as well by the perpetuity of his goodness to us, as well as by the immutability of his nature, that he is an unchangeable lover. And there we fhall find him a moft happy being, happy beyond the vastest wishes of our love; fo that we shall not only delight in him, as* he is infinitely lovely, but rejoice and triumph in him too as he is infinitely happy. For love unites the interefts, as well as the hearts of lovers, and gives to each, the joys and felicities of the other. So that in that bleffed ftate: we shall share in the felicity of God proportionably to the degree of our love to him: For the more we love him, the more we shall still efpoufe his happy intereft; and the more we are interefted in his happiness, the happier we muft be, and the more we must enjoy of it. Thus love gives us a real poffeffion and enjoyment of God; it makes us co-partners with him in himself, de

rives his happiness upon us, and makes it as really ours as his. So that God's happiness is, as it were, the common bank and treasury of all divine lovers, in which they have every one a fhare, and of which, proportionably to the degrees of their love to him, they do all draw and participate to all eternity. And could they but love him as much as he deferves, that is infinitely, they would be as infinitely bleffed and happy as he is; For then all his happiness would be theirs, and they would have the fame delightful fense and feeling of it, as if it were all transplanted into their own bofoms. God, thereføre being an infinitely lovely, infinitely loving, and infinitely happy being, when we come to dwell forever in his bleffed prefence, our love to him can: be productive of none but fweet and. ravishing emotions; for the immense perfections it will then find in its object,

muft

must neceffarily refine it from all those fears and jealoufies, thofe griefs and displeasures that are mingled with our earthly loves, and render it a most pure delight and complacency. So that when thus refined and grown up to the perfection of the heavenly state, it will be all heaven, it will be an eternal paradise of delights within us, a living fpring whence rivers of pleasures will flow for

evermore.

THESE, O man, are fome of the golden fruits that grow upon the tree of divine love. Happy, therefore, is the man, beyond all expreffion of words, beyond all conception of fancy, happy. is he who obtaineth this angelic virtue!

"For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of filver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things that thou canst defire are not to be compared unto ber. She is a tree of life to them

that

that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that retaineth her."

SINCE a fupreme love of God is the only true wealth of an immortal mind, O! with what diligence fhould we apply ourfelves to obtain it! We are all ready enough to acknowledge our obligations to God, and to own that it is our duty to love him, but ftill complain of the difficulty that attends it. But let us remember that this difficulty is chargeable upon ourselves, and is the effect of our own fhameful inconfideration. Taken. up with the little cares of life, we neglect and forget God; hence, it is not furprifing that we do not love him. Would we but often think of him, what he is in himself, and contemplate him in the full blaze of his wonderful and amiable perfections, we fhould be over-, whelmed with delightful admiration of him, and easily take up the most exalted esteem and friendship for him. And

were

were we but frequently to confider him, what he is to us, how infinitely condefcending, generous and good, we fhould foon feel our hearts melting into all the tenderness of love and gratitude. We, none of us think it hard to love the tender mother who brought us into the world, the fond father who fupplies our wants, or the attentive teacher who inftructs us in ufeful and ornamental knowledge; ah! why then fhould we think it hard to love our God? Did we but reflect, we should foon perceive that he is really and truly our mother, our father and our teacher; and that those whom we honor as fuch, are, properly fpeaking, only the inftruments of his goodness to us.

SYLVIA arrived to years of maturity, receives the addreffes of a young and accomplished lover. Sylvia blushes and likes him. Youthful modefty causes her to hesitate a while, yet, unable to