heaven, and passing by angels, present ourselves before the royal throne itself: as St. Chrysostom's words are upon this subject. From whence we may learn, by the way, that they little thought in those days of addressing themselves to any of the ministers of the heavenly court, though never so high; whom they passed by, and went directly to the Divine Majesty, as we may now, and ought to do. This he represents in an excellent discourse of his upon another subject, as the highest dignity of Christians, of which the angels themselves are spectators, and very much admire that the honour is done us. 66 • For Περί Ομοεσίδ, Tom. 1. p. 372. as if in the presence of a great army, before the captains, and great officers, and consuls, an ordinary person be admitted to the speech of the king, it fixes all eyes upon him, and renders him the more illustrious and venerable: so it is with those that pray to God. For think with thyself, what a great thing it is, for thee who art but a man, in the presence of the angels, the arch-angels, the seraphim, the cherubim, and all the rest of the heavenly host standing by, to be permitted to approach with much confidence, and to speak with the King of those powers. What honour is there that can equal this ?" Nor were the better sort of Pagans without this notion of Prayer; that it is our conductor unto God, brings us into His Divine light; sets us in His presence; draws Him to us by a divine persuasive rhetoric, and powerful sympathy with Him: nay, knits and unites us unto the first Being; and moves His bountiful goodness to communicate all good things to us: it being the opening of our souls to God, that He may fill us. To this effect Proclus discourses. Proclus in Plat. And is not this the most incomparable honour that can be done us, to be made thus familiar with God? The higher any persons are, the more we think ourselves ennobled, when we are admitted into their society; especially if we may at all times have recourse unto them, and be kindly received by them. By which we may judge what account to make of the honour to which we are preferred, by being brought into the company of Him, Who is higher than the highest. With Whose most excellent nature to have true communion, is the greatest perfection whereof we are capable, either in this world or in the next. And how is it possible to have serious thoughts of Him, and not in some measure be assimilated to Him, for while He is in our mind, we are, for the present, necessarily made such as He is; holy and pure, gracious, and merciful, tender, and kind, satisfied, and wellpleased in all things. That is, we cannot think of Him, without some transformation of our minds into His blessed likeness, while we do think of Him: of which more anon. By which you may understand, that it not merely an external honour, which is hereby done us but by devout Prayer we are naturally endued with true greatness, and nobleness of mind; raised above these little things here, (how great soever they seem in vulgar account) by having a sight and feeling of an infinite. good. Unto which if it fasten us by faith and by love, we are made the friends of God: who have no reason to envy the greatest persons in this world; but rather to look down with pity upon them, if they be strangers unto God. By conversing with whom, you may further consider, our minds are both refined and spiritualized, and also much widened and enlarged which are two most excellent qualities, wherein devout Prayer improves us, by the constant exercise thereof. 1. Our souls indeed are spiritual things: but, being tied to these bodies, and thereby engaged in worldly affairs, and fleshly concerns, they grow earthly and sensual, dull, and heavy, if we take not care to keep up their familiarity, with their spiritual acquaintance and kindred in the other world. This we do by Prayer; which is a continual exercise of our most spiritual powers; a daily conversation with spiritual things, even with the Father of spirits Himself and His Divine perfections; and with the state and condition of our own souls, both as they are now at present, whether they lie in sin and wickedness, or be endued with true holiness and goodness, and as they will be in the other world, either in the blessedness of heaven, or in the torments of hell : and with our Lord and Saviour, the great Judge of all, who will sentence us either to the one, or the other; when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father's, and in the glory of all the holy angels and with the Holy Spirit, the Inspirer of all good thoughts and fervour, in our desires; Who together with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified. All which things being perceived only by our minds, and by no other means, do very little affect the hearts of those, who never lift up their thoughts above this world, in Prayer to God; but appear most real and weighty things to those that do. Particularly God's most glorious perfections, and the incomparable glory, wherein our blessed Saviour shines in the heavens at God's right hand, appear the most lovely, the most beautiful, and every way the 'most excellent objects, unto those that have their minds and hearts fixed on them as we have, when withdrawing our thoughts from sensible enjoyments, we apply them wholly to |