The Joys of the Generous Soul

Writers of a devotional bent often speak rapturously in anticipation of the delights of heaven, chief of which is generally given to be the beatific vision--the incomprehensible joy of seeing the unveiled glory of God, which no mortal man can now bear and from which even the seraphs shade their eyes (Isaiah 6). Contemplation of this joy is part of the "foretaste of glory divine." In this section, Scougal meditates upon what he believes is the next-best thing about heaven: "That ardent charity and affection wherewith blessed souls embrace one another." Even in this life, the God-saturated soul enjoys a spiritual pleasure attendant upon the godly grace with which he regards his fellow human beings. He participates in the grace with which God treats the human race; just as it delights God to be gracious, so it delights his child who has learned to treat others with grace.