3S2 THE RATTINESS OF SEPARATE SPIRITS. DISC. ira nits of thejust made perfect are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple;" Rev. vii. 15. Ançt though they ina-y. . not be:litet älly: engaged in or.e everlasting act ofworship, yet they. are ever. busy in some glorious services for kirrt. df they should be sent on any message to other worlds, yet theynever, wander from. the sight of their God ; For if the guardian angels of children " always behold the face of our heavenly father;" JYfat. xviiir 10. even when, they are :employed in their divine. errands to our would.; much more may we sup pose the spirits of just men ruade perfect never lose the blissful vision, whatsoever their employments shall, or can be. . And as 'our acts of worship on earth, and converse with God are very imperfect, so isour zeal and activity for God. extremely defective ; but it.shall be ever. bright and burning in the upper world. When we would exert our zeal for God on earth, how many corrupt affections mix with that zeal and spoil it ? Dead flies, that cause that noble ointment to send forth a stinking savour ! How much of self, and pride, and vain ambition too often mingles with our desires to serve Christ,. and his gospel ! Some have preached Christ. out of vain glory; or envy; and a mixture of these vices may taint our pious ministrations. When we seem to drive furiously like Jehu to the destruction of the. priests and the worship of Baal, too often the wild -fire of our lusts and passions, our envy and wrath, and secret revenge join together to animate our chariot- wheels.. When we are ready to say with him, come; and see my zeal for the Lord, perhaps God espies in our hearts too much of the saine carnal mixture ; for Jehu exalted the true God, that he might establish himself a king; 2 Kings 16. But the spirits of the just are perfect in zeal, and pure 'from all mixtures. Their very natures are like the angels, they are so many flames of sacred and unpol- luted fire, the ministers of God that do his pleasure, and then bide their faces behind their wings; when they have done all for God, they fall down and confess they are' nothing. Temptation and sin have no place in those happy re gions. These are the evils that belong to earth and hell; rut within the gates of heaven nothing must enter. that 3
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