DISCOURSE U. 409 to our earth or other habitable globes, and what capacities they are endowed with to move or influence, animate or inanimate bo- dies ? All these, and a thousand more of the like nature, are made known doubtless to the inhabitants of heaven. These are things that belong to the provinces of light and immortality, but many ofthemare mysteries to us who dwell in these tabernacles; they lie far beyond our ken, and are wrapt up in sacred darkness, that weanhardly do so much as shoot aguess at them. Now can we suppose that the meanest spirit inheaven has a full and entire survey of all these innumerable works of God, from the first moment of its entrauçe thither, throughout all the ages of immortality, without the change ofone idea, or thepossibi- lityof any improvement ? This would be to give a sort ofomni- science to every happy spirit, which is more than is generally allowed to the man Christ Jesus. And if there be such a thing as degrees of glory among the saints above, we may be well assured that the lowest rank of blessed spirits is not advanced to this amazing degree. Is there nti new thing, neither under nor above the sun, that mod can entertain any of his children with in the upper world, throughout the infinite extent of all future ages ? Are they all - made at once so much like God, as to knew all things ? Of if each of them have their stinted size ofknowledge, or their limited number of ideas at their first release from their body, then they are everlastingly cut off from all the surprizes of pleasure that arise from new thoughts, and new scenes, and new discoveries. Does every saint in heaven read God's great volume of nature through and through the first hour it arrives there ? Or each spirit confined to a certain number ofleaves, and bound eternally to learn nothing new, but to review perpetually his own limited lesson ? Dares he not, or can he not turn over another leaf, and read his Creator's name in it, and adorehis wisdom in new won- dersof contrivance ? These things are improbable to such a de- gree, that I darealmost pronounce them untrue. The book ofprovidence is another volume wherein God writes his name too. Has every single saint such a vast and in- finite lengthof foreknowledge given him at his first admission in- to glory ; that he knows beforehand all the future scenes of provi- denceand the wonders whichGod shall work in the upper and low- er worlds ? I thought the lionof the tribe of Judah, the root and offspring ofDavid, had been the only person in heaven or earth that was worthy to take the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof ; Rev. v. 5. Surely the meanestsaints does not foreknow all those great and important counsels of God, which our Lord Jesus Christ is intrusted with. And yet. we may venture to say, that thespirits of the just in heaven shall know those great and important events that relate to the churchon earth, as they arise 1
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