is inacceffible, and even the brightness he veils himself in, is too dazling even for cherubs and feraphs, for ought I know, to behold? Ah! what familiarity can there be between this eternal and inconceivable Majefty, and beings which he has formed out of nothing? and when on this occafion I reflected on the effects which the prefence of angels had upon the prophets, and faw human nature in man finking and dying away, because unable to fuftain the glory of one of their fellow-creatures, I thought myself in a manner obliged to yield, and ftand out no longer against a notion, which, though differing from what was generally received, feemed to have more reafon on its fide, and to be more intelligible. But when I called to mind, that God does not difdain, even while we are in a state of probation and bumility, of infirmity and mortality, to account us not only his fervants and his people, but his friends and his children; Ibegan to question the former opinion: and when I had furveyed the nature of fruition, and the various ways of it a little more attentively, I wholly quitted it. For I obferved, that the enjoyment is most transporting, where admiration mingles with our paffion: where the beloved Object stands not upon the fame level with us, but condefcends to meet a virtuous and afpiring, and ambitious affection. Thus the happy favou S 3

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rite enjoys a gracious master: and thus the child does with refpectful love meet the tenderness of his parent and the wifdom and virtue, which fometimes raises fome one happy mortal above the common size and height of mankind, does not furely diminish, but increase the affection and the pleasure of his friends that enjoy him. Again, the nature of enjoyment varies, according to the various faculties of the foul, and the fenfe of the body. One way we enjoy truth, and another goodness: one way beauty, and another harmony: and fo on. These things confidered, Ifaw there was no neceffity, in order to make God the object of our fruition, either to bring him down to any thing unworthy of his glory, or to exalt our felves to a height we are utterly uncapable of. I eafily faw, that we, who love and adore God here, fhould, when we enter into his prefence, admire and love him infinitely more. For God being infinitely amiable, the more we contemplate, the more clearly we difcern his divine perfections and beauties, the more muft our fouls be inflamed with a paffion for him: And I have no rea fon to doubt, but that God will make us the moft gracious returns of our love, and exprefs his affections for us, in fuch rondefcenfions, in fuch communications of himself, as will tranfport us to the utmost degree that created beings are capable of.

Will not God, that sheds abroad his love in our hearts by his Spirit here, fully fatisfy it bereafter? Will not God, who fills us here with the joy of his Spirit, by I know not what inconceivable ways, communicate himself in a more ravishing and ecftatick manner to us, when we shall behold him as he is, and live for ever incircled in the arms of his love and glory? Upon the whole then, I cannot but believe, that the beatific Vifion will be the fupreme pleasure of heaven: yet I do not think that this is to exclude thofe of an inferior nature. God will be there, not only all, but in all. We shall fee him as he is; and we fhall fee him reflected, in angels, and all the inhabitants of heaven; nay, in all the various treasures of that happy place: but in far more bright and lovely characters than in his works here below This is a state, now, that answers all ends, and fatisfies all appetites, let them be never fo various, never fo boundless. Temporal good, nay a ftate accumulated with all temporal goods, has ftill fomething defective, fomething empty in it: That which is crook ed cannot be made ftraight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbred. And therefore the eye is not fatisfied with feeing, nor the ear with hearing: but all things are full of lahour; man cannot utter it. And if this were at the fate of temporal things, yet that one thought of Solomon that be must leave

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them, makes good the charge of vanity and vexation: and the contrary is that which compleats heaven; namely, that it is eternal. Were heaven to have an end, that end would make it none - That death would be as much more intolerable than this here, as the joys of heaven are above thofe of earth. For the terror, and the evil of it, would be to be eftimated, by the perfection of that nature and happiness which it would put an end to. To dye in paradise, amidst a crowd of fatisfactions, how much more intolerable were this, than to dye in thofe accurfed regions that breed continually briars and brambles, cares and forrows? And now, I doubt not, but every one will readily acknowledge, that an heaven, were it believed, were fuch a fruit of Chriftian Liberty, fuch a motive to it, as none could refift. Did I believe this, have I heard one fay, I would quit my trade, and all cares and thoughts of this world; and wholly apply my felf to get that other you talk of. There was no need of going thus far: but this fhews what the natural influence of this doctrine of a life to come is; and that it is generally owing to infidelity, where 'tis fruftrated and defeated. What is in this cafe to be done? What proof, what evidences, are fufficient to beget faith in him, who rejects Christianity and all divine revelation? He that hears not Mofes and the prophets, Chrift and his apo

ftles,

fles, neither will be believe though one rofe from the dead. This doctrine of a life to come was generally believed by the Gentile world. It was indeed very much obfcured, but never extinguished, by the addition of many fabulous and fuperftitious fancies; so Strong was the tradition or reafon, or rather both, on which 'twas built. The Jews univerfally embraced it. The general promifes of God to Abraham and his feed, and the several shadows and types of it in the Mofaic inftitution, did confirm them in the belief of a doctrine, which I do not doubt, had been tranfmitted to them even from Enoch, Noah, and all their pious ancestors. Nor must we look upon the Sadducees amongst the Jews, or the Epicureans amongst the Gentiles, to be any objection against this argument of a life to come, founded in tradition and the univerfal fenfe of mankind: because they were not only inconfiderable, compared to the body of the Jewish or Pagan world, but alfo deferters and apoftates from the philofophy and religion received. To what end fhould I proceed from the Gentile and Jew to the Chriftian? Were Christianity entertained as it ought, the very fuppofal of any doubt concerning a life to come would be impertinent. Here we have numerous demonftrations of it. Not only the fortune of virtue in this life, which is often very calamitous, but even the origin and nature

of