N29704:244
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.
Answ. 1. The most Perfect and Blessed Communion of Saints, is in Heaven. This Evil World has but Few Real Saints in it. They are the Excellent Ones of the Earth. But, alas! They are thin sown: Psal. 12.1. The Godly man ceaseth, the Faithful •ail from among the Children of men. But this world abounds with Sinners, which makes it a woeful and undesirable World. Psal. 120.5. Woe is me, that I dwell in Mesech: that I sojourn in the tents of Kedar. This Earth is a Mesech; it is Over-spread with the tents of Kedar. It generally lieth •n Wickedness. And in the Visible Church, there are many who are not Real Saints. There are Tares mixed with the Wheat; •nd will be so to the End of the world. Yea, in the Purest Churches in the world, •here are Hypocrites. There are not only Wise, but Foolish Virgins there, Mat. 25.2. Who are those Foolish Virgins? Are they •ot Hypocrites in Pure Gospel Churches? •or men to think they can Deceive GOD, with giving their Names and not their Hearts to Him; and to put a Cheat upon •heir own Souls, is Egregious Folly: But ⟨p. 226⟩thus do Hypocrites. Whereas in the Church Triumphant in Heaven, they are all Real Saints; there is not One Hypocrite among them, nor ever shall be: Job 13.16. An hypocrite shall not come before him: He shall never come into the Gracious and Glorious Presence of GOD in the heavenly world. And not only Real Saints, but Perfect Ones: Sinless ones are in Heaven. What an Heaven upon Earth would this world be, if there were none but Saints in it; and those altogether Free from sinful Infirmities? But alas! there i• no such People, no such Country to be found on the face of the Earth. It has been Related, That when holy Churches were first Planted in New-England, some in other parts of the world Reported, Tha New-England was New-Jerusalem; a Pious man who Loved to be among the Saints o God, was thereby induced to come hither But after he had been here a while, h sighed and said, I see that New-England […] not Heaven! Men here have their sinful Infirmities, as well as in other places. Bu in Heaven they have not so. There tha