thap. VI. Of HEAVEN. but efpecially 'for his fovereign ~nd fingular Mercy in ele£ting them to be Y elfels of Honour; for bis powerful Grace, m refcum& them trom the cruel. and •gnomm1ous Bondage of Sin ; for his moft free Love, that JUftified them from all their Guilt by the Death of his only Son, and glorified them with h1~felf. They are never weary m thiS dehghtful Exercife, but continually blefs h1m for hiS Me;cy that endures for ever. We may JUdg by the Saints here, when they are m~ lit dtfpofiuon to pratfe God, what Fervors they feel m their united Praifcs of him in Heaven. The Pjalmijl m an Extafy calls to all the,parts of the World to join with him: TheLordreignr, let the Heavens rejoice, andtbe Earth be glad; let the Sea roar, let the Fields be joyful and aUthat dweU_the~ein. He defires tha~ Nature fbould be elevated above it felf, that the dead parts be mfpired With L1fe, the mfenlible feel motions of Joy, and thofe that want a Voice break forth in Praifes, to adorn the Divine Triumph. With what Life and Alacrity will the Saints in their bleffed Communion celebrate the Objea of their Love and Praifes ? The Seraphims about the Throne cried to one another, toexprefstheir Zeal and Joy, in celebrating his Eternal Purity and Power, and the Glory of his Goodnefs. <? the u~fpeakable Pleafure of thiS Concert ! when every Soul is harmomous, and contributes hiS part to the full Mufick of Heaven. 0 could we hear but fome Echo of thofe Songs wherewith the Heaven of Heavens refounds, fome remains of thofe Voices wherewit~ the Saints above t~iumph in the Praifes, in the folemn Adorauon of the Kmg of Spmts, how would tt mflame our Defires to be join'd with them? Blejfed are thofe that m in tiJ] Houfe, thry always praifo ·thee. 1· The fulnefsof Joy inHeaveniseverlafting, without_defea, and_withoutend. 1 • 'Tis undecaying, the produatve Cauf~s are confervauve of lt, bemg always equal. Thofe are the beatifick ObJea, and the contmual frumon of ' '· Whilft we are here helow, the Sun of Righteoufnefs, as to our percepti_on and fenfe,_ has Afcenfions and Declinations, AccelfesandReceffes. Ando~rEarth IS not fopunfied, butfomeVapours arife that intercept h!S chearful refrefbmg L1ght. From hence there are al ternate fucceffions of fpiritual Comforts and Sorrows, of Doubts and ~lial _Confidence in t~e Saints. 'Tis a rare Favour of Heaven, when a humble Behevcr m hiS whole courfe lS fo circumfpea, asnottoprovoke God to appeardifpleafedagainfthim: When aChriftian (as thofetutelar Angels fpoken of in the Gofpel) always behold the Face of his Heavenly Father, and c~nverfes with him with a holy Liberty. And :ovhat a torment the hiding of God's F•ce IS to a deferred Soul, only they know ~ho feeltt. External troubles are many times attended with more Confo~at!Ons to the Spmr, ~ban Aflltawns to Senfe ; but to love God wlth a tranfcendent Aflett10n, and to fear he IS our Enemy, no Punifbment exceeds, or is equal to it. As his Loving-kindnefs in their efteem is better than Life, fo his Difpleafure is worfe than Death. How do they wreftle with God by Prayers and Tears, and offer, as it were, a holy Violence to the King of Heaven, to recover !~~~ ;~zi~e~~~i~o~~ ~ih~·r~~~~~~. pt:~:a~j~:::~: ;,~:,t,Ysa~'ft~a~~1~,d~'~;1.,~~h~: God preferved me ; when his Candle fbin'd ttpon my head, and >vhen by his Light I "'alk'd throt~gh darkneji; as I was in the days of my youth, when the Secret of God was upon my Ta- ;~;~; ~J8~r:~·; 2~~; th~nge~:=~~fee~h~i~e~~~~ie~:v:~~nte~;~~~fre;~~y:~, ~~ ts fo h;ird that ull their Extremltles he IS not moved With Compaffion, but for wife and holyReafons: Eitherthat_thrymaynotreturnto folly, if by any _prefumptuons Sin they forte1ted thetc Peace; or tf they have been careful to pleafe !urn, yet he may deprive them of fpiritual Comforts for a time, to keep them humble, and that with an obedient refignation to his Sovereign Pleafure they may wait for his reviving Prefence. And then Joy returns greater than before : For thus God ufually renders with intereft what he fufpended only for trial. But the Saints above are for ever enlightned with the vital fplendor, and dear regards of his Countenance, always enjoy his beamy fmi!es. A con· tmual effufion of Glory illuftrates Heaven and all its bleffed Inhabitants. And their Contemplation of God is fixed. If the Objea, rho extraordinarily gloriou~, were tranfient, or the eye fo weak that it could only fee it but by glances, the hetght of Joy would not be perpetual. But the mind is prepared with fupernatural vigour, to feethe brightnefs of God's Face, and by the moft atte~tive application always converfes with that blelfed ObJea: fo that the Joy of Heaven IS never intermitred for a m~'.¥fsn~.offi!l~ei~~~:rc![;rci~~~~;e~rrP.di~e}~~~ ~~dJr:~~e~~~~rm perpetual vifion of the fame Glory m1ght lofe tts perfefr dehghtfulnefs. For thofe who feek for happinefs in the vamty of the Creatures, are always defirous of change, and have their Judgments fo corrupted,
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