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fig
TfIE
ETAPPIÑESS OF
sEPARATi!
SPTILITS.
[171SC.
all
when
we
leave this
body; and
that
for two
reasons
One
is,
because
God
has
never yet
received
the
honour
due
to
his wisdom
and
power, displayed
in
the
material
creation,
from
the
hands or tongues
of
men. And
the
other
is,,
because the
spirits of
the
just
shall
be
joined
W
bodies again,'and then
they shall
certainly
have
necessary
converse
with
God's material
works and worlds
;
though
perhaps
they
have more
acquaintance
with
them
now
in
their
separate
state,
than
we
are apprized
of.
And
besides
all
these
material
works of
God, what
an
unknown variety of other
wonders belong to the world
of
pure spirits,
which lie hid from us
and are
utterly
concealed behind
the
veil
of
flesh
and
blood!
What are
their natures, and the reach
of
their
powern!'
What
ranks
and orders they
are distributed into
!
What
are
their
governments,
their
several employments, the
differ-
ent
customs and
manners of
life
in
the various and most
extensive regions
of that intellectual
world
!
What
are
their
messages to
our
earth, or
the other
habitable
globes,
and
what
capacities
they
are endowed
with to move
or
influence
animate or inanimate
bodies
!
Ali these, and
a
thousand
more
of
the like nature, are made known
doubtless
to
the
inhabitants
of
heaven.
These are
things
that
belong
'to
the provinces
of
light and
immortality,
but
many
of
them
are
mysteries to
us
who dwell
in
these
tabernacles
;
they
lie
far beyond our ken, and are
wrapt
up
in
sacred darkness,
that
we
can hardly
do so
much
as
shoot
a guess
at
them.
Now
can
we
suppose that the meanest spirit
in
heaven
has
a
full
an
entire
survey
of
all
these
innumerable
works
of
God,
from the first
moment
of its'entrance
thither;
throughout
all the
ages
of
immortality,
without
the
change
of
one idea, or the
possibility
of
any
improve-
"merit
?
This would
be
to
give
a sort of
omniscience to
every
happy
spirit,
which
is
more than
is
generally
al:
lowed to the man
Christ Jesus.
And
if
there
be
such
a
thing
as
degrees
of
glory
among
the
saints
above,
we
may
be
well
assured
that
the
lowest
rank
of
blessed spi-
ritsis
not advanced
to
this
amazing.degree.
Is
there
no new thing,,
neither under nor
above
the
sun,
that
God
can
entertain
any
of
his
children
with
in
the
upper
world,
throughout
the infinite
extent of
all
future
ages
?
are
they all made
at
once
so
much like God, as