193 / 674
SBBM.
XL.1
LIVING
ABOVE THE
DEAD.
173
ther's burdens, and
so fulfil ye
the
law
of Christ,"
(fat:
vi.
2.
This
world
is
the
only place
where different
opinions
and doctrines are found amongst
the
saints: Disagreeing
forms
of
devotion, and
sects,
and
parties,
have
no
place
on
high
:
Drone
of
these things can
interrupt
the worship
or
the
peace of
heaven.
See
to
it
then,-
that
you
prac-
tise
this
grace
of
charity here,
and
love
thy 'brother,
and
receive him
into
thy
heart
in holy- feilewship,
though he
may
be
weak
in
the
faith, though
he may
Observe
days
and
times, and may feed
upon
herbs;:
and indulge some
superstitious
follies,
while
thou
art
strong
in
faith,
Wand
well
acquainted
with
the
liberty
of
the
gospel.
Let not
little
things
provoke
you
to divide
communions
on
earth;
but.by
this
sort
of
charity, and a catholic spirit,
honour
the Saviour and
his
church
here
in this
world
;
for since
there are
no
parties,
nor
sects,
nor contrary
sentiments
among the church
in
heaven, this
christian virtue can
never
find
any room for exercise there.
This
kind,
of
charity
ends
at
death.
V.
Sympathy
with
mourners, and pity
and relief to
those
that
are
oppressed
with many sorrows,
is
a virtue
that
belongs only
to
the saints
on
earth. There are no
sorrowful christians
in heaven, and the various
methods
of
comfort, which
we
practise toward
our
suffering
bre-
thren
here
below,
are therefore impracticable
in
the
up-
per
world.
" The God
of
all
comfort
is
he
who'
com-
forteth
us
in
our tribulations,
for
this
reason,
that
we
may
be
able to
comfort
those
that
are oppressed
with
their
heavy afflictions,"
2 Coy. i. 4.
"
This
is
pure
re-
ligion
and
undefiled,
to
visit
the
fatherless and
the widows
in
their
afflictions, as well as to
keep yourselves
unspotted
from
the
world,"
James
i.
27.
But
it
is
the religion
of
the church on earth,
not
the
religion
of
heaven.
Go
then, and
visit
thy
brother
in distress, visit
poor
afflicted
and
suffering
christians: Go mention
the
pro-
mises
of
divine
grace
that
belong
to them
in
a
Suffering
state, and lead them
to
rest upon
some
happy promise
:
Go
teach them the benefit
of
afflictive
circumstances
:
Let
the twelfth
chapter
to.
the Hebrews
be
your
text,
and
raise
many
a
sweet
inference for the
support
of
sriflèrers.
Tell them
of
the fruits
of
holiness
that
grow
upon the
bitter
tree
of
earthly sorrows;
and that
the
wood
of the