N29704:234
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 Timothy Green in Middle 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.
3. The wonderful Extent of this Heaven, sets forth the Glory and Magnificence of it. The heavenly Jerusalem is called the Great City. The Circuit of it is said to be Sixteen Thousand Furlongs, which make Fifteen hundred Miles, Rev. 21.6. There never was so great a City, or any way comparable to it. Old Babylon and ⟨p. 216⟩Rome, have been accounted the greatest Cities that ever the Sun saw. Yet neither of them were above Fifty Miles in Compass. Wherefore this Description of the heavenly Jerusalem, does intimate unto us, that Heaven is of wonderful Extent. The Spaciousness of it, is incredible to the Unbelieving World. All other Places and all Creatures are comprehended within the Circumference of it. The Glorious GOD is an Immense Being, and therefore cannot be Contained within the Limits of Place: The heaven of heavens cannot Contain him, 1 King. 8.27. But the whole Creation is Circumscribed with the Heaven of Heavens. The Height of it is wonderful: It is the Top of the Creation. Nothing is above it. Glory be to God in the Highest, Luk. 2.14. The heaven of heavens is the highest part of the Creation of God. That heaven for height is Unsearchable, Prov. 25.3. I know, Astronomers have their Conjectures about it; and they are but Conjectures. The Old Astronomers have maintained, that it is above Eighty Millions of Miles, from the ⟨p. 217⟩Earth to the Starry Heaven. Late Astronomers, suppose it to be many times more, than that amounts unto. Not only Mathematicians, but some Divines have affirmed; That if a man should Travel an hundred Miles every Day, he would not in the space of Four Thousand Years, reach the Stars; and that the Third Heaven is above the Stars, as much as that is above the Earth. We know from the Scripture, that the Empyrean Heaven is Vastly above the highest Stars, but how much higher no man can say. And it is Presumption in those men, who go about to Determine it. Hence Eliphaz said to Job, Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the Stars how high they are,