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What wonders fall we feel, when we shall fee
Thy full-ey'd Love!

When thou shalt Look us out of Pain,
And one Afpect of thine spend in delight,
More than a thousand Suns disburfe in Light,
In Heav'n above!

Herbert.

O then, who can conceive or guess how Transporting that Joy muft needs be! What that Salutation of the Supreme Good; and fuch Embracing the Spouse of infinite Lovelinefs and Sweetnefs! This is evident, That in the Conjunction of a fair Colour with the Sense of Seeing, and of a fweet Sound with the Senfe of Hearing; and of any other Senfibles with their Senfes, We experience a Pleafure, often fo Affecting, that fome have been thus rap't even out of their Senfes. Yet thefe Powers of Senfe are ftill no more than Matter; which the Beasts have in common with Men. And their Objects alfo are but Bodily; and which frequently do Hurt as well as Pleafe. Yea farther, this Union is but Superficial and External. Nor is it made in feveral Senfes neither: But the Image only forts it felf with fome particular Power. Whereas the fpiritual Union of God with the Understanding is H 3

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firm

firm and Lafting, and altogether: While Bodily delights, taken in by the Senfes, and not inftill'd all at once, but q. drop by drop, are Tranfient and Vanishing. Therefore the delight of the Mind muft needs incomparably excel all that of the Senfe..

Recollect this then, O man; and do but weigh in a true Balance, all the Pleafure which this World offers, with that which God promifes, Even the Vifion of his Bleffed Self, to them that Love him: And chufe whether thou wilt. If thou loveft Pleasure, (which thou canst not deny, but thou doft,) For certain, thou hadft much better chufe the Greater, than the Leffer; and the Pleafure Everlasting, rather than that which is but for a Mo. ment.

Nor is only the Vifion of God promifcd to the Saints in Heaven, but also the Sight of all things which he has Made. Here now upon Earth. our Eyes behold the Sun and Moon and Stars, and Sea and Land, Living creatures, Trees, Flowers and Metals: But our Minds (the while) fee nothing: i e. not fo, as per"fectly to know any created Substance, Or the Effential Differences, Virtues, and Powers. No, Nor does man fee so much as his own Soul; any more than after the manner of Blind men; To Grope after Effects,

Effects, and get fome Light by rational Inference.

O then, what Joy will it be, when our Understanding with open face, fhall fee the true Nature of all things, and dive into the very Effence; To difcern all the Differences, Properties and Forces! And with what mighty Triumph will it be Amazed, to See the innumerable Hofts of Angels, whereof not one may, in Form, be all alike with another: and perfpicuoully to obferve the Distinctions of all and every One! O what a glorious Theatre will that be! How defirable, How Amiable! To behold likewife all Holy men that ever were, from the beginning to the End of Time, gather'd together with the Angels of God: And to difcern every one's particular Accomplishments; and view. their feveral Palms of Victory, and Crowns of Glory!

Nor without a pleasurable Satisfaction will be feen even the Crimes and Punishments of the Lost, in which the Juftice of God, together with the Holiness of his Saints, will wonderfully fhine forth. When the Righteous fhall wash their Feet in the Blood of the Wicked. Pfal. 58. 10 i.e. Their Works will appear the Brighter, compar'd with the other. The Continence of fome will the more fhine, when fet over against the Adulteries of their fellows: And the

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Abftinence and Alms of fome, fet againft the Luxury and Cruelty of fuch and such their Affociates. When it may be faid, That Young Man was very Fair, but very Chaft. The other Youngfter also made a fine Figure, but not content with a Lawful Partner, follow'd Lewd women, to make himself a scandalous Adulterer. That man was Rich and Noble: Yet he often Fasted and Prayed, and pour'd out abundantly to the Poor. That other was equal in Wealth and Place; but given to Appetite and Riot: He confum'd fo much on his Pleafures and Lufts, that he had little or nothing to spare for the Neceffitous and Diftrefs'd. And thus may the Bleed's Joy increafe, even from the knowledge of the Wicked's cafe: To fee Righteoufness shine forth in their Punishment, as well as in the Despised Godly man's Advance

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ment.

we,

For at present here with us, How many difpleafing vexatious Profpects have To fee Vice and Wickednefs go off with Bravery and Applaufe; and Piety and Virtue caft out with Scorn and the worst Ufage? Whence the Juftice of Heaven feems much Obfcur'd, and many are grie voufly Stumbled. But when all Punishment fhall be join'd with Sin, and all Reward with Grace, Then fhall the Beauty

of

of Juftice create Eafe and Joy incredible in the minds of the Blessed.

B

CHA P. III.

Of the Joy of the Will.

Efide that Pleasure which the Wil takes in the Good of Knowledge, There are Three things that give it abun dance of Joy.

I. The dear fervent Love of God, and Angels, and Men, never to be quench'd or abated. For Love is the principal Condiment and fauce of all Lovely things. He that Loves counts, all things which he Loves the Fairest and the Beft; and therefore, fo much rejoices in their Sight and Society: And in their Abfence and Priva tion, no lefs droops and takes on,, as one Difconfolate. Thus, we fee Parents, who are naturally extreme Fond of their Chil dren, take 'em to be the Fineft, and Sharpeft, and Wifeft; Tho' (it may be,) they are very ordinary, and dull and hea wy. Yet if they might have their Choice,, They'd not Change 'em for any other tho', in the Judgment of Unbiafs'd PerH S fons