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a peculiar excellency of that very radiation, that splendor itself, wherewith it shines unto blessed souls. In its very nature it is the brightness of divine excellencies: in its present appearance, it shines in the highest excellency of that brightness; in its nature it excelleth all things else: in its present exhibition, compared with all its former radiations, it excelleth itself.

As to the nature of this glory, it is nothing else but the conspicuous lustre of divine perfections. We can only guide our present conceptions of it, by the discovery God hath already given us of himself, in those several excellencies of his being, the great attributes that are convertible and one with him. When Moses besought him for a sight of his glory, he answers him with this, "I will proclaim my name before thee." His name, we know, is the collection of his attributes. The notion therefore we can hence form of this glory, is only such as we may have of a large volume by a brief synopsis or table; of a magnificent fabric, by a small model or platform; a spacious country, by a little landscape. He hath here given us a true representation of himself, not a full; such as will ure our apprehensions, being guided thereby, from error, no?om ignorance. So as they swerve not in apprehending this glory, though they still fall short. We can only apply our minds to contemplate the several perfections which the blessed God assumes to himself, and whereby he describes to us his own being; and can in our thoughts attribute them all to him, though we have still but low defective conceptions of each one. As if we could at a distance distinguish the streets and houses of a great city; but every one appears to us much less than it is. We can apprehend somewhat of whatsoever he reveals to be in himself; yet when all is done, how little a portion do we take up of him! Our thoughts are empty and languid, straight and narrow, such as diminish and limit the Holy One. Yet so far as our apprehensions can correspond to the discovery he affords us of his several excellencies, we have a present view of the divine glory. Do but strictly and distinctly survey the many perfections comprehended in his name, then gather them up, and consider how glorious he is! Conceive one glory resulting from substantial wisdom, goodness, power, truth, justice, holiness, that is, beaming forth from him who is all these by his very essence, necesssarily, originally, infinitely, eternally, with whatsoever else is truly a perfection. This is the glory blessed souls shall behold for ever.

For the excellency of it, it is called by way of discrimination, "The excellent glory." 2. Pet. 1. 17. There was glory put upon Christ in the transfiguration; of which, when the apostle speaks, having occasion to mention withal the glory of heaven itself, from whence the voice came; he adds to this latter, the distinguishing note of the excellent. He himself was eye-witness of the honour, and majesty, and glory, which the Lord Je

sus then received; but beyond all this, the glory from whence the voice came, was the excellent or stately glory, as the word Μεγαλοπρεπούς Meyaλorgerous imports. It is a great intimation how excellent a glory this is, that it is said to be a glory yet to be revealed; (1. Pet. 4. 13.) as if it had been said, whatever appearances of the divine glories are now offered to your view, there is still somewhat undiscovered, somewhat behind the curtain that will outshine all. You have not seen so much, but you are still to expect unspeakably more. Glory is then to shine in its noon-day strength and vigor: it is then in its meridian. Here, the riches. of glory are to be displayed, certain treasures of glory, the plenitude and magnificence of glory. We are here to see him as he is; to know him as we are known of him. Certainly, the display of himself, the rays of his discovered excellency, must hold proportion with that vision, and be therefore exceeding glorious, It is the glory Christ had with the Father before the foundations of the world were laid; (John 1. 5.) into the vision and communion whereof holy souls shall now be taken, according as their capacities can admit; that wherewithal his great achievements and high merits shall be rewarded eternally; that wherewith he is to be glorified in heaven, in compensation of having glorified his Father on earth, and finished the work whereto he was appointed. This cannot but be a most transcendent glory. It is in sum, and in the language of the text, the glory of God's own face, his most aspectable, conspicuous glory. Whose transforming beams are productive of the glory impressed, the next ingredient into this blessedness, which will presently come to be spoken of, after we have given you some short account of,

(2.) The act of beholding: the vision or intuition itself, by which intervening the impression is made. Glory seems to carry in it a peculiar respect to the visive power (whether corporeal or mental, as it is itself of the one kind or the other); it is something to be contemplated, to be looked upon. And being to transmit an impression, and consequent pleasure to another subject, it must necessrily be so, it can neither transform nor satisfy but as it is beheld. And here the sensitive intuition I shall not insist on, as being less intended in the text, and the discourse of it less suitable to such as with a spiritual mind and design set themselves to inquire into the nature of the saints' blessedness. Yet, as this is the most noble, comprehensive, quick, and sprightly sense, so is the act of it more considerable, in the matter of blessedness, than any other of the outward man, and the most perfect imitation of the act of the mind; whence also this so often borrows the name of the other, and is called seeing. It is an act indeed very proper and pertinent to a state of glory. By how much more any sensible object is glorious (supposing the sensorium to be duly disposed and fortified, as must be here supposed), so much it is the fitter object of sight; hence when we

would express a glorious object, we call it conspicuous; and the less glorious, or more obscure any thing is, the less visible it is, and the nearer it approaches to invisibility; whence that saying in the common philosophy, "To see blackness is to see nothing." Arist. in 3. Meteorolog. Cap. de Iride. Whatsoever a glorified eye, replenished with a heavenly vitality and vigor, can fetch in from the many glorified objects that encompass it, we must suppose to concur to this blessedness. Now is the eye satisfied with seeing, which before never could.

But, it is intellectual sight we are chiefly to consider here, that, whereby we see him that is invisible, and approach the inaccessible light. The word here used, some critics tell us, more usually signifies the sight of the mind. And then, not a casual, superficial glancing at a thing, but contemplation, a studious, designed viewing of a thing when we solemnly compose and apply ourselves thereto; or the vision of prophets, or such as have things discovered to them by divine revelation, (thence called chozim, seers,) which imports (though not a previous design, yet) no less intention of mind in the act itself. And so it more fitly expresses that knowledge which we have, not by discourse and reasoning out of one thing from another, but by immediate intuition of what is nakedly, and at once offered to our view, which is the more proper knowledge of the blessed in heaven. They shall have the glory of God so presented, and their minds so enlarged, as to comprehend much at one view; in which respect they may be said, in a great degree, to know as they are known, inasmuch as the blessed God comprehends all things at once, in one simple act of knowing. Yet that is not to be understood as if the state of glory should exclude all ratiocination, more than our present state doth all intuition, (for first and indemonstrable principles we see by their own light, without illation or argument); nor can it be inconvenient to admit, that while the knowledge the blessed have of God is not infinite, there may be use of their discursive faculty with great fruit and pleasure. Pure intuition of God, without any mixture of reasoning, is acknowledged (by such as are apt enough to be overascribing to the creature) peculiar to God alone. But as the blessed God shall continually afford (if we may speak of continuity in eternity, which yet we cannot otherwise apprehend) a clear discovery of himself, so shall the principal exercise, and felicity of the blessed soul consist in that less laborious and more pleasant way of knowing, a mere admitting or entertaining of those free beams of voluntary light, by a grateful intuition; which way of knowing, the expression of sight, or beholding, doth most incline to; and that is, we are sure, the ordinary language of Scripture about this matter. Matt. 5. 8. 12. 14) Cognoscere Deum clare et intuitive est proprium et naturale soli Deo, sicut est proprium igni calefacere et soli illuminare: to

know God clearly and intuitively is peculiar and natural to God alone; as it is peculiar to fire to give warmth and to the sun to give light. Ledesm. de divin. perfect. p. 8. Art. 7.

CHAPTER IV.

I Having considered the 1. ingredient of this blessedness, "Vision of God's face," we pass on to the next, that is, 2, Assimilation to God, or his glory impressed. Wherein it consists, discovered in sundry propositions. II. The last ingredient, which is, 3, The satisfaction and pleasure which results, stated and opened.

I. And now, upon this vision of the blessed face of God next follows, in the order of discourse,

2. The soul's perfect assimilation unto that revealed glory, or its participation thereof (touching the order of the things themselves have one to another, there will be consideration had in its proper place) and this also must be considered as a distinct and necessary ingredient into the state of blessedness we are treating of. Distinct it is, for though the vision now spoken of, doth include a certain kind of assimilation in it, as all vision doth, being only a reception of the species or likeness of the object seen; this assimilation we are to speak of, is of a very different kind. That, is such as affects only the visive or cognitive power, and that not with a real change, but intentional only, nor for longer continuance than the act of seeing lasts; but this, is real, total, and permanent. And surely it is of equal necessity to the soul's blessedness, to partake the glory of God, as to behold it; as well to have the divine likeness impressed upon it, as represented to it. After so contagious and over-spreading a depravation as sin hath diffused through all its powers, it can never be happy without a change of its very crasis and temper throughout. A diseased, ulcerous body would take little felicity in gay and glorious sights: no more would all the glory of heaven signify to a sick, deformed, self-loathing soul.

It must therefore be all glorious within, have the divine nature more perfectly communicated, the likeness of God transfused and wrought into it. This is the blessed work begun in regeneration; but how far it is from being perfected, we may soon find by considering, how far short we are of being satisfied in our present state, even in the contemplation of the highest and most excellent objects. How tasteless to our souls are the thoughts of God! How little pleasure do we take in viewing

over his glorious attributes! the most acknowledged and adorable excellencies of his being! And whereunto can we impute it but to this, that our spirits are not yet sufficiently connaturalized to them? Their likeness is not enough deeply instamped on our souls. Nor will this be, till we awake. When we see better we shall become better; when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. But do we indeed pretend to such an expectation? Can we think what God is, and what we are in our present state, and not confess these words to carry with them an amazing sound, "we shall be like him! How great a hope is this! How strange an errand hath the gospel into the world! How admirable a design! to transform men and make them like God! Were the dust of the earth turned into stars in the firmament! were the most stupendous, poetical transformations assured realities; what could equal the greatness and the wonder of this mighty change! Yea, and doth not the expectation of it seem as presumptuous, as the issue itself would be strange; is it not an over-bold desire; too daring a thought; a thing unlawful to be affected, as it seems impossible to be attained? It must be acknowledged there is an appearance of high arrogance in aspiring to this, to be like God. And the very wish or thought of being so, in all respects, were not to be entertained without horror. It is a matter therefore that requires some disquisition and explication, wherein that impressed likeness of God consists, which must concur to the saints' blessedness. In order hereunto then take the following propositions :

(3.) There is a sense wherein to be like God is altogether impossible, and the very desire of it the most horrid wickedness. The prophet in the name of God charges the proud prince of Tyre with this, as an inexpiable arrogance that he did set his heart as the heart of God, and upon this score challenges and enters the list with him: Come, you that would fain be taken for a God, I will make a sorry God of thee before I have done; Because thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God, I will set those upon thee, that shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and that shall defile thy brightness; And what! Wilt thou yet say in the hand of him that slayeth thee, I am a God? Thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee; I have spoken it saith the Lord God. Ezek. 28. 6-10. He will endure no such imitation of him, as to be rivalled in the point of his Godhead. This is the matter of his jealousy; "They have moved me to jealousy with not-God," (Deut. 32. 21.) so it is shortly and more smartly spoken in the original text. And see how he displays his threats and terrors hereupon in the following verses. This was the design and inducement of the first transgression, to be as gods. And indeed all sin may be reduced hither. What else is sin (in the most comprehensive notion) but an undue imitation of God? an exalting of the creature's will

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