34-4 True Happinefs. his r_he Connection of both thefe together, that I intend chiefly to fpcak umo 9n1y g~ve m~ leave, as a Preliminary ro the enfuing Difcourfe, eo fhew }•ou wha~ Jscomam~dmthe tirfiand great Wor~ in my Ttxt ~an~ chat is, che Word Rltfjtd. There IS t=herefore_a.~wofol~ Beawude, or Blt.OednrjJ_: The one is perfiff and crm{ummate, th~ or her mmal and m'ompleat. The former IS the CompleCI:ion of all Go?d perfeChve of o~r Natures,_ and ~ur entire and facisfying Enjoymcut of it. Thts Bleifednefs now JS only attai?able m Heaven ; for God alone is the Centre of all Good; andalltheGooCI that IS defirablein this World, are but fOmanyLines drawn from the Centre, to the utmoft Circumference of the Creation. There is nothing that can fupply the Wants, perform the Hopes, fulfil the Defires without Confinement circumfcribe, without cloying f:uistic the mofi enlarged' Capaci~ ties .of a Rational Soul, but only thatG?d who is i!1fi1~itely, uniV'erfally, and inQe. fechvely good; and cherefore he alone ." bur ObJechve I-lappinefs: And ouc for. mal Happinefs is our Relation to, and Unionwith this All-ccmprehcniive andlncomprehenflble ~ood. _Our Allimil:uion to him, and Par~icipation from him, of . all thofe PerfeChons whtch our Natures are capable of enJoying, butQurUnderfiandings not now capable of knowing. llut t_his confummnre Blefftdne[s, is referved for our unknown Reward hereafter, and 1s not rha~ which my Te.\·t here fpeaks of, There is therefore an im;~rfeEl and init;aJ Bl1]tdneji, which confifts in a Preparation for, and a Tendency unto the other: As chafe are f.'lid to be accurfed whofe Sins and Vices prepare them.for Eternal Perdition i fo thofe likewife ar~ :;,~,:;.;:fa id t? be bleffed, whofe Grace and HolinefS prepare them for Eternal Blifs and mAnd'Nlmtl Happtncfs. .,, bi<ffi~ Now fuch as chefe are ble!fed in a Fourfold RefpeCI:, in F~r re~ Firft, They are bleffed, in. Semin_e-, in the. Seed: Thty go forth heaYint prtc;.;. fteElli. om SuJ,and fhall. dou~tlefsreJoyce 10 a pl.ennful Harveft: ,:,o the Pjalmi-ft t.ells us, /llthtSml.P[al. 97• If, L1ght u [own for the Rtghteous, and Gladne{s for the Upr1ght in Pfal. 97· Henrt, And chough chey ofcen appear Clods ofEarch .ploughed up, harrowed, u. and broken with Affliction; yet is t:here that bleffed Seed cafi inco therh, thaco will certainly fprout up to Immortality, and Eternal Life, as all the Beauties of a Flower Jye couched in a fmall unfighdy Seed> And fo cruly Grace is Glory in che·Seed ; and Glory is hue Grace full blown. · IJ. Secondly_, they are bleffed in Primitiis, in the Firfi-Fruics. They have already lntkeFirJf· received Come part of their Eternal Felicity, in the Graces and Confolationsof Frum. the Hol.J Ghoft; which are therefore "alled theHrjl-Fmits of the Spirit, by the ApoRom. s. file, Rom. 8. '2 ;. and the Et~rneft of the Spirit, 2 G::or~ I. 2--1. and the Earnejl of ,]. our !tJheriumce, E;hef. r~ 14. Now, as tfie Earneft is always pare of rhe Bargain, : Cor. J. and the Firft-Fr:.!its are always of the fame kind with the whole Harvefi, fo is ic f~h 1 here ; the Graces and Comforts of the Holy Gbojf, are the very fame now, thac · .I of · they fhall be in Heaven it felf: And therefore the Apojlle blt]]tth God, ?JJbo bt~tb Eph. 1 . 3· blejji:111n with fpiritual Bltjfing1 in heavenly Thjngs in Cbrifl. Better indeed they fhall be in Heaven, but not other. Here our Graces ofrenl:anguifh under the Load and Preffure of Corruption, but in Heaven they fhall be for ever vigorous and triumphant: Here our Water~ of Comfort often fails us, our Cifiern isofcen dried up, and our Bottle fpem; but in Heaven we fhall for ever lye at the Fountain of Living_Wirers, and rake in Divine Obmmunica.riom, as they immediately flow froin the Divine Effence, withoU~ having them deadned or ftatted in the Convcy~nce. But yet, both by rhefe 1mperfetl: G1·aces and Cornfares, we do truly and pro~erly enj.oy God; t~e E_njoyment <;>f whom in any meafure is Happinefs, but m the htgheft meafure 1s Heaven 1t fclf. If therefore che Mafs and Lump be Ble!fednefs, che Firft-Fruirs muft be blelfed alfo. Ill. Thirdly . They are bleffed hJ Spt, in Hope ; whence it is called hy the Bl~lfod in Apoftle 'rb11t bltffi1 / Hcpe. . A bleffed 1-Iopeitis, becauferhat which we hope for t;!{~s :1. is Eter~al Blefftdnefi. ¥ ~he Hope of worldly T~in~s is co_mmonly more 13 . , tormenting, than the ~.nJOY,ment of rhem c_an ~e f.1nsfymg. le ts ~11 Ho~e that vitiates anadeftowers ttsObJed, art9 fo nughtxly over-races them m the Fancy, that when they come to _p~fs, our Hope. is rather fruftrated than accomplilhed_: And were it not for that Impatience, which is the conftanr Attendant of this Hope ' ic would be ,a, Problem hard eo be refolved, whether ExpeCI:acion or Fruitidri were the more eligible Efiate. Vain therefore and wret,hed mufi: need~
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