490
you find in the Gospel too; when before the eyes of His disciples He was going into heaven,
they stood and looked on, and the Angelic voice spake, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye,”
etc. “This Jesus shall come in like manner as ye see Him going into heaven.”3803 What is,
“shall come in like manner”? Shall come in this Very Form. For “He hath given Him power
to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.” Now see on what principle this was
behoveful and right, that they who were to be judged might see the Judge. For they who
were to be judged were both good and bad. “But blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God.”3804 It remained that in the Judgment the Form of the servant should be manifested
both to good and bad, the Form of God be reserved for the good alone.
11. For what is it that the good are to receive? Behold I am now expressing that which
I did not express a little above; and yet in expressing I do not express it. For I said that there
we shall be in sound health, shall be safe, shall be living, shall be without scourges, without
hunger and thirst, without failing, without loss of our eyes. All this I said; but what we shall
have more, I said not. We shall see God. Now this will be so great, yea so great a thing will
it be, that in comparison of it, all the rest is nothing. I said that we shall be living, that we
shall be safe and sound, that we shall suffer no hunger and thirst, that we shall not fall into
weariness, that sleep will not oppress us. All this, what is it to that happiness, whereby we
shall see God? Because then God cannot be now manifested as He is, whom nevertheless
we shall see; therefore, “what eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,”3805 this the good shall see,
this shall the godly see, this the merciful shall see, this shall the faithful see, this shall they
see who shall have a good lot in the resurrection of the body, for that they have had a good
obedience in the resurrection of the heart.
12. Shall then the wicked man see God too? of whom Isaiah saith, “Let the ungodly be
taken away, that he see not the Glory of God.”3806 Both the ungodly and the godly then
shall see that Form; and when the sentence, “Let the ungodly be taken away that he see not
the Glory of God,” shall have been pronounced; it remains that as to the godly and the good,
that be fulfilled which the Lord Himself promised, when He was here in the flesh, and seen
not by the good only, but by the evil also. He spake amongst the good and evil, and was seen
of all, as God, hidden, as Man, manifested; as God ruling men, as Man appearing among
men: He spake, I say, among them, and said, “Whoso loveth Me, keepeth My commandments;
and he that loveth Me, shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him.”3807 And as if it
were said to Him, And what wilt Thou give him? And “I will,” He saith, “manifest Myself
3803 Acts i. 11.
3804 Matt. v. 8.
3805 1 Cor. ii. 9.
3806 Isa. xxvi. 10, Sept.
3807 John xiv. 21.
1015
On the words of the Gospel, John v. 25,’Verily, verily, I say unto you,…