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themselves (by a Spirit of Power within themselves,) fhall fpeed away, and even Fly, any where, as faft as they have a mind, with the greatest Ease, and without ever hanging upon any Helps from Abroad: And be every where Invulnerable, moft Safe and Secure; Tho' furrounded and affaulted with never fo many Squadrons of Armed Enemies.

O that they, whofe Palate is fo Vitiased, they cannot Relish any Spiritual Delights, Would at least, take into Confideration these grand perpetual Goods of the Glorify'd Body! And be fo Taken and Affected with 'em, as duely and effectually to Seek after 'em! For thus might it fo happily fucceed; as to Raise up the Groveling Creatures fo much Higher; Till Tic'd on by fuch Pleafing advances, (God affifting,) they reach'd at laft to the Joys Everlafting.

CHA P. IX.

The Joys on Earth Compar'd with those in Heaven.

WE

E have been explaining (thereafter as we could,) What Joys in Heaven God has prepared for them that Love

him.

The Excellence of which let us now endeavour to Demonftrate by some external Arguments. And First, By comparing 'em with thofe Joys, which God in this Life is pleas'd often to allow even his Enemies, and Reprobates. And fuch are thofe Joys in Riches, Honour, Power, and many opportunities of Pleasure which he throws away even upon fuch, as instead of Approving themselves Faithful to him, Fly out against him, and do little but Blafpheme, and Affront him; That yet all the World admires 'em, for Happy men; and almost every one is ready to cry, as Pfal. 144. 15. Happy is the People that is in fuch a Cafe: To be fo Set up, and Enrich'd, and Profper'd; To have all that Heart can wifh!

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Which of the Lovers of this World, will not Envy King Solomon's Forty Years Reign in Wealth, and Power, and Pleafure (fome none of the beft,) That prov'd fuch a Snare, to make him as great an Offender, as he was a Poffeffer? Tho' I dare not take the boldness of S. Aug. to call him a Reprobate: Yet are there Kings and Emperors in the World, (of Turky, Tartary, China, Perfia, India,) that we can hardly hope to be any better; who enjoy the Largeft Poffeffions; and fo give up themselves to fleshly Pleasures, that they abftain from nothing, which their I 4 Hearts,

Hearts, or Eyes, or Ears, or Throats, or Lufts do crave.

And, not to infift upon thofe mighty things, which are but in few hands; What Variety of Joys does God fcatter in Common among fuch finful Mortals, the greateft part of which either do not Know him, Or not Fear him, and Love him? Does he not Fill their Bellies with bi bid Treafure? Pfal. 17 14. And does he not give the Earth, with all its Riches, Pleasures, Flocks, Herds, Fruits, Flowers, Woods, Waters, Metals, indifferently, even to all forts of men? Is not his Heaven adorn'd with innumerable Stars and Globes of Light, (as the Glorious Roof of this wonderful House,) Open and in Common to all? Does he not command bis Sun to Rife, and bis Rain to fall on the Good and Bad alike? And if now he afford fuch Foys to Reprobate Sinners, his noft ingrateful Vaffals, that deserve nothing but the fevereft Punishment; Can any one ever Imagine, that he fhould not referve Joys beyond all comparison, bigber and greater for his Friends and his Children?

When Fulgentius, at Rome, faw the Glory of the Senate, he cry'd out, How Amiable must needs be the Heavenly Jerufalem, if earthly Rome be fo fplendid? And if fuch beight of Honour in this World be given to the Lovers of Vanity and Iniquity, ✪ what Glory

will God conferr on his Saints on his Saints, that devote themselves to the study of Truth, and the PraEtice of Piety? So good a Judge as S. Aug, thus gives his Opinion, (de Lib. Arbitr.) Such is the Sweetness of Eternal Light, that could a man abide in it but for one Day, be would wifely and justly defpife numberless Tears, full of the Delights of this Life, and all the Affluence of Temporal goods. The fa cred Author knew what he faid, Pfal. 84. 10. A Day in thy Courts is better than a Thou fand. And if this be true; Is it not time that we fhould learn to be fo Wife, as thofe, who after fuch manner do caft up their Accounts? And not only Say, That Earthly Goods are to be Defpifed, becaufe but Temporal; and the Heavenly to be Loved, becaufe Eternal: But put the cafe, This World's Goods were always to Endure; and that of the other World only for a while; yet Averr, That we would prefer Heaven, to be Enjoyed for a Seafon, before all the Enjoyment of Earth for

ever.

Are we not then Deaf, and Blind, and Stupid, and Loft;. If for the fake of any Terreftrial Goods, fo Poor, and fo Short we turn our Backs upon the Celestial, that are fo precious and Eternal? merciful Lord, in tender compaffion, burst this Deafness, Illuminate this Blindness, Rouze. this Stupidness, and cure. this. Madness. For

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why

why haft thou caft upon us any Beams of the Light of thy Countenance, If we have no more Difcerning, of things fo exceeding Great, and moft highly Concerning ? Yea, why haft thou given us any Rational fenfe, If we do not, will not See, even that which is the most Apparent, Outfhining all here in fuch an extreme Dif proportion?

A

CHAP. X.

Earthly Paradife, compar'd with the

WE

Heavenly.

E have compar'd the Joys of this World with the Joys of God's Heavenly Kingdom. Let us now compare the Joys of the Terreftrial, with thofe of the Cæleftial Paradife. We may guess at the Joys of Paradife on Earth by this, That it was a Garden of Delights, chofen of God, and given to Man, Created after his own Image: When the reft of the Earth was left to the Beafts that perifh. Whence it came to pass, that as foon as Adam (by his Sin,) had loft the Honour wherein Gol plac'd him, and made himself even like the Brutal Herds, he was turn'd out as Fellow-Commoner with them, into the wild World.

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