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SEAM.

IX.1

.fHE

HIDDEN

LÍFE

OF

A

CHRISTIAN.

163

divine aids

to

lead

their

minds onward beyond the type,

to

those designed glories.

But carnal worshippers are

the.bulk

of

any sect

or

profession.

All

mankind,

by

nature,

is

ready

to

take up

with

the

forms

of

godliness,

and

neglect the

secret

power. We

naturally

pay too

much

reverence to shining formalities and empty.shews. Set

a christian to read the most

spiritual parts

of

gospel,

on

one,page

of

the

bible,

and let

some scene

of

the

history

be finely

graven,

and painted on the opposite side;

his

holy

meditations

will

be

endangered

by his eyes,

fair

figures and,

colours

attract

the

sight,

and tempt

the

soul

off from refined devotion.

I

cannot

think it any advantage

to

christian

worship,

to have churches

well

adorned

by

the

statuary

and

the

painter

;

nor

can

gay

altar-

pieces

improve

the,

commu-

nion

service.

While gaudy glittering

images

attract

and

entertain

the outward

sense,

the

soul

is

too much

at-

tached

to

the animal, to keep

itself

at

a

distance

;

while

the

sight

is

regaled and feasted, the 'sermon

runs

to

waste,

and

the hidden

life

withers and starves.

When

the

ear

is

soothed

with

a

variety

of

fine

harmony,

the

soul

is

too

often allured

away from

spiritual

worship,

even though a divine song

attend

the music.

Our

Savi-

our

therefore,

in much

wisdom,

and

in

much

mercy,

has

appointed

blessed

ordinances for

his

church, with

such plainness and

simplicity,

as

may

administer most

support

and nourishment

to

the

secret

life.

Thus

I

have finished the

remarks

on

the hidden

life

of

a

christian,

considered

as to its

spiritual

exercises

in

this

present

world.

.

I

proceed

to

consider,

in

what respects

this life

is hid=

den, as

it

is

more usually called

eternal

life,

or to

be

ex-

ercised and enjoyed

in

heaven.

And here

we

must

confess,

that

we

are

much

at

a

loss

to

say

any thing more

than

the

scripture

hath

said

before

us.

Life

and

immortality, indeed,

are

brought

to

light

by

the gospel

of

Christ,

in

far brighter measures than

the former

ages

and dispensations

were

acquainted

with

;

2

Tim.

i.

10.

But

still,

what the apostle

says

concern-

ing

all

the-

blessings of

the

gospel,

we

may

repeat

em-

phatically concerning

heaven,

that

eye

bath not

seen,

that

ear hath not

heard,

that

it hath

not

entered into

the

heart of

man

to

conceive; nor indeed hath God

him-

24- M