N01272:225
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.
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.
(1.) The Believers hope of blessedness in another world, is built upon the Merits of Christ's Obedience. Not upon the Merit of their Own Works or Righteousness: For that would be to build on the Sand. Men never did Merit any thing by their imperfect Obedience, much less ⟨p. 197⟩Eternal Life. It comes to us not as due Wages, as Death is, but as the Free Gift of God: Rom.6.23. The wages of Sin is Death, but the gift of God is Eternal Life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It was a prodigiously Proud & Insolent Speech of a Popish Jesuit, That if God would give him Heaven Gratis, he would not Accept of it on those terms; he would do something to deserve it at the hands of God. Our imperfect and sinful Obedience (and the best that we do or can do is so) cannot be Meritorious of any thing but Death. Only the Obedience of Jesus Christ the Son of God, is Meritorious: Rev. 5. 12. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. For his Obedience is perfect, and without any defect. He has fulfilled all Righteousness, Mat. 3. 15. There was no Precept of the Law of God whatsoever, that was a Duty incumbent on the Man Christ Jesus to fulfil it, but he has done it; and not failed in the manner of Performance. Now the Righteousness of this Obedience of Christ, is imputed to the true Believer on his Name. The Righteousness of God which is ⟨p. 198⟩by Faith in Jesus Christ is upon all that believe, Rom. 3. 22. That's the Righteousness of One who is God as well as Man, and therefore Infinitely Meritorious. Tis the only Righteousness which God will accept of in order to the Justification and Salvation of a Sinner; and it is Faith that does Entitle a man to this Righteousness, and make him able to say truly, This Glorious Righteousness is mine. God would make his Law Honourable & Glorious: Therefore it must be Fulfilled, and perfectly Obeyed. This no man since Adams Fall, being involved in the Guilt of his sin, could ever do. Nevertheless, Believers in respect of their Surety, have done it. Sin has wounded and weakened men so, that they cannot obtain Righteousness & Salvation by the Law; but then God has sent his Son, That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us. Rom 8. 3, 4. Christ's Fulfilling of the Law is imputed to us, if we truly believe on his Name God graciously accepts of what our Surety has done for us, as if we our selves had done the same.