406 HAPPINESS OF SEPARATE SPIRITS. lost and dissolved in intuition and immediate sight, and there- fore it shall.have no room or place in that happy world,? To this I would reply, that we shall have indeed muchmore acquaintance with spiritual objects by immediate intuition than we ever had here on earth ; but it does not follow thence, that we shall lose our reason. Angels have immediatevision ofGod and divine things ; but can we suppose they are utterly incapable of drawingan inference, either for the improvement oftheir know- ledge, or thedirection of their practice? When they behold any special and more curious piece of divine workmanship, can they not further infer the exquisite skill or wisdom of the Creator ? And are they not capable ofconcluding, that this peculiar instance ofdivine wisdom demands an adoring thought ? Thus intuition or immediate sight in a creature, does'not utterly exclude and forbid the use of reason. I reply again, can it ever be imagined, that being released from the body; we shall possess in one moment, and retain through every moment of eternity, all the innumerableranks, and orders, and numbers of propositions, truths and duties, that may be derived in a long succession of ages by the use of our reason- ing powers ? But this leads ine to the second argument, viz. The weakness and narrowness of human understandings in their best estate, seems to make it necessary that knowledge shouldbe progressive. Continual improvement in knowledge and delight among the spirits of the just made perfect, isnecessary for the same rea- son, that proved their variety of entertainments and pleasures, viz. because creatures cannot take inall the vast, the infinite variety of conceptions, in thefull brightness and perfection ofthem at once, ofwhich they are capable in a sweet succession. Can we ever persuade ourselves, that all the endless train of thoughts and ideas, and scenes of joy, that shall ever pass through the mind of a saint through the ling ages ofeternity, should be crouded into every single mind, the first moment of its entrance into those happy regions ? And is a human mind capacious enoughtoreceive and strong enough to retain such an infinite multitude of ideas for ever ? Or, is this the manner of God's working among his intel- lectual creatures ? Surely God knows ourframe, and pours in light and glory as we areable to bear it. Such a bright confusi- on ofnotions, images and transperts would probably overwhelm the most exalted spirit, and drown all the noble faculties of the mind at once. As ifa man who was born blind, should be healed in an instant, and should open his eyes first against the full blaze of the noon-day sun ; this Would so tnrnultuate the spirits, and confound the organs ofsight, as to reduce the man back again to his first blindness, and perhaps might render him incurable for ever.
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