The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell

The Bookseller's Advertisement.

THE Four Last Things, Death and Judgment, Heaven and Hell, are Subjects of that great Importance, and so nearly concerns all Persons, that serious Discourses publish'd upon them, deserve the Reader's best Attention and Application. And that they may be of more diffusive and general Benefit, it will be a proper Means, that (according to the Examples of some pious Persons) Books treating of those solemn Arguments BE GIVEN AT FUNERALS, AS A FUNERAL-LEGACY: When according to the observation of the wise Preacher, The Living lay to Heart their own Frailty, and are more receptive of Holy Counsels to prepare for their great Change from Time to Eternity, and would affect their Minds with the present Instance of Mortality, much better than Wine, Sweatmeats, Gloves or Rings, or unprofitable Talk, as is too usual at such Solemnities.

All serious practical Books are proper for this Design, which may be of any Price or Bigness: And if Bound in Black, with a Cypher of Mortality, will be very decent: And some Memorables of the Life of the Deceased (if desired) may be printed on a Leaf, or more, and bound with it. Several Books so bound, may be seen at the Three Pigeons against the Royal Exchange in Cornhil.

And deliver them, who through fear of Death were all their Life-time subject to Bondage.

IN the first Chapter of this Epistle, the Proofs of the Eternal Deity of Christ are produced with that evidence of Scripture-Light, that only a vailed Heart, obstinate Infidelity can resist. The Medium which the inspired Penman makes use of, is, the comparing p. 2him with the Angels, the most noble Flower of the Creation, and shewing that he is infinitely dignified above them. This he does by a strong connexion of Arguments: First, By his Title that is divinely high and peculiar to himself. He is declared by the Testimony of the eternal Father to be his Son, [Ver. 4, 5.] in the most proper and sublime sense: begotten of him, and therefore having the same essential Perfections of the Godhead in their uncreated Glory. But the Angels are not dignified with this Name in any Places of Scripture, where the Excellency of the Angels is in the fullest Terms expressed. And that this Name is taken from his Nature, is clearly proved: because Adoration is due to him upon this account, even from the Angels of the highest Order. [Ver. 6.] When he bringeth in the first-begotten into the World, he saith, And let all the Angels of God worship him.

Divine Worship is a Prerogative inseparably annex'd to the Deity, both upon the account of the supream Excellencies of the Nature of God, and his Relation to Angels and Men as Creator and Preserver, the Fountain of their Being and Happiness. This without p. 3the most open defiance of his Authority, cannot be given to a meer Creature; [Deut. 6.13. & 10.20.] and by the Command of God himself is to be performed as a Respect due to the filial Godhead. The Argument proceeds from the Name to the Offices. Of the Angels he saith, [Ver. 7.] Who maketh his Angels Spirits, and his Ministers a flame of Fire. They are the prime Instruments of his Providence, most zealous and active to accomplish his Pleasure. But the Son is God, not by Analogy and Deputation as Princes are, nor with a limitation and diminution, as Moses was made a God to Pharaoh, but absolutely and really as subsisting in the Divine Nature: And consequently he is the Supreme King, and to him the Ensigns of Majesty divinely Royal are ascribed: But unto the Son he saith, Thy Throne, [Ver. 8.] O God, is for ever and ever; a Scepter of Righteousness is the Scepter of thy Kingdom: Whereas the Scepters of Earthly Kings are often unrighteously manag'd, and their Thrones ruinously fall. There is a further Confirmation from his Works, that are divinely great and glorious, wherein no Creature has any share of Efficiency. The making of p. 4the World is ascribed to him. Thou, Lord, [Ver. 10.] in the beginning hast laid the Foundation of the Earth, and the Heavens are the Works of thy Hands.

p. 4The Divine Attributes, the peculiar Character of the Deity belong to him: Eternity and Immutability. The most solid parts of the visible Creation shall perish and be changed: but thou remainest, and art the same. His Life is an intire, uniform, unchangeable Perfection. His Glory and Felicity are in the same invariable Tenor for ever possess'd by him. Lastly, the Son sits in that quality at the right Hand of the Father, [Ver. 13.] in the Society of Empire, as equal to him in Power and Honour, commanding all in the visible and invisible World, most easily and irresistibly, tho gradually, subduing his Enemies to a consummate Victory. But the Angels, so numerous and powerful, [Ver. 14.] are ministring Spirits, employed for the defence and benefit of the Church.

From this summary account we may understand how firmly the Divinity of Christ is establish'd in the Scripture. For those Passages of the Prophets, that speak of the God of Israel as Creator, and the sole Object of Adoration, are p. 5directly referr'd to Jesus Christ. And the Name Jehovah, [Psal. 97.9.] the Majesty of which consists in its being incommunicable, is attributed to him. This is the Foundation upon which the whole Fabrick of the Gospel is built. The Office of Mediator in the Prophetical, Priestly, and Regal Administration is necessarily join'd with the Divinity of his Person. And the revelation of it from Heaven, is as clear as the Sun is visible in the Firmament. All the Difficulties in our conceiving this great Mystery of Godliness, are but like the Shadows that attend the Light. And all the heretical Subtilties to pervert the Sense of such plain and positive Texts, are as impertinent as impious.

This being establish'd, the Apostle proceeds to give an account of the Son of God's assuming the Humane Nature, and submitting to Sufferings and Death. This is a Divine Secret so miraculously strange, that the Contrivance was without the Compass of the Angelical Minds, and the discovery of it is only by supernatural Revelation; but when revealed, the account of it is so open and consentaneous to Reason, as being the most congruous Means for p. 6the illustration of God's Glory in the saving lost Men, that the humane Mind, if not deeply corrupted with the tincture of Prejudice, must consent to it as worthy of all Acceptation.