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?HE
HAPPIÀTES6 AF
SEPARATE SPIRITS.
{bISC.
IT.
freedom
of
all
you
active
powers
;
attend
at
his
feet
with
intense
delight,
and
love him
with
joy unspeakable, and
full
of
glory.
III.
By
the death
of
the
body,
and their
release from
it,
these spirits
of
the
just
are free
from
all
the
tempting
powers and the sinful influences
of earth and
bell.
This
world
of
sensible
allurements, and
this world
of
sinful men, hath
a
mighty influence
on
the spirits
of
the
saints
while they dwell in
flesh
and
blood.
How often
are
we deceived into practices
of
iniqùity
by
the
enticing va-
nities
of
this
life
?
How often
tempted
by evil com-
panions,
by
flattering
mischiefs
and ensnaring circum-
stances
?
And many times
too the fear
of
men,
and
the
terror of their
threatenings, fright
us
to
a neglect
of
duty,
or
hurry
us
into the
commission
of
some
active
iniquity.
Sometimes the pleasing enjoyments
of
life tie
our
hearts
to the
creature
by
the bands
of
excessive love
;
and some-
times the
injuries and reproaches
we
receive
from
them,
kindle
our
fiery passions,
and rouzè up our
sinful
wrath
and
revenge.
This
world also
is
much
under
the
evil
influences
of
the
prince
of
darkness;
he
is
called
the God
of
this
world
It
is
greatly
given
up to
thé ravages
of
the
roaring
lion,
and
he
worries the spirits
of
the saints
while
they
dwell within
his
territories, though
he
is
not
suffered to
destroy and devour them.
But
at
the moment
of
death the happy
spirit
is
released
from the
senses,
and
thereby
from
the impressions
of
all
sensible things.
All
the flattering vanities
of
this
lower
world have
no
more power to entice the
soul,
than the
grossest sensualities could entice a pure
angel. Sinful
companions can
no more
invite,
and threatening tyrants
have no more power to terrify.
The
spirit
is
then got out
of
the
territories
of
Satan
;
he
is
prince
of
the power
of the
air,
but
his
dominion
reaches
no
farther. The heaven
where
Christ is, never
admits
him.
Michael
with his angels
hath cast
out
the
old dragon and
his
angels, and
there
is
no more placé
found
for
them
there.
Happy
spirits,
delivered and
se-
urzed
from
the
devil and
the world
at
once,
and
from all
their
tempting
and
destructive
influences
1
Now
when a
sanctified
soul
is
thus
released
both from
its
union
to sinful
flesh
and blood,
and
from
all
possible
2