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

Not but as he hath given holy souls (as to the present case) great incentives of desire, so doth he afford them proportionable encouragements of hope also, and that hope intervening, can very well reconcile desire and joy and lodge them together in the same bosom. So that as it is a thing capable of no excuse, to hear of this blessedness, and not desire it, so it would be to desire, and not expect it, to expect it, and not rejoice in it, even while we are under that expectation. And it must be a very raised joy that shall answer to the expectation of so great things. If one should give a stranger to Christianity an account of the Christian hopes, and tell him what they expect to be and enjoy erelong; he would sure promise himself to find so many angels dwelling in humane flesh, and reckon, when he came among them, he should be as amidst heavenly Quire: every one full of joy and praise. He ⟨p. 359⟩would expect to find us living on earth, as the inhabitants of heaven, also many pieces of immortal glory lately dropped down from above, and shortly again returning thither. He would look to find, every where, in the Christian world incarnate glory, sparkling through the overshadowing veil, and wonder how this earthly sphere should be able to contain so many great souls.

Not but as he hath given holy souls (as to the present case) great incentives of desire, so doth he afford them proportionable encouragements of hope also, and that hope intervening, can very well reconcile desire and joy and lodge them together in the same bosome. So that as it is a thing capable of no excuse, to hear of this blessedness, and not desire it, so it would be to desire, and not expect it, to expect it, and not rejoyce in it, even while we are under that expectation. And it must be a very raised joy that shall answer to the expectation of so great things. If one should give a stranger to Christianity an account of the Christian hopes, and tell him what they expect to be and enjoy erelong; he would sure promise himself to find so many angells dwelling in humane flesh, and reckon, when he came among them, he should be as amidst heavenly Quire: every one ful of joy and praise. He ⟨p. 359⟩would expect to find us living on earth, as the inhabitants of heaven, also many pieces of immortal glory lately dropt down from above, and shortly again returning thither. He would look to find, every where, in the Christian world incarnate glory, sparkling through the overshaddowing vail, and wonder how this earthly sphere should be able to contain so many great souls.