The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /

2. In this way then let us endeavour a growing conformity unto God. It hath been much (and not unnecessarily) inculcated already, that the blessedness of the righteous hereafter, doth not consist▪ merely, in beholding an external objective glory, but in being also glorified. They are happy by a participated glory, by being made like God, as well as seeing his glorious likeness, ⟨p. 317⟩whereby the constitution of their Spirits, is changed, and reduced to that excellent harmonious agreeable temper, that holy composure, and peaceful state from which blessedness is inseparable.

2. In this way then let us endeavour a growing conformity unto God. It hath been much (and not unnecessarily) inculcated already, that the blessedness of the righteous hereafter, doth not consist▪ meerly, in beholding an external objective glory, but in being also glorified. They are happy by a participated glory, by being made like God, as well as seeing his glorious likeness, ⟨p. 317⟩whereby the constitution of their Spirits, is changed, and reduced to that excellent harmonious agreeable temper, that holy composure, and peaceful state from which blessedness is inseparable.

As far as we are capable of blessedness in this world, it must be so with us here. Glory without us will not make us happy in Heaven, much less will any thing without us make us happy on earth. 'Tis an idle dream of sickly crazy minds, that their blessedness consists in some external good, that is separable, and distant from them; which therefore as they blindly guess, they uncertainly pursue; never aiming to become good, without which they can never know what it is to be blessed. What felicity are men wont to imagine to themselves in this or that change of their outward condition? were their state such, or such, then they were happy, and should desire no more. As the child's fancy suggests to it, if it were on the top of such a Hill, it could touch the Heavens, but when with much toil it hath got thither, it finds it self as far off as before. We have a shorter, and more compendious way to it, would we allow our selves to understand it. A right temper of mind involves blessedness in it self; 'tis this only change we need to endeavour. We wear out our days in vanity, and misery, while we neglect this work, and busy our selves to catch a fugitive shadow, that hovers about us. It can never be well till our own souls be an Heaven to us, and blessedness be a domestic, an home-dwelling inhabitant