463 / 652
SECT.
vuI.]
THE HAPPINESS
Or
SEPARATE
SPIRITS.
453
same graces
of
conversation among
the
blessed spirits
there, but
in
a far
superior manner, according
to
the
unknown
laws and customs
of that
region of light
and
love.
He
had
a
taste
for
universal
learning;
and ingenious
arts
were
his
delight
from his
youth.
He
pursued know-
ledge
in
Carious
forms, and was
acquainted
with many
parts
of human
science.
Mathematical
speculations and
practices were
a
favourite study
with
him
in
his
younger
years;
and even
to his
old
age,
he
maintained
his
ac-
quaintance
with the motions of the heavenly
bodies, and
light and shade whereby time
is
measured.
And
may we
not suppose
that
there
are
entertainments
amongst the works of God
on
high
to
feast
the
spirits
of
such
a
genius?
May
they
not
in
that
upper
region
look
down and
survey
the
various
contrivances of
divine wis-
down,
which created
all
things
in
these lower worlds
in
number, weight, and
measure
?
May not our
exalted
friend
give glory
there to
his
Maker,
in
the
contempla-
tion
of
the
same
heavenly bodies,
though
lie
dwells
in
the
region where night and shadows
are
never
known, and
above
the need
or use
of
sun
-
beams.
But the
book
of
God
was his
chief
study
and
his di-
vinest
delight. His
bible
lay
before him
night
and
day;
and
he
was well
acquainted with
the
writers that ex-
plained
it
best.
He
was
desirous
of
seeing
what the
Spirit of
God
said to
men
in
the original
languages. For
this
end,
he
commenced
some
acquaintance
with
He-
brew when he
was more
than
fifty
years
old
:
And
that
he
might
be
capable
of
judging
of
the
true
sense
of
any
text
in
the
New Testament,
he
kept
his
youthful
know-
ledge
of the Greek language
in
some measure
even to
the period
of
his
life.
But earthly
languages
are
of
little
use
in
heaven.
There
are too
many
defects and ambiguities
in
them
to
express the
bright,
the
complete, and the distinct
ideas
of separate spirits.
We may
allow
our
learned friend
therefore
to
be
divested
of
these when
he
dropt
mortality.
Now
he
is
out of
the body, and
caught
up
to
dwell
in
Paradise, where
St.
Paul made heretofore
a
short visit,
2
Cur.
xii. 2, 4.
he
hears
and he speaks those
unspeak-
able words,
it
is
not
possible
for
a
mortal
tongue
to
utter,
2
G
3