DISCOURSE II. 433 made perfect, then there is much better company above than there is below. The society in heaven is Much more agreeable than the best societyon earth. Here we meet with a multitude of sinners ; they are ready to mingle in all the affairs of life, and sometimes hypocrites join with us in the sacred ordinances of the sanctuary. The apostle himself hails told us, that in the civil concerns of this life we cannot avoid them ; for if we will keep no company with sinners, we must have nothing to do in,this world, we must needs go out of it; 1 Cor. v.10. But in the world above there are nothing but saints ; no inhabitant there but what is holy. There are nopersons there that will tempt or defile us, or lead us. astray from the paths of purityor peace. holiness to the Lord is inscribed on every soul there ; nor is there one Ca- naanite in that upper house of the Lordof hosts ; Zech. xiv., 21. But this is not all. For there are many of the saints them- selves here on earth that make but very indifferent companions. Some of them are shameftílly ignorant, imprudent and foolish ; and we have much ado to bear with their folly. Some of them are morose and contentious, captious and peevish, envious and censorious, and ready to take offence on the slightest occasions ; a look, or a smile placed wrong shall disoblige them, a mistaken word shall affront them for a month, and it is very hard work to humour and please them : Or we ourselves perhaps are foolish and imprudent, we are peevish and resenting, and our fellow- christians have as much to do to bear with us or to please us. There are some persons, concerning whom we have reason to hope, that their hearts in the main are right with God, but either by the iniquity of their animal natures, or the power oftheir temp- tations, they look so like the men of, this world; that it is hard to distinguish them, and their society is dangerous, or at least very unprofitable and undesirable. Some of us fall into gross mis- takes, and lead our friends into error, and hand in hand we for- sake the truth. Some ofus are melancholy, and sit in darkness ; thenwe spread a gloom and heaviness over all our conversation, and banish all the joys of earth and heaven : or at best, it may be, and in our sprightly days, we fill up the visiting hour with trifles and impertinencies, and there is little of heavenly and divine conversation among us. Poor low groveling subjects fur- nish our tongues, and entertain our ears, because we are so very imperfect here on earth in knowledge, in holiness, or in di- vine joy. But what a glorious difference is there in the society above, where we may be secure from all mistake and falsehood, from all impertinence and folly in the 'longest dispourse or conference for every spirit there is so perfect in knowledge, as to be free from error, and has so divine a turn of mind, that nothing re- lishes but what is holy and heavenly. No quarrels, no corn- Vox.. 1I. E E
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