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THE HAPPINESS
OF
SEPARATE
SPIRITS.
DISC.
II.
glory
is
but
grace
perfected.
The
saints
above have
the
same divine
nature, the
same sanctified
inclinations, and
are
engaged
in
many of the same
sacred,employments
with the saints below, but
all
in a
superior
degree,
and
in a more
transcendent
manner.
As
for you, my
friends, who have the
happiness and
honour
to be
descended
from such
parents,
or,
to
be
nearly related
to
such saints, you have seen the
virtues
and graces,
the
exemplary character
and piety
of
them
who
are
gone
before
:
you
have had many
bright and
shining examples
in
your family;
you are the
children
of
the
blessed
of
the
Lord,
and
may
you
for
ever
he
blessed
with
them
!
and
in
order
to
it, see
that
you are
made
like them now, that
ye
may be
followers
of
them, who
through
faith
and
patience inherit the
promises.
This
is
a
proper
season
to
examine
yourselves, and call
your
souls
to
account
in
such
language
as
this
:
My
fa-
ther,
my
mother,
my
honoured and superior kindred are
gone
to
glory.
Their
graces are perfected
;
and are
not
mine
begun
?
What,
have I
no
evidences
for
heaven
yet
ready
?
no exercises
of
faith,
of
love,
of
repentance,
of
true
holiness
?
Are
they arrived
at
heaven, and
am
I not
yet travelling
in
the
same road
?
They were
convinced
of
sin,
and
the
danger of eternal
death,
so as
to give
themselves
no
rest
till
they found
salvation.
Have I
ever
been convinced of
the
sin
of
my
nature,
and the guilt
of
my life
?
Have
I beheld myself
exposed
to
the
anger of God,
and
in
danger
of everlast-
ing
misery,
so
as to
cry
out with
myself, 'What
shall
I do
to
be
saved
?
They
have seen
Jesus
the
Son
of God,
the
all
-
sufficient
Saviour, and have
committed their
souls
by
humble
faith
into
his
hands,
to
obtain
pardon
for
the
sake
of
his
atone-
ment,
to
be justified
through
his
righteousness,
to be
renewed
and made
holy
by
the
grace of
his
Spirit, and to
be preserved
to
eternal
glory.
Now
what
have
I
seen
of
the excellency,
or
the
all-
sufficiency, or necessity
of
Christ
as
a
Mediator
?
Have
I
been persuaded
to
trust
in
him
for my
acceptance
with
God, to
give my soul
up
to him
as
my
guide, guard and
ruler, to
be
formed
after
his image, and
to
venture
all my
immortal concerns
with
him to be
brought
safe
to
heaven
?
Have
I
ever re-
ceived
him as my
Lord and
my
Saviour,
under
those con-