Every man, who fhall not have been bewildered by false information; who fhall stedfastly have followed, through the interpofing mists of error, thofe rays of light which GOD has diffufed through the uni[ verfe; and above all, he, who favoured with that shining light displayed in the gofpel, thall conftantly have employed it as a guide to direct him into the paths of truth; in a word, every man who, uninfluenced by prejudice, fhall not have adopted any of those systems which give us false notions of our great GOD, notions injurious to the divine majesty, will have nothing to correct in the copy, which, faint as it is, now affords him fo much fatisfaction. He fees GOD only as through a glass; he fees him only at a dif tance; yet at least his glafs is true; if it reprefents the image faintly and darkly, it

does

D

does not reprefent it falfely; but when he fshall enter into the regions of blifs, before the throne of GOD, he fhall fee Him in the brightness of his glory. Happy here below, when we faintly difcern him fuch as he is; how fupremely bleft fhall we be, when we fhall "behold him face to face; when we "fhall know, even as alfo we are known!"

HAPPINESS

OF THE

LIFE TO COME.

PART II.

I Have as yet only considered what may

fatisfy our boundless curiofity in the knowledge which we fhall have of GOD in the future ftate, but there are many other delightful fentiments with which this knowledge may infpire us.

When we.contemplate objects which deferve our admiration, and which are befides. connected with our felf-love, or with our generous and focial affections, then to the

pleasure

pleasure of admiring, are united various other pleasures, which animate and extend it in proportion to the number and greatness of thefe objects. I will endeavour to illuftrate this by a familiar example.

Let me fuppofe myself conducted into a palace, from thence into a garden, from thence into a beautiful country, where art and nature have united to form all which we can imagine pleasant, commodious, and lovely. I have leifure to admire the most ftriking beauties: I do fo, with the indifference of a stranger, who is immediately to . quit these charming fcenes, where neither himself nor his friends have the least poffeffion; but at the inftant of my departure, my conductor ftops to tell me, that all which I have just seen belongs to me and to my friends. I return: I remark, with an ex

treme

treme surprise, that even in the most trifling things, the moft fcrupulous attention has been paid to our tafte; that even the smallest flower is difpofed according to our fancy: then my admiration is raised to the highest degree: the little flower, artfully placed in that particular spot to gratify me, affords me a much more lively pleasure than I had felt before in the contemplation of all the enchanting beauties of this terreftrial paradise. But the emotions of my heart towards him. to whofe goodness I owe this magnificent gift, are of a different nature, and diffufe over my foul the fweeteft fentiments of love and gratitude.

This will be our cafe in heaven. At first astonished at the objects which will offer themselves to our obfervation on every fide, and afterwards reflecting on the goodness of

the