Section 12: Of the Excellent Reward annexed to the Christian Religion.

Book 1 Section 12 (p. 19-21):
Of the Excellent Reward annexed to the Christian Religion.

Now concerning the Reward, that is the end proposed to Man, because that (as we use to say) is the first in intention, though last in execution; Moses in the Institutes of the Judaick Religion, if regard (only) the express Covenants of the Law, promised nothing above the good things of this Life, a fruitful Land, and plentiful Store, victory over Enemies, long and healthful Age, and hopeful Posterity. What is beyond these, is vailed under Shadows; or to be collected by wise and difficult Ratiocination; (Which mysterious Discourses, though they were very much unvailed by the Prophets that People was blessed with abundantly by God, who cared as well for their Eternal as their Temporal Happiness.) Yet those that attended only on the Pentateuch, as the Sadduces, renounced all hope of good things to be attained after this Life. Among the Grecians, who received their Learning from the hands of the Chaldeans and Egyptians, they that conceived any hope of another Life, after the end of this, spake of it with much hesitancy; as appears in the Dissertations of Socrates, in the Writings of Tully, Seneta, and others: and when they fought Arguments for it, they found very little certainty; for what they alleadg, most of it holds no better for Man than Beasts. This being observed by some others, it is not much to be admired, if they devised a transmigration of Souls, from Men into Beasts, from Beasts into Men. And this again being built on no certain Testimonies or Arguments, and yet it being clear that some end was proposed to Man, others were enclined to say, that Vertue is Reward to it self, and a wise Man is happy enough when he is tormented in the Bull of Phalaris. But this also, and not without cause, displeased others, who were sensible enough, that where Dangers, Incommodities, Torments, and Death are, there Felicity, especially the highest, cannot dwell, unless Men could content themselves with a sound of words without reality; and therefore these Men placed the Supream Good, and the end of Man in such things as bring pleasure to the Senses. But this Opinion too is by very man, and that by sound Arguments, refuted, as an Opinion that extinguisheth all Honesty, and degradeth Man, born and erected for higher things, into the rank of bruitish Creatures, which with their down-cast looks, regard nothing but what is earthly.

In so many doubts and by-ways Mankind went astray in that Age, when Christ brought into the World the true Knowledg of the end: Not but that it was in a good measure revealed before, and understood by very many; yet not so evidently revealed, and openly set forth to all, as now it was by Christ; who promised his Followers after this Life, a Life, not only without Death, without Pain and Trouble, but attended also with Joy unspeakable; and that not only to a part of Man, that is, his Soul, of whose hopeful felicity after this Life, was extant (even among the Heathens) partly by some Conjecture, and partly by Tradition: But now made as manifest concerning the Body also, with a great deal of reason; that as the Body for the Divine Law often suffers Hurts, Tortures, and Death, so it should at last be partaker of the representation, in the Glorious Resurrection. Now the Joys which are promised are not vile, as Banquets to satisfie the sensual Appetite, which the gross Jews hope for after this Life; nor the Pleasures of the Bed, which the Mahumetans promise to themselves: These are proper to this frail Life, in the modest use thereof, and by God's Ordinance a Remedy against Fornication. But the Delights of the Life to come, are perpetual vigour of Body, and more than Star-like Beauty; in the Soul perfect Understanding, even of God and his Providence, and of what now lies hid; a Will quiet, taken up with the fruition of God especially, and with the admiration and praise of him: briefly, all things better far than can be conceived, by comparison of the best and greatest things we know in this World, because we shall be like Jesus, for we shall see him as he is, 1 Cor. 12. 1 John 3.2.