N29704:247
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.
2. In Heaven there is an innumerable Company of Angels, with whom we shall there have a Blessed Communion. There ⟨p. 231⟩is Joy in Heaven, Joy among the Angels of God over a sinner that Repents, Luk. 15.10. Then certainly the Angels Rejoice, when they see a Soul come to Heaven to join with them in Glorifying God there. It is true, that whilst we are in this World, we have a Communion with Angels, more than we know or think of; for it is secret and invisible. As long as we abide in a state of Mortality, the Presence of an Angel is awful and terrible to us. An Angel appeared to Samson's Mother: She knew him not to be an Angel, if she had, she would have been more terrified; but she said to her Husband, A man of God came to me, and his Countenance was like the Countenance of an Angel of God, very terrible, Judg. 13.6. But in Heaven we shall be Equal to the Angels, as immortal as they are; and therefore capable of holding a Familiar Communion and Conversation with them. The Lord said to the Prophet, If thou wilt walk in my Ways, I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by, Zech. 3.7. Who were they that stood by? They were ⟨p. 232⟩holy Angels. There are blessed Walks in heaven. They that walk in the ways of the Lord here on Earth, shall one Day walk with Angels in those Celestial walks. There shall we be as Familiar with holy Angels, as Fellow-servants can be with one another. When John fell at the Feet of an Angel to Worship him, he Charged him, Do it not; I am thy Fellow-servant: For Fellow-servants to Worship one another, is most Unreasonable, Rev. 19.10. Now this is a great happiness. Dr. Taylor (he that suffered Martyrdom in Queen Mary's Days) Blessed God for sending him to Prison, because there (said he) I became acquainted with that Angel of God, Mr. John Bradford. A Very Holy Man, is an Angel Incarnate. If it is an happiness to have Communion with an Angelical Man, tho' in a Prison, what is it to Converse with Angels, who have not (nor ever had) any Sin in them; and this Conversation not in a Prison, but in the Heavenly Paradise? There they will inform us, what Services they have done for the Church of God, by the Direction of our Lord