the pleasures which fortune has placed within his reach.
Another is not only wealthy, but is, moreover, elevated to some
honorable position, and one would think he must enjoy the honors with
which he is surrounded; but there is in his bosom an ungoverned
passion, which, like a canker-worm, eats away his joys one by one.

Holy Scripture gives us a striking instance of this in the person of
Haman. He had been highly exalted by King Assuerus; and the servants
of the king bent the knee before him, and worshipped him, "only
Mardochai did not bend the knee nor worship him." This apparent
slight so wounded the pride of Haman, that he could enjoy neither
peace nor happiness so long as Mardochai, the Jew, sat at the king's
gate. Listen to his own confession: "He called together his friends
and Zares his wife, and he declared to them the greatness of his
riches, and the multitude of his children, and with how great glory
the king had advanced him above all his princes and servants. And
after this he said: Queen Esther also hath invited no other to the
banquet with the king, but me: and with her I am also to dine
to-morrow with the king. And whereas I have all these things, I think
I have nothing, so long as I see Mardochai, the Jew, sitting at the
king's gate."* What a revelation this is! How little it takes to
destroy our powers of enjoyment! It is only a small worm that eats
away the very core of the most delicious fruit, leaving it tasteless
and rotten.

* Esther v.

In heaven only shall we live a life of perfect enjoyment; not merely
because all the objects of happiness exist there in their highest
perfection, but because we shall also be made perfect by our union
with God. "We shall be like Him, because we shall see him as He is."
Wherefore, no inordinate passion will ever lurk in our bosom, and
spread bitterness over our joys. No torturing disease ever will
enervate or prostrate the energies of our glorified bodies, and
render them incapable of enjoyment. All the powers of enjoyment which
belong to the glorified state will ever remain fresh and unimpaired.
It follows from this, that our life in heaven will be one of
continued, undisturbed enjoyment of God himself, of the society of
the saints, and of all other creatures that He has prepared to
perfect and complete the beatitude of man.

CHAPTER X.

PLEASURES OF THE GLORIFIED SENSES.

The life of heaven is also one of pleasure through the glorified
senses. Th