HEAVENLY LIFE UPON EARTH. 231 sure and happiness, and labour to know what a trea- sure and happiness it is. If thou do not believe it to be the chief good, thou wilt never set thy heart upon it; and this conviction must sink into thy affections ; for if it be only a notion, it will have little efficacy. If Eve once supposes she sees more worth in the forbidden fruit, than in the love and enjoyment of God, no wonder if it havé more of her heart than God. If your judgment once prefer the delights of the flesh before the delights of the presence of God, it is impossible your heart should be in heaven. As it is ignorance of the emptiness of the things below that makes men so. overvalue them ; so it is ignorance of the high delights above, which is the cause that men so little mind them. If you see a purse of gold, and believe it to be but counters, it will not entice your affections to it. It is not the real excellence of the thing itself, but its known excellence, that excites desire. If an ignorant man see a book containing the secrets of arts and sciences, he values it no more than a common piece, because he knows not what is in it ; but he that knows it, highly values it, and can even forbear his meat, drink, and sleep, to read it. As the Jews killed the Messiah, while they waited for him, because they did not know him ; so the world cries out for rest, and busily seeks for delight and happiness, because they know it, not ; for did they thoroughly know what it is, they could not so slight the everlasting treasure. 11. (2) Labour also to know that heaven . is thy own happiness. We may confess heaven to be the best condition, though we despair of enjoying it and we may desire and seek it, if we see the attainment but probable; but we can never delightfully rejoice in it, till we are in some measure persuaded of our title.to it, What .comfort is it to a man that is naked to see the rich attire of others ! What delight is it for a man that hath not a bouse to put his head in, to see the sumptu- ous buildings of others ! Would not all this rather in- crease his anguish, and make him more sensible of his own misery ? So for a man to know the excellencies of heaven, and not know whether ever he shall enjoy
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