ÍIAPPINESS OF SEPARATE SPIRITS. fibres, and little invisible parts are found in every memberI What various fluids, blood and juices, run through and agitate the innumerable slender tubes, the hollow strings and strainers ofthe body ! What millions of folding doors are fixed within, to stop those red and transparent rivulets in their course, either to pre- vent their return backwards, or else as a means to swell the mus- cles and movethe limbs ! What endless contrivances to secure life, to nourish nature, and topropagate the same to futureani- mals ! What amazing lengths of holy meditations would an an- gel run upon these subjects ! And what sublime strains of praise would a heavenly philosopher raise hourly to the Almighty and All-wise Creator ! And all this from the mere brutal world ! But if we survey the nature of man, he is a creature made up of mind and animal united, and would furnish still more m ime- rous and exalted materials for contemplation and praise ; for he has all the richest wonders ofanimal nature in him, besides the unknown mysteries of mind or spirit. Surely it will create a sacred pleasure in happy souls above, to learn the wondersof di- vine skill exerted and shining in their own formation, and in the curious workmanship ofthose bodily engines in which they once dwelt and acted. Then letthem descend to herbs and plants. How numerous are all the products of earth upon her green surface,and all within her dark bowels ! All the vegetable and the mineral king- doms ! How manycenturies would all these entertain a heaven- ly enquirer ! The worlds of air, and the worlds of water, the planetary and the starry worlds, are still new objects rich with curiosities ; these are all monuments of divine wisdom, and fit subjects for the contemplation of the blessed. Nor can we be supposed to have for ever done with them 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 ofmen. And the other is, because the spirits ofthejust shall be joined to bodies again, and then they shall certainly have necessary converse with God's material works and worlds ; though perhaps they have more ac- quaintancewith them now in their separate state, than we are ap- prised of. And besides all these material works of God, what an un- known variety of other wonders belong to the world of pure spi- rits, which lie hid from us, and are utterly concealed behind the veil of flesh andblood ! What are their natures and the reach of their powers ! What ranksand orders they are distributed into What aretheir governments, their several employments, the diffe- rent customs and manners of life in the various and most exten- sive regions ofthat intellectual world ! What are their messages
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