OCR Text |
Show t f « ] Beauty and Harmony ? In fine, it was Truth that gave t every Being to be what it is. Great is'the G o d of Truth, the only Fountain of true living Pleaiures, unfading Joys, and never ending Blifs, fuch only worth the Qucft, of all that know and love themfelves, fuch only do as fet a true Value on their own immortal Souls, and are not content to lye grovelling in the prefent tranfitory Pleafures, which the corporeal Life affords, but look farther, even into Eternity, and by that Means in fome Meafure prelibate thole Soul enchanting Toys that furround the ineffable Throne of Heaven. The Univerfe is that great Volumn to which we alone Confine our Studies, in which, each Line, each Letter, fpeaks the Almighty Architect, and in fweet Melody declare his Excellence. Thefe.are the Studies in which thofe immortal Youths that compofe the Celeftial Hierarchy, thole Divine Philofophers that tread the Azure Empirean Plains - of Heaven, and ftand in Prefence of their great Original, continually are exercifed : By them the infinite Perfections of the Deity are continually traced thro* all the Footfteps of his Handy work, both in the upper and inferiour Natures j thus do they happy live in an eternal Increafe of Knowledge 5 the more they know of him the greater is their Love, the more they love the greater their Fruition : Thus are their Minds and Blifs continually enlarged, and each new Entity by them dilco-vered, or a new Scene of Nature open laid, proves a fweet Inftrument for their skilful Touches to ibund me-lodioufly their Author's Praife. Thefe glorious Patterns let us Mailers ftrive to imitate, that even, while confined to this narrow and gloomy Prifon of our Bodies, we may open to ourfelves a Kind of Heaven here below, till that. dear Time, when (having finifhed well our Parts in this Lodge militant) we are called to that triumphant one a* bove, Gloria Deo Veritatts. L |