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Happiness
f. Spiritual Happiness. As
we have shown and demonstrated (contrary to the opinion of Hobbes that
nothing is substance but matter) that no matter is substance but only
God who is a spirit, and that other spirits are more substantial than
matter, so also it is true that no happiness is solid and substantial
but spiritual happiness, although it may seem that sensual pleasure is
most real and spiritual only imaginary, as it seems as if sensible
matter were only real and spiritual substance only imaginary.
3. Happiness. Happiness is
the end of the creation as appears by this — because the creation had as
good not be as not rejoice in its being. For certainly it was the
goodness of the Creator that moved him to create; and how can we
conceive of another end proposed by goodness, than that he might delight
in seeing the creatures he made rejoice in that being that he has given
them? It appears also by this — because the end of the creation is that
the creature might glorify him. Now what is glorifying God but a
rejoicing at that glory he has displayed? An understanding of the
perfections of God, merely, cannot be the end of the creation, for he
had as good not understand it as see it and not be at all moved with joy
at the sight. Neither can the highest end of the creation be the
declaring God’s glory to others, for the declaring God’s glory is good
for nothing otherwise than to raise joy in ourselves and others at what
is declared. Wherefore such happiness is the highest end of the creation
of the Creator of the universe. And intelligent beings are the
consciousness of the creation that is to be the immediate subject of
this happiness. How happy, may we conclude, will be those intelligent
beings that are to be made thus happy!
95. Happiness of Heaven.
When the body enjoys the perfections of health and strength, the motion
of the animal spirits are not only brisk and free but also harmonious.
There is a regular proportion in the motion from all parts of the body
that begets delight in the inner soul and makes the body feel pleasantly
all over. God has so excellently contrived the nerves and parts of the
human body. But few men since the fall, especially since the flood, have
health to so great a perfection as to have much of this harmonious
motion. When it is enjoyed, one whose nature is not very much vitiated
and depraved is very much assisted thereby in every exercise of body or
mind. And it fits one for the contemplation of more exalted and
spiritual excellencies and harmonies, as music does. But we need not
doubt but that harmony will be in its perfection in the bodies of the
saints after the resurrection, and that, as every part of the bodies of
the wicked shall be excruciated with intolerable pain, so every part of
the saints’ refined bodies shall be as full of pleasure as they can
hold, and that this will not take the mind off from but prompt, and help
it in spiritual delights, to which even the delights of their spiritual
bodies shall be but a shadow. [See also section on Happiness in Heaven.]
96. God’s Perfect
Goodness. It appears that there must be more than a unity in infinite
and eternal essence. Otherwise the goodness of God can have no perfect
exercise. To be perfectly good is to incline to and delight in making
others happy in the same proportion as it is happy itself — that is, to
delight as much in communicating happiness to another as enjoying of it
himself and an inclination to communicate all his happiness. It appears
that this is perfect goodness, because goodness and this delight are the
same. But this delight is not perfect except it be equal to the highest
delight of that being, that is, except his inclination to communicate
happiness be equal to his inclination to be happy himself. Goodness is
the exercise in communication of happiness. But if that communication be
imperfect, that is, if it be not of all the happiness enjoyed by the
being himself, the exercise of the goodness is imperfect, inasmuch as
the communication of happiness and the exercise of goodness is the same.
But to no finite being can God either incline to communicate goodness so
much as he inclines to be happy himself, for he cannot love a creature
so much as he loves himself, neither can he communicate all his goodness
to a finite being. But no absolutely perfect being can be without
absolutely perfect goodness, and no being can be perfectly happy which
has not the exercise of that which he sincerely inclines to exercise.
Wherefore, God must have a perfect exercise of his goodness, and
therefore must have the fellowship of a person equal with himself. No
reasonable creature can be happy, we find, without society and
communion, not only because it finds something in others that is not in
himself, but because he delights to communicate himself to another. This
cannot be because of our imperfection but because we are made in the
image of God. For the more perfect any creature is, the more strong this
inclination, so that we may conclude that Jehovah’s happiness consists
in communion as well as the creature’s.
97. Happiness. As was said
in M 96, that no being could be happy without the exercise of this
inclination of communicating his happiness, now the happiness of society
consists in this: in the mutual communications of each other’s
happiness. Neither does it satisfy, in society, only to receive the
other’s happiness without also communicating his own. Now it is
necessary that to those whom we love most we should have the strongest
desire of communicating happiness (to everyone but one that be infinite,
and cannot receive additions of happiness). And although God is the
object of the creature’s love (if a man be not depraved), yet God being
infinitely happy, he cannot desire to communicate his happiness to him —
which is nothing to the happiness God enjoys. But in the gospel, God is
come down to us, and the person of God may receive communications of
happiness from us. The man Christ Jesus loves us so much that he is
really the happier for our delight and happiness in him.
198. Happiness. How soon
do earthly lovers come to an end of their discoveries of each other’s
beauty! How soon do they see all that is to be seen, are they united as
near as it is possible and have communion as intimate as possible! How
soon do they come to the most endearing expressions of love that it is
possible to come to, so that no new ways can be invented, given, or
received! And how happy is that love in which there is an eternal
progress in all these things, wherein new beauties are continually
discovered, and more and more loveliness, and in which we shall forever
increase in beauty ourselves. When we shall be made capable of finding
out, and giving, and shall receive more and more endearing expressions
of love forever, our union will become more close and communion more
intimate.
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