The child's portion

2. Learn hence wherein true happiness consists, viz. To be like Christ: The World ha•h greatly mistaken in its guess at the nature o• true felicity; whiles some have placed it in pleasures, others in profits, others in honours: Some have called the Proud happy, others the Voluptuous happy; whereas that which is the true happiness, namely likeness to Christ they have reckoned upon as the greatest felicity: But this discovers their mistake; for, if it be so that when we shall attain the highest pitch of created felicity, our happiness will receive its denomination from hence.

2. Learn hence wherein true happiness consists, viz. To be like Christ: The World ha•h greatly mistaken in its ghuess at the nature o• true felicity; whiles some have placed it in pleasures, others in profits, others in honours: Some have called the Proud happy, others the Voluptuous happy; whereas that which is the true happiness, namely likness to Christ they have reckoned upon as the greatest felicity: But this discovers their mistake; for, if it be so that when we shal attain the highest pitch of created felicity, our happiness will receive its denomination from hence.

VIZ.

That we shall be like Christ; then certainly the more any are like Christ in this World▪ the more of true happiness they now possess. It is ⟨p. 123⟩true, conformity to Christ in this evil World, procures Men hatred and persecution, and that makes Men (who Judge according to outward appearance) vote them miserable; but still, their inward unseen Glory which proceeds from their consimilitude to Jesus Christ is a preponderating blessedness; and as it is it self a Man's good estate, so also it derives those solid joys to the Soul of him that is so, that render it full of unspeakable Gloy in the midst of the greatest outward oppression; because, whiles they are thus hated and persecuted for their conformity unto Jesus Christ, The Spirit of God and of Glory rests upon them,