Chap. XIII. Of HEAVEN. Fancy, touches theSenfe, but cannot fill the Heart; but the Favour of God .fari sfies the Soul. Thcu h4{1 put Gl41lnefs into my HeArt , more than w!Jen their Corn Anti. r-vme increilje&.. Carnal Joy in its highe!l: elevation, in the time of the Harvdl and Vintage, is incompara- ~~o(r~{'c:,;'~~t ~hir:~~a;a~~~_:~~[~~~~~f ~~~s!~res7ig~: ~fvTn~d;~y~0~~~:~~n~:r J~n in largcd comprchenfive Faculties. The Eye is notfi:tiified with fieing, nor tht Ear with braring ; but the Peace of God pajfes ai/Vnderjlandrng. The Things of the World arc of a limited Goodnefs: Wifdom is not Strength, nor Learning Riches, nor Beauty Fruirfulnefs: But God is a Vniverfal Good, in whom are all attratl:ives to raifc and fatisfy our Dcores. If Men did conoder, they would diflinguifh and dcfpife in comparifon all that is named Felicity here, with the Favour of God. To fcek for fatisfaaion in the Creature anr!Jorfal<e him, is as if one defirous to fee the Light fhould withdraw from the prcfencc 'of the Sun, to borrow it from a weak Ray refleaed by fome obfcure Matter. Now if there be fo va!l: a difference in their Nature, as between a painted Vapour, and the folid. glorious Good, between Finite and Infinite, why isthere not a difference accordingly in our Efleem, Aficaions and Refpeas to them? How unrcafonable is it that a Soul capable of God, fhould cleave to the Dufl ? It would be mofl egregious fol ly to hang a Weight, that is able to turn a great Engine, upon a fmall Clock: 'tis incomparably more foolilh, when the love of Happinefs, the weight of Humane Nature, which applied aright, will turn our Ddires to ~eaven, is only ufed to give vigorous motion to our En· deavours about earthly Things. ( o.) Confider their Duration. The Apoflle tells us, that the main fiope of his Ac1ionl h~;: ?~:i;~:,;~f:/ea~ea~~~~ J];;::~~~~:~~/, ~f~~r-~0: 8.he ~~f~~~a~;~~~:; ;;(r ~ifi(l~;~~; between Temporal and Eternal, may feem needlefs: for the fir!l: Notions of ·things are of fuch uncomrou!able clearnefs, that an atte~pt ro prove them, is to light a Candle to dtfco1•er the Sun. Yet this Principle drawing after ir fuch powerful Confequences for the got·er~mcnt of our Hearts and Lives/ an1:1 Confcience bein~ fo rernifs, and the fenfual ~~~~;~~uf~,ia·~.el~~;· n:::s b~e~~~~;a~~a~dr,i~·r::lli~:~io~~~~rl~;r,~v~~~ i:,~~blt t~~"i~fi: nite Volume of Ages in Eternity? The Under!l:anding of an Angel can no more compre• hend what is incomprehenfible, than the Mind of a Man. A Snail will pafs .overan rm. menfe fpace as foon as an Eagle: for rho one difpatches more way than the other, yet ~~;:~i~~·o£q~~Zn~;~~~trb~ma~;~~r~~a~h:n~n~lf~~i~~~aft ii:~~e1~f'ro ~:;r~1r:~;~~~~~; fome temporal Re!emblances, that fenobly, tho not fully, exprefs it. Suppofe that the b~~w~~a~v:;rd~~~i;llh~~:a~~ ~filo~~~~o~~~:!\~e~~~'~J;~~u;~n:;p~~~tto~~~~~~ this great World in its full compafs, from one Pole ro another, and from the top 0f the Firmament to rhe bottom, were to be lill'd with the fmallefl Sand, but fo llowly, that every Thoufand Years only a fingle Grain Jhould be added ; how many Millions would pafsaway before it were filled? If theimmenfe Supetficiesof the Heavens, wherein are innomerable Stars, the !call: of which equals the ' magnitude of the Earth, were ·.!illed with Figures of Numbers without the leaf! vacant fpace, and every Figure figni6ed a Million, what created Mind could tell their Number, much lefs their Value? Having thefe Thoughts, I reply; The Sea will be emptied drop by drop, the Univcrfe lill'd grain by grain, the Numbers written in the Heavens wtll come to an end ; and how much of Eternity is then fpent? Nothing; for flill infinitely more remains. In Ihort, whatever is Temporal, extends the conrinuance of it to the utmo!l: poffibility of Conception, is infinitely fhort of Eternity. A Day, an Hour, a Minute, has fome proportion with a Thoufand Years; for that duration is determ ined by a certain number of Days, and Hours, and Minutes: but Millions of Ages have no proportion to Eternity, becaufe 'tis an indeterminable Duration. The Mind is foon tir'd and loll: in fearching after Numbers to reprefent it: 'tis confounded and flruck with amazing Horor, and can only diretl: the Eye upward or downward to the two Habitati- ~h:~h~~~~~(';h~h~r~}~~~0W:~t~~rh~~~f~~~ ~~af~t~~~~t~~~l. T~~firA0~r~s~~~fu~;d ~!o!Y:h~ ~~~h,t~~d~;~ryr~~~ri~nd fa~~t~vita~Iih~t¥,:~f zr.e ~~~~~~;~~~fb~~!. Frequent changes from l'rofpemy to Adverfity, are the 'Properties of this mortal State As thofe wl!o a:e in Yoya~~s ~!~~a, fometim~~ a;e i? a cihp~ and ~r:fe~tlyfuffer a Sto~~j
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