497 / 674
Inge.
vIIL1
A
SOUL
PREPARED
FOR
HEAVEN'.
477
for
thou hast created
all things" for thy
pleasure
:
chapter
iv.
i
1.
"
Worthy
is
the Lamb
that
was
slain
to
receive
power,
and
riches,
and strength,
glory
and
bles-
sing,
for thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed
us
unto God,
by
thy
blood,
out of
every
kindred
and
nation
;"
chapter
v.
9,
1
,,2.
"
Now
it
is
evident
that
those
whose
hearts
and
lips are joyfully
fitted to pronounce
this holy
song,
and to
join
in
this harmony,
are
fitted also for these
blessed em-
ployments of
the heavenly
state
:
And
yet
at
the same
time
they
abase themselves
in
the dust
of
humility,
and,
with
the
living
creatures, or
angels,
they
fall down
before
the throne, and
with
the elders
they cast down
their
crowns
at
his foot,
they confess themselves the sons
of
earth
and dust,
and would
appear
as
nothing
while
God
is all
:"
Rev.
iv.
9,
10.
and
v.
8.
Are
all
the powers
of
glorified
nature
in
heaven active
in the
unknown services
of God
and Christ there
?
So
the
saints
are
trained up
for this service and this activity,
here
on earth, by diligence
and delight
in
their
less
noble
employments. the
inferior labours
and duties
that
provi-
dence
demands of
them here, whereby they
are
prepared
for
more glorious employment
on high
;
for
heaven
is
no
idle
or
inactive state.
Do
some
of
the satisfactions
of
the heavenly
world
arise
from the
"
sweet society
of
the blessed above,
their
fervent love
to
each other,
their mutual
delight
in
holy converse, the
joy
that
arises
in
the
heart of
each
upon
a
survey
of
the happiness
of
all the holy
and
blessed
inhabitants
?
Does benevolence and goodness
of
every
kind
overflow
in
the
heavenly
world
?"
It
is
plain
that
God
is
training
up his
own
children for this blessed-
ness, by
employing them
in
this
manner
while
they
are
below
:
He
is
in
some
measure
fitted for this
heaven,
who
can
say,
"
the saints are the excellent
of
the earth,
in whom
is
all
my
delight
;"
Ps.
xvi.
S.
I
love
them
from
my
soul,
because they
love
my God, and
my Sa-
viour.
I
see
the
image
of
the Father, and
of Jesus
his
Son
in them,
and I cannot
but
love
that
image
whereso-
ever
I
behold it.
I
feel
myself ready
to
rejoice when
my
fellow
-
christians
partake of joy,
and
I
long for
that
tem-
per of
mind when
I.
shall
delight myself
in
the
felicity
of
all
my
fellow-saints in perfections
and
shall make
their