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whence the Jews have a tradition, That all the fpace be. twixt the earth and the firmament, is full of troops of e vil fpirits. And it is the opinion of all doctors, faith Hierom, that devils have their manfions and refidence in that fpace between the heaven and the earth. And altho' fome against this alledge thofe texts, For if God fpared not the angels which finned, but caft them down to hell, and ⚫ delivered them into the chains of darkness, to be referved 'unto, judgment,' 2 Pet. ii. 4. And the angels which kept not their firft eftate, but left their own habitation, ⚫he hath referved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day,' Jude 6. Yet learned Mede hath expounded the firft text thus, That he caft them down to hell-ward, or to this lower orb, there to be reserved for chains of darkness at the day of judgment: And the latter text thus, That the evil spirits which fell into this lower region, were there referved, as in a prifon, for everlasting chains of darkness at the judgment day. This is the valley of the fhadow of death, thro' which the fouls of faints are to go to heaven; and becaufe of the dangerous voyage, the angels fcour and clear the paffage for them; they go with them and fight for them, and with speed and triumph at laft convey them to their Fa ther's house. Oh with what pomp and triumph did La zarus' foul ride on the wings of angels! never was Dives fo honoured in his life as was Lazarus at his death; he might ride in fome chariot drawn with horfes, but Laza. rus was, and the fouls of all believers fhall be drawn at their death in fiery chariots; they fhall be carried and con. veyed to heaven by the angels of God.

4. The angels welcome the fouls of faints in this hea venly progrefs to their heavenly Canaan. They are not only porters to carry fouls, but they are porters alfo to receive fouls; they ftand ready at heaven's gates to fet open the doors, and to bid them enter into their master's joy. In that vifion which John had of the great city, the holy Jerufalem, he saw twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, Rev. xxi. Our English annotations fay, that these angels are as porters to receive men into heaven. Howfo ever Adam was kept out of paradife by the cherubims, yet

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cherubims and feraphims, and all the hoft of heaven, are ready to receive the faints into this glorious city. Oh what a joy will be in heaven at the first admiffion of these fouls! What clafping, clofing, kiffing, embracing, will be at this entrance betwixt faints and angels? Welcome, fay the angels, and welcome, fay archangels: Yea, the principalities triumph, and powers rejoice, and virtues fhine, and thrones glitter, and cherubims give light, and seraphims burn in love at the foul's arrival. What congratulations are those amongst the angels, that now the worst of their fervice is past, that now the poor fouls they had in charge are by their good help efcaped, and freed from all the miferies of the world, and fnares of the devil, and pains of hell, and are now entred through the gates into the city, Rev. xxii. 14. where they and their charge shall live toge ther, and love together, and fing together Jehovah's praise? Never had the faints fuch welcome in this world, as at this day they have, or fhall have by the angels of God into the kingdom of God,

5. The angels prefent the foals of faints before Chrift in his throne, and there immediately they receive their fentence. This muft needs follow, the angels cannot leave their charge, till they bring them to him who gave them the charge of them: Away therefore they flee to the Lamb in his throne, and covering their faces with their wings, there they prefent with chearfulness of fpirit, his redeemed ones, q. d. Glorious king of faints, hither we bring these fouls which thou gavest us in charge to keep, their dufts are indeed returned to the earth as they were, but their spirits must needs return to God who gave them, Eccl. xii. 7. Come take them into thy bofom and glory; they are spirits, yea, fpirits fublimated, (as being born a gain of water and of the Spirit) and therefore affimilated to thyself; they are pure fparks now freed and fevered from their duft and ashes, and therefore they fly up, or they come up hither on our wings unto thee the great Spitit, the element of fpirits; oh that they may find union and coalition with thee! oh that they may be with thee where thou art, and that they may for ever behold thy glory which thou haft given them! To whom anfwer is

given as from the throne, Welcome dear fouls into this glorious kingdom of mine, this is that inheritance I prepared for you before the foundation of the world. Why, you are they whom I created in my own image, after my own likeness; you are my off fpring created immediately by my hand, and in my image, as to your very substance. It is true, I made all the world, and fomething I made out of nothing, as the chaos was made, but my image other creatures did not bear; you only are fpiritual fubftan ces, and vital lights; you only have thofe luminous fubftances, or fubftantial lights from the gift of your creation, which is a degree above the angels, for they have not any light genial and inherent to their effence, but are only mirrors of the uncreated light. And tho' a taint came upon you by realon of fin, fo that this image wherein you were created was exceedingly marred, yet by a work of grace I renewed this image; and thereupon that original affinity to me, the God of fpirits, is not only restored but endeared. And now this is my fentence, Well done good and faithful fervants, you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you rulers over many things, enter you into the joy of your Lord.

6. The angels now begin to join in concert with the fouls of falats, and to fing thofe hallelujahs that never shall have an end. And round about the throne were four beasts, full of eyes before and behind; and they reft not day and night, faying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when these beasts give glory, and honour, and thanks to him that fits on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that fits on the throne, and worthip him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, faying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power, for thou haft created all things, and for thy fake they are and were created. And I heard the voice of many angels round a bout the throne; and the beasts, and the elders, and the number of the angels was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thoufands faying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was flain to receive power, and

riches,

riches, and wifdom, and ftrength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing, After this I beheld, and lo a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, ftood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, faying, Sal vation to our God which fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb: And all the angels flood round about the throne, and about the elders, and about the four beafts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, faying, Amen, bleffing, and glory, and wisdom, and thankfgiving, and honour, and power, and might be unto our God, for ever and ever, Amen, Rev. iv. 8, 9, 10, 11, and v. 11, 12. and vii. 10, 11, 12. Lo here all God's faints of the Old and New Testament called twenty four elders, comprehended under the twenty four patri archs, and twelve apoftles, and all the minifters of Chrift called four beafts, or living wights comprehended under the four Evangelifts; and all the angels of heaven, an innumerable company of angels, all joining in one concert, Heb. xii. 21. Oh what joys are here! What harmonies are thefe! What warbling of faints and angels! If Francis (as Bonaventure ftories it) hearing but one angel play upon an harp, was fo tranfported with the melody, that he thought himself in another world; how are the fouls of faints tranfported, who no fooner arrive into glory, but they hear more than twelve legions of angels, accompanied with a numberless number of glorious faints, all finging at once, Hallelujah, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, praise, and honour, and glory, and power be unto God, and Christ, and the Spirit of Christ for ever and ever.

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SECT. III

Of the Experiences of this Truth.

Shall add fome experiences of this bleffed truth.

1. They help us and eafe us in the pangs of death. Mr. Hawks being intreated of his friends, that in the midst of the flame, wherein he muft die, he would thew them fome token, if he could, that the fire was not fo intolerable, but a man might therein keep his mind quiet and patient; this he affented to, and promifed, that if the

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rage of the pain were tolerable he would lift up his hands above his head, before he gave up the ghost: At the stake he fmiles, and patiently addreffed himself to the fire, and after his fervent prayers made to God, fire was put to him, in it he continued long, and when his speech was taken away by the flame, his fkin drawn altogether, and his fingers confumed with the fire, fo that all men thought that he had been dead, he being mindful of his promife, fuddenly lift up his hands burning of a light fire, and with great joy clapped them three times together, whereupon there was fuch fhouting among the people, efpecially by thofe that knew the meaning of it, as the like hath fcarce been heard; and fo the bleffed martyr, prefently finking down into the fire, gave up his spirit unto God. Fox's Martyrology.

Mr. James Benham being at ftake to be burnt, in the midst of the flames, which had half confumed his arms, and his legs, he fpake these words, O ye Papists, behold ye look for miracles, and here now ye may fee a miracle, for in this fire I feel no more pain than if I were in a bed of down; yea, it is to me as a bed of roses. ibidem.

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Idem There was in Mechlin one Andrew Thiffen, who had three fons, whom he carefully brought up in the knowlege of the truth, two of them were condemned to the fire, and one of them feeling the violence of the flame, said, 0 what a fmall pain is this compared with the glory to come! and fo committing their fpirits into the hands of God, they finished their race.

Henry Voes and John Esch being brought to the stake for the teftimony to the Proteftant religion, when the fire was kindled at their feet, one of them faid, Methinks you do ftrow roles under my feet; and prefently after they quietly flept in the Lord.

William Cowper being ready to die, faid, Now my foul fhall be glad, for at all parts of this prifon the Lord hath fet to his pioneers to loose thee; head, feet, milt and liver are faft failing; yea, the middle ftrength of the whole body, the ftomach is weakned long ago, arife, make ready, fake off thy fetters, mount up from the body, and go thy way.

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