I. Eternal life shall be given to all, which by their good works have witnessed that they were truly grafted into Christ, and have believed in Christ.

We believe that eternal life, that is full and perfect possession of eternal life, shall be given in that last day unto all who by the apparent works of true faith and godliness shall be declared before all angels and men, manifestly showed and by sentence of the Judge Christ pronounced, to have been truly joined to Him by the Holy Spirit, and so to have believed in God the Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost; and to have been lively members of the holy church and to have had communion with all the saints, and obtained forgiveness of their sins, which the Lord also teacheth, saying, He will say to them which shall be on His right hand, come ye blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat, etc.

II. A confirmation of the former opinion, and that eternal life is not given for our own works but for Christ in whom we are freely chosen, blessed, and made the children of God.

For by these words the Lord seemeth to have declared unto us that our good works are testimonies of our election, blessing, and adoption in Christ, and so of our lawful inheritance. And that the cause whereby we shall obtain eternal life and possession of the heavenly kingdom is partly because that ere the beginning of the world, that ere we had done any good thing, that kingdom was freely prepared for us in Christ, partly because we were blessed of the Father, namely, with all spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3); and therefore called by grace, justified, forgiven our offenses, and sanctified. Lastly, because we were in the same Christ adopted the sons of God, and renewed or born again by His Spirit, and therefore made coheirs with Him of the kingdom; which He plainly meant by the word [Greek?], that, by the right of inheritance, possess as sons. Whereas the Lord therefore shall reckon up the works of piety, He shall do it (we doubt not) to this purpose, that by them it may appear to the whole world that we were the truly blessed, chosen, just children of God, to whom the inheritance was due, the apostle saying, if sons, then heirs also (Rom. 8:17). But that we are the sons of God is declared by our regeneration, and regeneration by the effects of regeneration, which are called works of faith and piety.

III. As the godly shall have eternal life, so the pains and fire of the wicked shall be eternal.

And as we believe that the children of God shall obtain eternal life, so also we confess that the hypocrites and all the wicked shall be cast into the fire that never shall be quenched, and there be tormented forever, Christ saying plainly, go "ye...into everlasting fire" (Matt. 25:41).

IV. How happy that eternal life shall be, it can neither be said nor thought.

But what, and what manner of life it is, and how great felicity which is meant by the name of the heavenly kingdom, we do with the apostle freely confess, that neither ear hath heard, nor hath it come into a man's heart to conceive (1 Cor. 2:9). For it is a matter greater and more excellent than can be comprehended in man's understanding; and of such passing happiness that nothing can be wished more happy. We therefore simply believe that we which are Christ's, which are guided by His Spirit, which depend on His Word, which lastly do place our whole hope of salvation in Him, shall all be most blessed; shall all shine as the sun in the sight of God (Matt. 13:43). We shall all see God even as He is (1 Cor. 13:12); we shall all live a heavenly and divine life with Christ and His angels, and be delivered from all sin, from all mystery, from all ill; without any longer grief, without fear, without lack or desire of anything, because God shall be All in all (1 Cor. 15:28). And we shall behold His face; and in that city shall be no more night, neither shall there need any candle or sunlight, because the Lord shall give us light; and we shall reign forever and ever with Christ Jesus our Head, Spouse, Savior and our Lord (Rev. 22:4-5), to whom be praise, honor, and glory, world without end. Amen.