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angels, we shall find the joys of congratulating love, far fuperior to what we ever experienced in this world. With what facred delight fhall our hearts overflow, when, on opening our eyes in those blifsful manfions, we behold around us, fuch bright bands of glorious beings? The fight of these lovely and happy people, will open new fprings of joy in our bofoms. With what wonder, love, and praise, fhall we contemplate that hand which drew fuch magnificent scenes; these streets paved with gold, thefe gorgeous palaces hewn from diamond quarries, these walls flaming with the stones of heaven, these rivers flowing with liquid filver, these fields decked with immortal flowers, these facred fhades formed by the trees of God; and which, after having cloathed these regions in fuch godlike fplendors, raised up fo many myriads of glorious beings to inhabit them forever? There, ⚫ D d

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among those favoured fpirits, we shall meet with none of those melancholy fcenes which here fo often embitter our lives. Here, the strong pains and cries of those whom we love, often wring our hearts and call tears of bittereft forrow from our eyes; but there, God shall wipe all tears from our eyes, and pain and fickness are unknown. Here, the pale cheek, the hollow eye, and trembling voice of languifhing friends, often ficken our hearts, and prefs our, fpirits to the earth; but there, health blooms with fresheft rofes on each immortal cheek, and imparts a vigor that fhall never know decay. Here, we often. behold our deareft relatives ftruggling in the agonies of death, and hear, with ftupifying grief, their laft expiring groans; but there, among thofe holy angels, death never fhewed his ghaftly countenance, and their glorified bodies are deathlefs as the eternal Jehovah.

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Now, what words can exprefs the joys of those bleffed people, who love each other with a tendernefs unknown to mortal bofoms, and whofe love is continually feafted with the view of each others happiness, a happiness which no time can terminate, and which neither man nor devil can impair! For perfect lovers have all their joys and griefs in common between them; but the heaven. ly lovers having no griefs among them, do only communicate their joys to one another. And where they love fo perfectly as they do in heaven, there can be no fuch thing as a private or particular happiness, but every one must have a share in that of every one, and confequently in this, their mutual communication of joys, every one's happiness, will, by his friendship to every one, be multiplied into as many happineffes as there are faints and angels in heaven; and thus, every joy, of every member

of

of the church triumphant, runs round the whole body, in an eternal circulation. For that bleffed body being all compofed of confenting hearts, that, like perfect unifons, are tuned up to the fame key, when any one is touched, every one echoes, and refounds the fame note: and while they thus mutually strike upon each other, and all are af fected with every one's joys, it is impoffible, but, that in a state where there is nothing but joy, there fhould be a continual concert of ravishing harmony among them. For fuch is their dear concern for one another, that every one's joy not only pays to, but receives tribute from the joy of every one: fo that when any one bleffed fpirit rejoices, his joy goes round the whole fociety, and then all their rejoicings in his joy, reflow upon, and fwell and multiply it ; and fo as they thus cordially borrow each others joys, they always pay them

back

back with interest, and by thus reciprocating, do everlastingly increase them. And now, what unspeakable rejoicing and congratulations will there be among us, when we shall pafs all heaven over, through ten thoufand millions of blessed beings, and meet none but fuch as we moft dearly love, and are as dearly beloved by? especially when we shall find no defect either of goodnefs, or happinefs in them, nor they in us, to damp our mutual joy and delight, but every one shall be what every one wishes hima perfect and bleffed friend.

WHAT eternal thanks do we not owe to the author of all good, for giving us fouls that are capable of afcending to the fociety of thefe glorious beings, and of participating forever in their exalted delights? And how must it inflame our gratitude to him for appointing LOVE to be the golden road leading to thofe celeftial regions, and for employing fo D d 2 many

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