RIGHT, REJOICING. 369 complaints and tears ! How the glory of God will make that face to shine forever, that now looks too dejectedly, and is darkened with griefs, and worn with fears, and daily wears a mourning visage! No trouble can enter into the heavenly Jerusalem; nor is there a mournful countenance in the presence of our. King. Self-troubling was the fruit of sin and weakness, of ignorance, mistakes, and passion, and, therefore, is unknown in heaven, being pardoned and laid by with our flesh among the rest of our childish weaknesses and diseases. That poor, afflicted, wounded soul, that breathes in trouble as its daily air, and thinks it is made up of grief and fear, shall be turned into love and joy, and be un- speakably higher in those heavenly delights than ever it was low in sorrow. O blessed.face of the most glorious God! Ó happy presence of our glorified head! O blessed beams of the eternal love, that will continually shine upon us "! O blessed work! to behold, to love, to delight, and praise ! O blessed company of holy angels, and perfect saints, so perfectly united, so exactly suited, to concord in those felicitating works ! Where all these are what sorrow can there be ? what relics of distress, or smallest scars of our ancient wounds? Had I but one such friend as the meanest angel in heaven to converse with, how easily could I spare the courts of princes, the popular concourse, the learned academies, and all that the world accounteth pleasure, to live in the sweet and secret converseof such a friend ! How delight- fully should I hear him discourse of the ravishing love of God, of the glory of his face, the person of our Redeemer, the continued union of the glorified human nature with the divine, and of the Head, with all the glorified members, and his influences on his im- perfectones below; of the dignity, quality, and work of saints and angels, andof the manner of their mutual converse ! How gladly would I retire from the noise of laughter, the compliments of comic gallants, the clutter and vain-glory of a distracted world, or any of the more manly inferior delights, to walk with one such heavenly companion ! O how the beams of his illuminated intel- lect would promote my desired illumination!' and the flames of his love to the most glorious God would reach my heart ! What life, and heavenly sweetness there would be in all his speeches! That little of heaven that I have perceivedon some of the servants of the Lord, that are conversant above in the life of faith, doth make them more amiable, and their converse much more delectable to me, than all the feastings, music, or merriments in the world. O, then, what aworld of joyand glory will that be, where we shall not only converse with them that have seen the Lord, and are perfected in the beatifical vision and fruition, but also shall' our- selves everlastingly behold him, and enjoy him in perfection! 'VOL. 'IL. 47
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