The joys of life eternal are in Scripture comprehended all under the name of salvation,or being saved.To be saved is to be secured,either respectively,against special evils,or absolutely,against all evil,comprehending want,sickness,and death itself.And because man was created in a condition immortal,not subject to corruption,and consequently to nothing that tendeth to the dissolution of his nature;and fell from that happiness by the sin of Adam;it followeth that to be saved from sin is to be saved from all the evil and calamities that sin hath brought upon us.And therefore in the Holy Scripture,remission of sin,and salvation from death and misery,is the same thing,as it appears by the words of our Saviour,who,having cured a man sick of the palsy,by saying,"Son be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee";and knowing that the scribes took for blasphemy that a man should pretend to forgive sins,asked them "whether it were easier to say,Thy sins be forgiven thee,or,Arise and walk";signifying thereby that it was all one,as to the saving of the sick,to say,"Thy sins are forgiven,"and "Arise and walk";and that he used that form of speech only to show he had power to forgive sins.And it is besides evident in reason that since death and misery were the punishments of sin,the discharge of sin must also be a discharge of death and misery;that is to say,salvation absolute,such as the faithful are to enjoy after the day of judgement,by the power and favour of Jesus Christ,who that cause is called our Saviour.
Concerning particular salvations,such as are understood,"as the Lord liveth that saveth Israel,"that is,from their temporary enemies;and,"Thou art my Saviour,thou savest me from violence";and,"God gave the Israelites a Saviour,and so they were delivered from the hand of the Assyrians,"and the like,I need say nothing;there being neither difficulty nor interest to corrupt the interpretation of texts of that kind.
But concerning the general salvation,because it must be in the kingdom of heaven,there is great difficulty concerning the place.
On one side,by kingdom,which is an estate ordained by men for their perpetual security against enemies and want,it seemeth that this salvation should be on earth.For by salvation is set forth unto us a glorious reign of our king by conquest;not a safety by escape:and therefore there where we look for salvation,we must look also for triumph;and before triumph,for victory;and before victory,for battle;which cannot well be supposed shall be in heaven.
But how good soever this reason may be,I will not trust to it without very evident places of Scripture.The state of salvation is described at large,Isaiah,33.20,21,22,23,24:
"Look upon Zion,the city of our solemnities;thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation,a tabernacle that shall not be taken down;not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed,neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
"But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams;wherein shall go no galley with oars,neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
"For the Lord is our judge,the Lord is our lawgiver,the Lord is our king,he will save us.
"Thy tacklings are loosed;they could not well strengthen their mast;they could not spread the sail:then is the a great spoil divided;the lame take the prey.