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SECT. TI?.)
THE HAPPINESS
OF
SEPARATE
SPIRITS.
380
with sweeter harmony
?
And yet what
a
reluctance
'lost
thou
shew to
enter into
that
world
of joy and
praise,
'be-
cause
the
dark
shadow
of
death
hangs over the
passage
?
Come, awake, arise,
shake off
thy
fears? and
let the
sense
and notice
of
what the spirits
of the
just
above
en-
joy,
raise thy courage, and excite thee
to
meet
the first
summons
with
sacred delight
and
rapture.
But
I
fear
I
have
dwelt too long
upon
these
three last
particulars,
because they
are matters
óf
more
obvious
notice, and more
frequent discourse; yet
they
are
so
entertaining, that I
knew
not
how to
leave
them.
But
I
would
not
spend
all
my
time on
common topics, while
I
am
paying
honour
to
the memory
of
an uncommon
christian.
I
proceed
therefore
to
the next general
head.
SECTION
III.
Of
the
various
kinds
and
degrees
of
the
employments
and
pleasures
of
heaven.
Having
shewn
that
by
the
spirits
of
dust
men in my
text
we
are
to
understand
the souls
of
all
the pious and
the
good
that
have
left the
body
;
and having described
their
perfection
as a
state
of
complete
knowledge,
holiness
and
joy
;
the third thing
I
am to consider
is,
what sort
of per-
fection this
is,
or what are
some
of
the special
characters
of
it.
And here
I
beg
your attention
to
some
pleasing
speculations
which
are
agreeable to the word
of
God,
and
to
the
nature and
reason
of
things,
and
which
have
often
given
my
thoughts a sacred
entertainment.
I.
It
is
such a perfection
as
admits
of
great
variety
of
employments and pleasures, according
to
the
various
turn
and genius
of
each
particular
spirit.
For
the word
perfection does
not
necessarily imply a
state
of
universal
and
constant
uniformity.
That:
the mind
of
every man
here
on
earth
has
a
dif-
ferent turn
of
genius, and
peculiar
manner
of
thought,
is
evident
to every
wise
observer. And
why
should
not
every pious mind or
spirit carry
to heaven with
it
so
much
of that turn and
manner,
as
is
natural
and
inno-
cent
?
I
grant
it
is
a
possible thing,
that
many different ge-
niuses
of
men on
earth,
may
perhaps
be
accounted for
2
c
3