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the bright Companies of Heaven, overflowing with Praises and Divine Joys. Here, lastly, they tell what the Lord hath done for them, and mutually recount to one another, that He is gracious, and that his Mercy endureth for ever: Which Heavenly Exercise fills their Hearts with exceeding Joy; and as I now come to fhew in the fecond Place) renders these Dwellings of the Lord of Hofts delightful and amiable beyond Thought or Imagina-`

tion.

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2dly. O that Men (fays the Pfal- Pfal. 107. mift) would praise the Lord for his Goodness, and declare the Wonders that he doth for the Children of Men: And furely every devout Soul will immediately take wing at this noble Effufion, and rife to the fame height of Devotion and Prayer. For if 'tis a joyful and pleasant thing to be thankful, then certainly no pleasure can be so great to a truly pious Soul, as to behold a whole Congregation unanimously making their most grateful Acknowlegments, and with one Heart and one Voice fending up their Prayers and Praises to the Lord. 'Tis this, that constitutes

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stitutes in a great meafure the Happiness of Heaven, The Bleffedness of that place is therefore unspeakable and full of Glory, because in all those radiant Quires, there is not fo much as one Heart unftring'd, one Voice out of tune; but the Seraphim and Cherubim, the Arch-angels and Angels, the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apoftles, Martyrs, and Saints ftand in their beauteous Orders about the Throne, skilfully mingling their melodious Voices, and harmoniously finging the Praises of their God. And next to the Refreshments of this Bleffed Society, (fay) is that, which pious Souls enjoy from the melodious Conforts, which they hear in the Congregations of the Saints, Their Hearts are all inflam'd with the Love of God, which, blown up and increas'd by their mutual Ardors and flaming Devotions, burns, and fhines, and gathers brightness, till it arrives at length in every Breaft to the Splendors and Joys of the Extafi'd Seraphim. They all most humbly and ardently pray, that the Kingdom of God may come, and his Name be glorified from the rifing up of the Sun, to the going down of the fame. Their Souls there

fore

efore are fatisfied, as it were, with marrow and fatnefs, whilft they hear one another praise the Lord with joyful Lips. Our most excellent and prudent Mother is duly fenfible of this, and 。 therefore the frequently calls upon her Pious Children, to affemble themselves together, and by their Harmonious Devotions, to enlarge the Joyfulness of their Hearts. O come, fays fhe, let us fing unto the Lord: Let us heartily rejoyce in the Strength of our Salvation : Let us come before his Prefence with Thanksgiving, and fhew our felves glad in him with Pfalms. And in another Hymn 0 go your way into his Gates with Thanksgiving, and into his Courts with praife; be thankful unto him, and Speak good of his Name. And, for the fame Reason, fays the Royal Pfalmist, Blessed are they that dwell in thy Houfe: they will be alway praising thee. This then (I fay again) is a Pleasure which nothing on this fide Heaven can pretend to Rival. 'Tis like the Sweets and Glories of Paradife: known only to those happy Spirits who enjoy it; and even beyond their Rhetorick to exprefs, ineffable. This is a Pleasure that's moft agreeable to our Spiritual and Immortal Nature,

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Nature, that opens a moft glorious Scene of Seraphick Joys to the tranfported Soul, and naturally raifeth her to a generous Difdain of all the Delights and Gratifications of this World. This, laftly, is a Pleasure that will then only be augmented, when enlarg'd into the Circle of Eternity; then only be improv'd, when (wallowed up of Glory. Then indeed we fhall meditate and praise at a more exalted rate: Behold the fair Beauty of the Lord with open Face and commence a moft intimate Friendship with those Holy Angels, (d) Vid. (d) who now indeed joyn with us Orig.cont. Celf. Lib. in our facred Offices, but by reafon of 8. p. 420. the Weakness of our mortal Nature, dare not unveil their Glories. And fol come to my

3. Particular, which is, to fhew the Amiableness of these Dwellings of the Lord of Hofts, from the Confideration of the Invifible Hoft of Heaven, the Glorious Troops of Angels, that encamp here. Now (not to infift () Vid. upon the Teftimonies of the (e) Pytha Platon. goreans, Platonifts, Stoicks, and other Sympof.

Plut. de Defect. Orac. Iamblic. Sect. 5. c. 25. Aug.de Civit. Dei, lib. 8. c. 18. & lib. 9. c. 92. 17.

learn

1. 8.

learned Pagans, who conftantly affign this Office or Employment to their inferiour Deities, the Mediatours and Agents, between their Celestial and Sovereign Powers and Men, Σατράπαις τὸ ἐπὶ πᾶσι Θεέ, ύπαρχοις, sρατηγοῖς ETITTOIs, as (ƒ) Celfus calls them, (f) Orig. The Nobles, Presidents, Captains, and cont. celf chief Officers of the most High God, their Damons or Angels) That these Blessed Spirits do not only delight to pitch their Tents among the Sons of Men, and in all places to minifter to them, who are Heirs of Salvation; but that they likewise do more especially rejoyce to keep their Sacred Station in the House of God, and there to affift and joyn with them in the Performances of their Devotions, the Royal Pfalmist puts beyond all reasonable Doubt. The Chariots of God, fays (g) he, fpeaking of (g) Pal this Place, are twenty thousand, even 68. 17. thousands of Angels and the Lord is among them as in the Holy Place of Sinai. For how that is, Mofes informs us, Deut. 33. 3. The Lord, fays he, came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them; be fined forth from Mount Paran, and he came with his Holy ten thoufands. Agreeable to this is the Vifion

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of