The Life of Faith. and by Faith and Lovebe familiar with them : And when you are almofl at home, you thould be even ready to embrace your friends at the meeting. t. Your Relation to the bleffed Spirits Both require it ; and your Chrifiìan and ingenuous difpolition towards thcm.t.Arc they not Cuch as were latelynear you in the firth ; fome of them your dearth companions and friends ; and should you caul: lefly forget them ? 2. Are theynot not now your friends who love you better than they could do on earth ? Doubtlefs their knowledge and memory is not grown lets, to forget you, if once they knew you ; but they arc like to know much more : And their Goodnelsbeing increafed, their Love is increafed, and not dimini(hcd. 3. And you belong to the fame Society with them ; cyan to the Body or Church of Chrih, whole nobler past above, and inferiour port on Barth, do make up the whole. Is it not exprefy laid, Heb. 12.22, 23. that we aresome unto Mount Zion, and unto the City of the Living God, the heavenly 3erufalem, and to an innumerable company ofAn- gels, and so the general Affembly, and Church of the firff born, which are written in Heaven'.? (that is, to thofe which as the firti born, are moli noble, and poffcffedof the heavenly inheri- tance, and are there entered inhabitants already :) And to God the Judge of all, and to the fpirits of ¡tiff men made perfeel, and to jefus the Mediatour ofthe Nero Covenant, &c. And what is it tocome to them, but to come, or be joynedto that Society, of which they are the nobler part ? Will you be Fellow- Citizens with them, and have no communion with them, nor ferioufly remember them ? How can you remember God himfelf, and not remember thofe that are his Courtiers, and nearer to him thanyou are ? And how can you think of Chrijf, and not chink of his Body? Orhow can you think ofkit Body,and forget the moil excellcnj and honourable parts ? Or tow can you re- member your fiber, and forget your chiefe(l Friends and Lovers í' to, The very nature of the Life of Faith re ui cth us, to look much to the departed Saints: The Life: of Faith confti- th in our converting with the things unfeen i as the life of fight or fenfe is our conver(ingtwith things feen ; Ifyou love, and thinkon none of the Saints, but thole that are within yfpporur 575
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