168 OF SPIRITUAL MINDïEDNESS. ever. Whatever notions men may have of the divine goodness, holiness, righteousness, and purity, theyare all, but barren, jejune, and fruitless, unless there be a similitude and conformity to them wrought in their minds and souls. Without this they cannot rejoice in the thoughts and remembrance of the divine excellen- cies. Wherefore, when we can do so, when such me- ditations of God are sweet to us, it is an evidence that we have some experience in ourselves of the excellen- cy of the image of those perfections, and that we re- joice in them above all things in this world. 3. They are so also, in that they are manifest, that we discern and judge that our " eternal blessedness cloth consist in the full manifestation, and our en- joyment of Godin what he is, and of all his divine ex- cellencies." This men for the most part take for granted; but how it should, be so, they know not. They understand it in some measure, whose hearts are here deeply affected with delight in them ; they are able to believe that the manifestation and enjoyment of the divine excellencies will give eternal rest, satisfac- tion, and complacency to their souls. No wicked man can look upon it otherwise than a torment, to abide for ever with eternal holiness, Isa. xxxiii. 14. And we ourselves can have no present prospect into the ful- ness of future glory, when God shall 'be all in all, but through the delight and satisfaction which we have here in contemplation of what he is in himself, as the centre of all divine perfections. _ I would, therefore, press this unknown, this neglect- ed. duty, on the minds of those of us in an especial manner, who are visibly drawing nigh to eternity. The days are coming, wherein what God is in himself, that is, as manifest and exerted in Christ, shall alonebe (as
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=