Chap.t. Seer. to. 1Looking unto 'Jjefu.s. Book VI. 611 ---------~------------ eye is not able to behold the Sun, or to fee it i" rot3,(as the Schoolmen fpeak) in that wheel or circle wherein the Sun dt»th run, but only m the beams of •t; no more eau we fce Chrifl as God in his gl0rious dfencr, or in his dfcntial glory, but only in the beams thereof, in his Word and Effdh; i! now we know fo littll: of fpirits andJ{pi– rituals, oh then how little do we know of him who is the fJthcr of Spirits? I flull fay no more therefore, l<t us be content to be ignorant of theft thing;, till we mter into the confines of Eternity. But whether flull this glorious Effcnce, or EtTcntial glory of Chrift be more fecn, or manifellcd, at, or after the day of judgment, tl>en ever it was before? I Qf_<eft. anfwer.--- 1 believe it will. Some tell us of feveral periods wherein the glory of Chrifl is Uill Anfw. more and more feen ; as, 1. In this life we may fee it in pllt, thus V avid fpeaks ofhim· Dr. A""'fl'Y fclf, myfoul thirfttth for thee, my fiejh iongtthfur thee, tofee thy power, and thy glorJ, M I Colmumon havtfew thee in the Saniluary; but this tight is very dim, we fee onely n•w a1 tbro,.gb awu 1 GGd. glaj1 darkly. The fecond period is betwixt our diifolution and rcfurrecl:ion; and then r Cor. '3·1 2, lhall we fee the dfcntial glory of Chrill more immediately and fully, our creeping ap· prchenfion ofGod !hall then be elevated, and our diflancc from God lhall then be lhortncd, and all the riddles of grace and of J efus Chrill lhall then be opened. This fight is fo great, that ifa foul !hould comefrom heaven to declare it, neither could that foul exprefs it, nor we underfiand it; we read of Laz.rr«, whofe foul Chrifl returned into his body, whom much people of the [m1 came purpofely to fee, that they might hear fiories of the other World, but not a word from him of any fuch matter; Paul's rap· lure may fatislie with the reafon ofit, he heard there ~PP""" fOf'i'7«, wordlefs word1,fuch 2 Cor. 12. 4• words as could not poffibly be repeated on earth, and yet all this is but a fecond Aep to the full Yifion of Chrifi's effential glory. The third period is at the RcfurreCl:ion, and during the time ofthe lafl Judgmcnt,and then we lhal'l lee more ef his glory. Camero affirms, that 'tit no cnriofity tofay, th01 the_Saint1 and Ange!J in he•ven had a ~ew glory by the exhibition of Chrifl, the great myfiery of the Incarnation being thereby better lt,nown ; and we may as fafely affirm, that the Saints lh•ll have a new glory, by new vifions of the glory of Chrifi at the day ofRefurreCl:ion ; they fhall then fee the fole!llnitic of heavens glory carried on by G hrifi in his gloriousaCl:ings; and all that eve; the foul faw before in being with Chrift in heaven till the RefurreGtion, lhall befwallowed up with the fight oft hi~glory of Chrifl at the RefurreCl:ion-day. The !aft pe.o riod is after the RcfurreCl:ion, and that lhall continue even to all Eternity; now all the manifellations of Chrifi's glory before this are but as a few green cars rubb:d in our hands,fo that the full crop or the full harvell is yet behind. But this is that (which as we told you before) we cannot tell, though we had the tongues of men and Angels. Thus far of the firft point, what is the glory of Chrill. z. How fhlll the Saints behold this glory? I anfwer, As Chrill hath a twofold glory, fo there is a tw0fold manner of beholding it, (i.) ocular and mental. 1. Th~rc is an ocular vilion, a fight of Chrit1 with our very eyes, whom I jhall fee Job. 1 9, 27 , for my felf;andmine eyeJ ]hall behold him; with thefc eyes in our heads we £hall one day behold the human glory of Chrifl; I doubt not we lhall behold the beauty of Heaven, the !hining bodies of the Saint>, bur above all, our very eyes !hall dclighrfully contern· plateChrill's glorious b9dy ; and indeed this lhall drown all the other fights, if any th;nk that Chrifi's glorious b"dy t'hall be too intenfive,and too extraordinary a brightnefs for our weak eyes; .let fuch confider that--- 1. The eye in heaven lhall be glorified; now glvrification adds a fiegular ex"llency to the faculties, it advanccth the faculties, and ralfeth them roan higher pitch of ex– cellency; glorification adds a greater capacity to the eye then ever it had before, In this world there is a difference in our eyes and fight; a man ofa clear fight fees more things, and more of every thing then a dark fight doth ; fo a glorified eye fees more of things then our ey~s now can fee; it lhall be enlarged exceedingly to take in objects which now it cannot receive ; glorification adds flrength to the faculties both inter– nal, and external, fo that the eyelhall be able to look on the glory of Chrill, n0t with difficult,y, but with contentment; in ·this World every fenfewe have is apt to be de– llroyed by excellent Objects, and.the more excellent, and tranfcendent the objcCI: is, the more it burrs and deflroys the fenfe; as the Sun by i•ts brightnefsdarkens the eye, and other things by mighty founds bringdeafnefs to the ear; Paul indeed had avifion of glory, but becaufchis faculties wCie not glorified, he was he knew not bow, whether Uuu 2 in
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