main still. To that those words of St. Paul help to incline them, Perit figura, The fashion of this world passeth away 58, the fashion, not the substance: for it is Melioratio, non interitus, The world shall be made better, but it shall not be made nothing. But to what end shall it be thus improved? In that, St. Augustine declares himself, Mundus in melius immutatus apte accommodabitur hominibus in melius immutatis. When men are made better by the resurrection, this world, being made better by those fires, shall be a fit habitation for those saints of God; and so even this world, and whatsoever is not hell, shall be heaven. And, truly, some very good divines of the Reformation 59 accompany those ancients in that exposition, that these heavens, purified with those fires, and superinvested with new endowments, shall be the everlasting habitation of the blessed saints of God. But still, in these discoveries of these new heavens and this new earth, our maps will be imperfect. But as it is said of old cosmographers, that when they had said all that they knew of a country, and yet much more was to be said, they said that the rest of those countries were possessed with giants, or witches, or spirits, or wild beasts, so that they could pierce no farther into that country; so when we have travelled as far as we can with safety, that is, as far as ancient or modern expositors lead us, in the discovery of these new heavens and new earth, yet we must say at last, that it is a country inhabited with angels and archangels, with cherubim and seraphim, and that we can look no farther into it with these eyes. Where it is locally, we inquire not; we rest in this, that it is the habitation prepared for the blessed saints of God; heavens, where the moon is more glorious than our sun, and the sun as glorious as he that made it; for it 58 1 Cor. vii. 31. 59 Polanus.

is he himself, the Son of God, the Sun of glory. A new earth, where all their waters are milk, and all their milk honey; where all their grass is corn, and all their corn manna; where all their glebe, all their clods of earth, are gold, and all their gold of innumerable carats; where all their minutes are ages, and all their ages eternity; where every thing is every minute in the highest exaltation, as good as it can be, and yet superexalted and infinitely multiplied by every minute's addition; every minute infinitely better than ever it was before. Of these new heavens and this new earth we must say at last, that we can say nothing; for the eye of man hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived, the state of this place. We limit and determine our consideration with that horizon with which the Holy Ghost hath limited us, that it is that new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Το

Here then the Holy Ghost intends the same new heavens and new earth, which he does in the Apocalypse, and describes there, by another name, the new Jerusalem. But here the Holy Ghost does not proceed, as there, to enamour us of the place by a promise of improvement of those things which we have and love here, but by a promise of that which here we have not at all. There, and elsewhere, the Holy Ghost applies himself to the natural affections of men. those that are affected with riches he says, that that new city shall be all of gold, and in the foundations all manner of precious stones; to those that are affected with beauty he promises an everlasting association with that beautiful couple, that fair pair, which spend their time in that contemplation and that protestation, Ecce tu pulchra, dilecta mea; Ecce tu pulcher, Behold thou art fair, my beloved, says he;

60 Rev. xxi. 1. 61 Rev. xxi. 18. 62 Cant. i. 15-17.

and then she replies, Behold thou art fair too, noting the mutual complacency between Christ and his church there. To those who delight in music he promises continual singing, and every minute a new song; to those whose thoughts are exercised upon honour and titles, civil or ecclesiastical, he promises priesthood, and if that be not honour enough, a royal priesthood; and to those who look after military honour, triumph after their victory in the militant church; and to those that are carried with sumptuous and magnific feasts, a marriage supper of the Lamb, where not only all the rarities of the whole world, but the whole world itself, shall be served in; the whole world shall be brought to that fire, and served at that table. But here the Holy Ghost proceeds not that way, by improvement of things which we have and love here; riches, or beauty, or music, or honour, or feasts; but by an everlasting possession of that which we hunger, and thirst, and pant after here, and cannot compass, that is, justice, or righteousness ; for both those our present word denotes, and both those we want here, and shall have both for ever, in these new heavens and new earth.

What would a worn and macerated suitor, oppressed by the bribery of the church, or by the might of a potent adversary, give, or do, or suffer, that he might have justice? What would a dejected spirit, a disconsolate soul, oppressed with the weight of heavy and habitual sin, that stands naked in a frosty winter of desperation, and cannot compass one fig leaf, one colour, one excuse for any circumstance of any sin, give for the garment of righteousness? Here there is none that does right, none that executes justice, or not for justice sake. He that does justice does it not at first; and Christ does not thank that judge that did

justice, upon the woman's importunity 63. Justice is no justice that is done for fear of an appeal or a commission. There may be found, that may do justice at first: at their first entrance into a place to make good impressions, to establish good opinions, they may do some acts of justice; but, after, either an uxoriousness towards the wife, or a solicitude for children, or a facility towards servants, or a vastness of expense, quenches and overcomes the love of justice in them: non habitat, in most it is not, but it dwells not in any. In our new heavens and new earth dwelleth justice: and that's my comfort, that when I come thither I shall have justice at God's hands. It was an act of mercy merely, that God decreed a means of salvation, but to give salvation to them for whom Christ gave that full satisfaction, is but an act of justice. It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you who are troubled, rest with us, says the apostle. It is an act of the same justice to save the true believer, as to damn him who by unbelief hath made himself a reprobate.

Justice dwells there, and there dwells righteousness, of which there is none in this world, none that grows in this world, none that is mine own; for, howsoever we do dispute, or will conclude of inherent righteousness, it is indeed rather adherent than inherent, rather extrinsical than intrinsical. Not that it is not in myself, in my will, but it is not of myself nor of my will; my will was never able to rectify, to justify itself; but the power of God's grace calls in a foreign righteousness to my succour, the righteousness of my Saviour, and calls his, and makes his, my righteousBut yet, non habitat, this righteousness dwells Though I have put on

ness.

not unremovable in me here.

that garment in baptism, and girt it to me closer in the other sacrament, and in some acts of holiness, yet my sins of infirmity slacken this garment, and it falls from me before I am aware, and in my sins of contempt and rebellion I tear it off and throw it away myself. But in this new state, these new heavens and new earth, justitia habitat, this righteousness shall dwell; I shall have an innocence, and a constant innocence; a present impeccancy, and an impeccability for the future. But in this especially is righteousness said to dwell there, because this righteousness is the very Son of God, the Son of Righteousness himself; and this day, the day of his second coming, is the last day of his progress; for ever after that day these new heavens and new earth shall be his standing house, where he shall dwell, and we with him; as himself hath said, The righteous shall shine forth as the sun itself, as the Son of God himself, as the Son of Glory, as the Son of Righteousness himself: for God shall impart to us all a mysterious gavelkind, a mysterious equality of fulness of glory to us all. God shall not whisper to his own Son, a Sede à dextris, Sit thou at my right hand; nor a Hodie genui te, This day have I begotten thee; nor a Ponam inimicos tuos, I will make thine enemies thy footstool, and no more; but, as it is said of the armies of Israel, that they went forth as one man, so the whole host of God's saints, incorporated in Christ Jesus, shall be as one man, and as that one man who was so the Son of man, as that he was the Son of God too. And God shall say to us all, Sedete à dextris, Sit ye all on my right hand, for from the left hand there is no prospect to the face of God; and to us all, Hodie genui vos, This day I have begotten you all, begotten you in the confirmation of my first baptism, in the

65 Matt. xiv. 43.