[ommttnion with ho~ Souls 1Jeparted. Dirfll, 7• 9· 7• Direct. 7· TYhm you feel tJ coo/in~ of your love to God, or ofyour zeal er rcvrre;zce or othtr gract1, tbi~t/t then of tbe temptr of thcfe Holy Soul1, tbat fee lJUgl11ry! 0 think, with what fervour do they Love their God.? with what tranfp~rting fweetnefs~o they delight in him? with what Reverence do they all behold hrm? And am no< I hJS fcrvanr, and a member of his family as well as thfy; fhall I be hke the llrangers of thiS frozen world, when llhould be·likc my fellow Citizens above?' As it will ?ifpofc a man t~ weep t~ fee the tears an~ ~rief of others; and_as it will difpofe a rrian to' mirtb and ;oy to fee the m<rth and;oy of others; fo IS rt a potent help to rarfe the foul to the Love of God and delight in hiHervice, to think believingly of the Love and Delight of fuch a world of bldt<d fpitits. Direll. S. f· 8. D1rcct. 8. TYbm y ou draw ntar to G6d in bU holy Worfoip, remember that you are part ofthe[ 11 me [oci<1y with thofe bleffrd JPiritJ that are praifing him in perfdlion. Remember that you are membqs of the fame Chore, and your parr mull go to make up the Melody; and therefore you fhould be as httle difiordant from them as pollibly you can. The quality of thofe that we joyn with in God, fer– VIe~, IS apt CTther toduUor quic~w us, to deprtfi or elevate us; and ·we move Heaven-ward man eaftly and fwiftly inth~tcompany, which is going thither on the fwifrell pafe. A believing thought that we are Worllupp111g God m Confort w1th the Heavenly Chore, and of the high and holy ra– ptures of thofe fpirlts, in the continual praife of their Great Creator, is an excellenr means to warrn and quicken us, and raife us as near their holy frame, as here on earth may be expected. Dire{/. 9• 9· 9· Direct. 9• Wlun you would poffifi your he•rtr witb a lively fenfe of the odioufoefi of ji11, •>:d ~ould rtfifl aD temptations which would draw you la it, thi11i<_ then how the blfJfed {oult witb God dt~ ;u~ge of fin, tJnd how they woHid emertain fuch a temptatim if the motion were made to them l What thm4 they of Covctcoufilcfs, Pride or lull? What think they of malice, cruelty or lying:? How would they C_nrc:rrain ir, if Lands and Lord(hips, plc:afure or preferment were offered them ro entice their hea.rrs from Gc1d? ·would they venture upon damnation for- awhort, or for their games, or to pleafe thm appetites? Do they fct as light by God and their fJlvarion as the ungodly world doth ? Oh witlJ what fcorn and holy indignation wo•ld they refufe a world, if it were olfcred them inllead of God~ wah what dctell:atioti would they reject the motion to any fin? Ditttl. io. 9 .. IO· Dinet. 10. Whenyau would rtiliveinyour mind.r a rig,ht apprtheHfion andejlimation cf aY earthly thin[_J, M Riches and Honour.r crnd Greatne[s and CommAnl. and full provifions fot the fiejh, btthin~Jl!H then how the bltffed foulr with Chrij! eyltem them. How little do they let by all thofe things, thar worldlings make fo great a llir for, and for which they fell their God and their hlvation? How contemptible are Crowns and Kingdoms in their eyes? Their judgement is more like to God; than ours IS. Luk. 16. 1 5· 'that which ir highly tftremed amongmen i< abomination in the fight of God. All the world would not hire a Saint in Heaven, to tell one lie, or take the name ofGod in vaia, or eo forger God or be ellranged frgm him for one hour. ' ' - Dire{/. 1 1 • 9· 11· Direfr. 11. When you fee the Godly under the comempt of finnerr here, acco•nted ar the filth of 1 Cor.4. n., the world, and the 11jf-[couring of aU thing1, dtfamed, reviled, hattd •nd per[tcuted, Lo"lt up tbe_.n to tbe l ?· Sainll with ChrijT, a11d tbink., bow Ihey art c]ftemed and Hftd. And when you would truly knOw what :am. 3 " 4 • aBdiever is, think not how they are eficemed and ufed by men, but how they arc efieemed .and ufcd by Chrill. Judge not of th<m by their lhort affiifrions, nor by their meanncfs in the fl<.lh, but by their endlefs happinefs, and their glory above. Look up to the home and world of Saints, ifyou would know what Saints are, and not to the few fcattered imperfeCl: palfengers in this world that is not Heb. "· 3s. wort~y of them. Dire(l. 12, 9·>2· Dircd'.I2· Whenyouaretemptedto think,meanlyoftheKingdiJm ofChrij!,arif bi<jlocl;, wm fo fmaU and poor and finful ar to be inconjiderable, look, "P to the world of bltffid{oulr which dwell abovt. And there you 01all fee no fuch paucity, or imperfeCl:ions, or blemiChes as arc here below: The Sub– jects there arcfuch as dil11onour not their King. Chrills Kingdom i< >tot of thi< world, Joh. 18. 36. If you.would know it in its Glory, look up to the world where it is Glorious. If when you hear men contemn the Ki~J.!~dom of the Saints of Chrill, and at the fame time did but fee, (as Strphen did ) a glimpfe into that Kingdom, and all the Glory of the blelfed there, what thoughts would you have of the words which did difhonour it? Dire/J, 13. 9· I3· Direct. 13. When you bear finnerr boaf! of the Wifdom or Numbm of their party, aml appealing to the le.rncd or great ontr of the world, look, up to the blrffcd foulr with Chrij!, and ark, w~ethi!r they are n11t mJrt wifi and numcrour tban •U the finner.r uprm earth. The grcatefi DoCtors ~.re Igno.. rant and unlearned, in comparifon ot the meanefi foul with Chrifi: The greatefi Monarchs' are but worms, in comparilon of the Glorified Spirits with God. If they fay to you~ Are you wifer tban fo many .,J fo wife and Lrarned men 1 ask them, Are you or all the ungodly w1fer, than all the blelfed fouls with Chrill? Let rhc wifer party carry it. • Dircll. If· 9· 14. DittCl:. '4· Whm yoM .re tempted. to he wrary of • holy life, or to think, aUJ"'r labour i< vaiff, loo/;. up to the bl,ffed foulr witb Chrij!, a•d there you wiU fee the end of Holihrfi: There you wtll fee that of all tht: labour of your lives, there is none that you are fa fure to gain by ; and that m drtt time, you jhall reap ifyou fiJiJtt not; andifyouforv to the fpirit, of tht JPirit you jhaU re11p everltljting life, Gal. 6. 8, 9· And that when you have done the wiU ofGod, if you have bur patienct, you fh•U inherit the promife, Heb. ro. 36. Ask your felves, whether any of thofe bldfed fouls Repent now ofthe Holinefs of their liv'"on earth? or of their mortifying the fle(h, and denying them!dves the del1ghts of fin? 'Dire{!. 15· 9· 15. DireCl:. 1 5· Whe11 you are tempted ,. turn back, in the day of tryal, and '.' [or[ak,e Chrij! or bU cau[e when pcrfecution arifcth, then look_ to the blejfed foult above, and fee what U /be eHd ~~ fi'.ffer~ ing for the fa/!.! of Chrij! and righteoufneji. To {orefee the grtat reward in Hcavw, w1ll convmce y9u that
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