defire the perpetual Enjoyment of Him) will ร alfo love him most hereafter ; for exactly according to the measure of the Manifestation, of Gods Glory both to the Saints and Angels, is the Measure of their Love of Him, or Delight taken in the Contemplation of his Excellence, and in this confifts their Felicity; which though it is fufficient and fatisfactory to every one of them, inafmuch as they all love him with their entire Affection, or are delighted in him with all their might, and fo are happy to their own Defire; yet do they not however enjoy equal Happiness, because the love of God in fome of them is more intense than in fome others, as anfwering to a fuller manifestation of his Glory to them.

Object. 4. If the formal Cause of Juftification be inherent Righteousness or Charity, then doth every degree thereof truly justifie, fo that man's Righteoufnefs may be greater or lefs, and confequently either every degree of Righteoufnefs will not give a juft Title to Heaven, fo as Poffeffion fhall ever enfue thereupon; or elfe imperfe& Charity fhall estate men in everlasting Felicity, which is contrary to what hath been often faid.

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Solut.

རྩཏང་ན་

Solut. In Anfwer to this Objection, I grant that every degree of habitual Charity from the higheft to the loweft, if either it be not loft, or being loft, be renewed, entitles men fo truly to Heaven, that they fhall not, departing this life therewith, finally fail of the full poffeffion of Blifs, but fooner or later fhall certainly obtain the fame; fooner or later, I fay, because fuch an abfolute full de fire to enjoy the Prefence of God, as totally excludes all appetite to carthly Enjoyinents and Satisfactions of this Life, is the fole immediate difpofition which prepares the Soul for Blifs fo that thofe alone, who through their ardent defire to be with God, are weary of this World, fhall ftraight upon their departure hence, go to pure and fimple Joy; but yet fo intenfe as they shall afterwards have at the laft, upon there-union of Soul and Body, I do not fay.) All the rest that depart this life, not having the like ardency of defire to be diffolved, and to be with Chrift, their God and Saviour, will in all appearance of Reafon retain the mixture of Affection to God and the World, which they left the later with, (for how a meer feparation of Soul and Body should root out all Affection to the World is, I think, a thing unaccountable) till the Resurrection

from

from the dead. If it be faid (as indeed it is by fome) that Chrift's appearing to the Souls of good men that departed this Life before his Death, must needs have been a Motive and Caufe of Change unto them; whence it came to pafs that the Graves were opened, and many Bodies of the Saints, which flept, arofe, &c. Matth. 27. 52, 53. I answers that fince it is here fuppofed, that there had been no Motive offered before that his fhewing himself to them, which had altered the state into which they entered at their feparation from the Body, it is reasonable to think, that there will likewise be no Motive to caufe a Change in those which have left, or fhall leave this World after that his appearing, till his coming to Judg ment at the last day; which in that it mult needs, in fome degree or other, be both dreadful and amiable to every one that hath not totally rooted out all Affection to the World, according to their different Meafures of Fear and Hope arifing from their finding themfelves more or lefs clogged with. terrene Defires, will be a Motive rightly adapted wholly to purge out all the Dreggs of impure Affections, and fo cause them to fix their Minds for ever upon God. But in the interim they'l continue in that condition, L 2

which

which they left the World with and fo each of them, as their Love to God is greater, will have more and purer Delight, yet not be altogether void of anguifh of Spirit, by reason they cannot go immediately to God through the load of Sin, which though not fo heavy as to press them down to Hell, yet will not fuffer them to foar up to Heaven.For we fee even in, this Life, the more Pious that men are, the more ferene Joy, and greater inward Contentment they enjoy, but have notwithstanding their Groans and Sighs, and trouble of Spirit, because they find the Old Man is not throughly conquered and fubdued; and however brought low, is nevertheless often giving check to their Spiritual Joy, and caufing their Grief. Nor is an incompleat imperfect State after this Life till the Day of Doom only confo nant to Reafon; but the Sacred Scripture alfo, and Catholic Tradition appear to make for it; for what mean these Expressions of being recompenfed at the Refurrection of the Just, Luke 14. 14. Of the Spirit being saved in the Day of the Lord Jefus, 1 Cor. 5. 5. Of finding Mercy of the Lord in that Day, 2 Tim. 1. 18. but that fomething is to be received at the Day of Judgment not to be obtained before? Which the practical Tradition of

the

the Church, both Eastern and Western,give Teftimony to by their praying for the Dead (but not for the delivery of Souls out of Purgatory) a Practife fo univerfal, that the Learned Mr. Thorndike faith, "It hath been "a Custom fo general in the Church to pray "for the Dead, that no beginning of it can "be affigned,no time,no part of the Church ❝where it was not ufed. Epilogue to the Tràgedy of the Church of England, Bock 3. Ch.29. P. 333. And another of our Learned Country-men,Dr. Hammond writeth thus, "'Tis "certain that fome measure of Blifs which "shall at the Day of Judgment be vouch"fafed the Saints, when their Bodies and "Souls fhall be reunited, is not till then enjoyed by them, and therefore may fafely "and fitly be prayed for, Annotat. on 2 Tim. 1. 16, 17, 18. For befides that it is evident from Holy Writ, that there fhall be a general Refurrection, (The hour is coming in which all that are in their Graves shall hear his Voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good, unto the Refurrection of Life; and they that have done Evil unto the Refurrection of Damnation, John 5. 28, 29.) it is manifest likewife to our Reafon, that there must be a Re-union of every Soul and Body at the last Day; for fince Christ fhall then appear in L 3

his