And we may also infer from hence, that there shall be no temptations to sin; none arising from themselves, since there are no lusts, or remainders of corruption, to draw them aside from God; and no temptations from others, since they are all made perfectly holy. The soul meets with no temptations from the body, as it often did, while it was subject to the infirmities of nature, in this imperfect state. It shall never be liable to any weakness, weariness, stupidity, nor any of those diseases with which it is now oppressed; so that the soul shall never meet with any temptations arising from thence, inasmuch as the happiness of the body consists in its subserviency to it, in all those things that may tend to promote its compleat blessedness. Moreover, they are also considered as delivered from all misery, whether personal, or relative. The afflictions of believers are confined to this present state; therefore in heaven ‘God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away,’ Rev. xxi. 4. and nothing remains that may tend to abate their happiness, or render the state in which they are, imperfect.
2. They shall be filled with inconceivable joys. Thus our Saviour says to the man in the parable, who had improved the talents he had been entrusted with; Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord, Matt. xxv. 21, 23. and they are said not only to be presented faultless before the presence of the glory of Christ; but with exceeding joy, Jude, ver. 24. This is the necessary result of a state of perfect blessedness; which cannot but administer the highest satisfaction and comfort to those who are possessed thereof; inasmuch as it not only answers, but even exceeds their most raised expectations. These joys are not indeed carnal, but spiritual; for as the greatest delight which the saints have here, consists in the favour and love of God, and in the bright rays of his glory shining into the soul, so they shall be perfectly blessed with this hereafter, in which respect their joy shall be full.
3. They shall be made perfectly holy and happy, both in body and soul. The soul shall be unspeakably more enlarged than it was before, as to all the powers and faculties thereof. The understanding rendered more capable of contemplating the divine perfections, and it shall be entertained with those discoveries of the glory thereof, which, at present, we have but a very imperfect knowledge of: It shall be fitted to behold the wisdom of God in the works of creation and redemption, and be led into the deep mysteries of his providence, and the reason of the various dispensations thereof, which, though they know not now, they shall know hereafter. The will shall be perfectly free, having no corrupt nature to bias, or turn it aside, from that which is its chief good and happiness; neither shall it choose any thing, but what is conducive thereunto: There are no remains of rebellion and obstinacy to be found therein, but a perfect and entire conformity to the will of God. The affections shall be perfectly regulated, and unalterably run in a right channel, fixed upon the best objects, and not in the least inclined to deviate from them. And, as for the body, that shall be fitted for a state of perfection, as well as the soul; for it shall be raised a spiritual, celestial, and glorious body, and therefore perfectly adapted to be a partaker with the soul, of that glory which the whole man shall be possessed of; and sanctified to be a temple of the Holy Ghost for ever.
4. They shall be joined with the innumerable company of the saints and holy angels. The apostle speaks of an innumerable company of angels, and the general assembly and church of the first-born, Heb. xii. 22, 23. to which we are said, in this world, to come by faith; but hereafter these two assemblies shall be joined together, and make one body, that so they may, as they are represented doing, with one consent, adore and proclaim the worthiness, riches, wisdom, and strength of the lamb that was slain, who lives for ever and ever, Rev. v. 11, & seq. Now since the saints and angels are described as making up the same body, and engaged in the same worship, some have taken occasion to enquire concerning the means by which they shall converse together in another world; or, in what manner this united body shall be made visible to each other; but these things we must be content to be ignorant of in this present state. However, as to the saints, they shall converse with one another by the organ of sense and speech; for this is one of the ends for which the body shall be raised and re-united to the soul; and it may also be proved, from what we read of Moses and Elias conversing with Christ at his transfiguration in such a manner, Matt. xvii. 3.
As for that question which some propose, relating to this matter, viz. whether there shall be a diversity of languages in heaven, as there is on earth? This we cannot pretend to determine. Some think that there shall; and that as persons of all nations and tongues, shall make up that blessed society, so they shall praise God in the same language which they before used when on earth; and that this worship may be performed with the greatest harmony, and to mutual edification, all the saints shall, by the immediate power and providence of God, be able to understand and make use of every one of those different languages, as well as their own. This they found on the apostle’s words, in which he says, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; which, they suppose, has a respect to the heavenly state, because it is said to be done both by those that are in heaven, and those that are on earth, Phil. ii. 10, 11. But though the apostle speaks, by a metonymy, of different tongues, that is, persons who speak different languages, being subject to Christ, he probably means thereby persons of different nations, whether they shall praise him in their own language in heaven, or no.
Therefore some conjecture, that the diversity of languages shall then cease; inasmuch as it took its first rise from God’s judicial hand, when he confounded the speech of those who presumptuously attempted to build the city and tower of Babel; and this has been, ever since, attended with many inconveniencies. And, indeed, the apostle seems expressly to intimate as much, when he says, speaking concerning the heavenly state, that tongues shall cease, 1 Cor. xiii. 8. that is, the present variety of languages. Moreover, since the gift of tongues was bestowed on the apostles, for the gathering and building up the church in the first age thereof, which end, when it was answered, this extraordinary dispensation ceased; in like manner, it is probable that hereafter the diversity of languages shall cease[[194]].
I am sensible there are some who object to this, that the saints, understanding all languages, will be an addition to their honour, glory, and happiness: but to this it may be answered, that though it is, indeed, an accomplishment in this world, for a person to understand several languages; that arises from the subserviency thereof, to those valuable ends that are answered thereby; but this would be entirely removed, if the diversity of languages be taken away in heaven, as some suppose it will.
There are some, who, it may be, give too much scope to a vain curiosity, when they pretend to enquire what this language shall be, or determine, as the Jews do, and with them, some of the Fathers, that it shall be the Hebrew; since their arguments for it are not sufficiently conclusive; which are principally these, viz. That this was the language with which God inspired man at first in paradise, and that which the saints and patriarchs spake, and the church generally made use of in all ages, till our Saviour’s time; and that it was this language which he himself spake, while here on earth: and since his ascension into heaven, he spake unto Paul in the Hebrew tongue, Acts xxvi. 14. And when the inhabitants of heaven are described in the Revelations as praising God, there is one word used, by which their praise is expressed, namely, Hallelujah, which is Hebrew; the meaning whereof is, praise ye the Lord: but all these arguments are not sufficiently convincing; and therefore we must reckon it no more than a conjecture.
As for the opinion of those who suppose that it will not be any particular language that is, or has been spoken in this world, but one that is more perfect and significative, and that this is what the apostle means when he speaks of the tongues of angels, in 1 Cor. xiii. 1. To this it may be replied, that it is more than probable, that there shall be some language which shall be more perfect and significative than any that is now known in the world; which glorified saints shall receive by immediate inspiration; yet this does not fully appear to be the apostle’s meaning in that scripture; since it is not certain that angels express their ideas by the sound of words; inasmuch as they have no bodies, nor organs of speech; neither can we certainly determine that they frame voices some other way. Therefore, the tongue of angels, which the apostle speaks of, is an hyperbolical expression, signifying the most excellent language, or such an one as angels would speak, did they use a voice; as the face of angels, chap. vi. 15. is expressed to signify the most bright, glorious, and majestic countenance; and as manna is called angels food, Psal. lxviii. 25. that is, the most pleasant and delightful: therefore the tongue of angels signifies the most excellent language. But these things, though often enquired into by those who treat on this subject, are very uncertain; neither is it of any advantage for us to be able to determine them.
But there is another thing arising from the consideration of the saints being joined in one society, which is much more useful, and, so far as we have light to determine it, will afford a very comfortable and delightful thought to us, namely, what concerns their knowing one another in heaven. The scripture, indeed, does not so fully determine this matter as it does some others, relating to the heavenly state; yet many of God’s children have died with a firm persuasion that they shall see and know their friends, in another world; and have been ready to conclude this to be a part of that happiness which they shall enjoy therein; and we cannot think this altogether an ungrounded opinion; though it is not to be contended for as it were a necessary and important article of faith.