How different from that unhappy one, which attends the Soul at her Entrance into her clayey Manfion of a mortal and corruptible Body! For tho' fhe be fpiritual by Nature, and form'd immediately by the pure Hand of God, yet by being immerfed in Flesh and Blood, fhe takes ftrangely after the Nature of her earthly Companion, and in some measure degenerates into Earth. But when this corruptible fhall put on Incorruption, and this mortal fhall be cloath'd with Immortality, then will fhe become the Subject of a quite different Transformation. Her heavenly Spouse by uniting her clofely to himself will then not only take away from her all Remains of earthly Allay, but enrich her with fo large a Portion of his own Perfections, as to render her the perfect Image of himself. For when God Shall appear, we shall be like unto him, becaufe we shall fee him as he is.

But, to conclude; we must observe what follows immediately in St. John, Every Man, fays he, that has this Hope, purifies himfelf even as he is pure. No doubt but we all hope to be one Day Partakers of this happy Transformation by feing God Face to Face. But we must confider whether this Hope be well grounded; and St. John has given us here a Mark to judge by whether it be or no. Every Man that has this Hope,

pur:fies

purifies himself even as he is pure. For it follows hence that they, who make it not their Business to purify themselves in this Life, hope in vain to fee God in the Life to come: For which Reafon alfo Chrift has promised the clear Sight of God as a peculiar Reward to the clean of Heart: Bleffed are the clean of Heart, for they shall fee God. Now Cleannefs of Heart, confidering how prone Man's Nature is to Sin, can only be acquired by our daily endeavouring to wash off the Stains we have already contracted, and adorn our Souls with the Virtues which will either be rewarded or perfected in Heaven: For tho we feldom attain the ultimate Perfection of any Virtue in this Life, yet, to be rightly qualified for Heaven, we must poffefs them all in fome Degree. There are certain Difpofitions indifpenfibly requifite to fit us for the State of Blifs, and whoever goes out of the World without them goes unprepared.

If therefore we afpire to eternal Happinefs, we must make it our Bufinefs to fecure the neceffary Difpofitions for it: If we defire to poffefs God in Glory, we must first take care to preferve him in our Souls by Grace: Finally, If we hope to be hereafter like unto God, we must ftudy to become in fome measure conformable to him in this Life, by cleanfing our Souls,

as far as this mortal State will permit, from all finful Defilements, and imitating his infinite Holiness by the conftant Practice of an innocent and holy Life. For every Man that has this Hope, purifies himself even as he is pure. And by thus purifying himfelf becomes worthy to be admitted to his bleffed Sight, where he will love and praise him, and rejoice in him for ever; as I fhall fhew at large in my next Difcourse.

The XIXth ENTERTAINMENT.

Of the Love, Joy, and Praifes refulting from the beatifick Vifion.

Lord, it is good for us to be here.
Matth. xvii.

T

HUS Spoke St. Peter, tranfported with exceffive Joy and Pleasure to fee his dear Lord and Mafter all glorious; tho' himself had no Share in this Transformation, but was a bare Witness or Spectator of it: And how then will a Soul be ravish'd with Delight, when fhe finds herfelf, all on a fudden, tranflated from the

Miferies

Miseries of this Life to a State of Immortality and inconceivable Joys! With what feeling Senfe of her Happinefs will the then fay, Lord, it is good for us to be here! And how will her Joy be increased, when she is undoubtedly affured of the Unchangeableness of her State, and that her eternal Abode is to be with Chrift in Glory! When he will not only fee Christ's facred Humanity outfhining the Brightness of the Sun, but all the infinite Beauties and Perfections of the divine Nature; the clear Sight whereof is that which constitutes her effential Happiness, as I have fhewn at large. in my laft Difcourfe and will now proceed to explain it's immediate and infeparable Effects: I mean, the Love, Joy, and Delight refulting from this bleffed Vifion in the Soul, which fhall be the whole Subject of this Entertainment.

'Tis impoffible to fee God clearly, and not love him. Becaufe infinite Beauty, infinite Majefty, infinite Goodness and Perfection, clearly feen, are Objects that command Love with an irrefiftable Force, And therefore Divines fay, that tho' the Saints in Heaven love God with the whole Propenfity of their Souls, and defire nothing more than to love him, and see him eternally beloved by all his Creatures, yet, to speak properly, they do not love him freely;

N 5

freely; because feeing nothing in him but what is infinitely charming and worthy of Love, they have it not in their Power not to love him, but are under a happy Neceffity of loving him with the whole Capacity of their Souls.

However, to give you the clearest Idea I can of the Greatnefs of their Love, the proper Seat whereof is that Part of the Soul which is call'd the Will, it is requifite to confider the unhappy Condition of Man's Will in this Life comparatively to her happy State in the Life to come. Now Man's Will is commonly call'd by Divines a blind Power, becaufe fhe has no Light of her own; but all the Light fhe has is communicated to her by the Understanding, which alfo is oftner a falfe Light than a true one: If he fears, bates, or flies any thing, 'tis becaufe the Understanding represents it as an Evil, whether it be real or imaginary. In like Manner, if the Understanding reprefents the Poffeffion of any thing as a confiderable Good, or at leaft as preferable to the Privation of it, the Will conceives immediately a Love for it, moves towards it with eager Defires, if it be abfent, and is agreeably affected with it, if it be prefent.

But this Pleafure feldom lafts long in this Life, but after a fhort Enjoyment is either utterly