept safe by themselves; not so much as One Ungodly Soul with them. Observe three particulars in what is said of Abraham. (1.) That he gave up the Ghost. (2.) That he was Gathered to his People. (3.) That he was Buried: The two first were before the last. The like is said of Jacob; Gen. 49. 33. He yielded up the Ghost, and was Gathered to his People. This was some time before his Burial. If it be asked; ⟨p. 91⟩By whom are the Spirits of Just men Gathered to their People? Answ. It is by the holy Angels of Heaven. As at the Last Day, they shall Gather all the Elect together, and bring them to Christ;