Bates - HP BX5200 B3 1700

CJhe Harmony of the 'Divine Attributes ~ 1. External, by the di[covery of God's Attributes in his \.Yorks, from which it was Chap. Io. eafy for Man to collect his Duty and his Reward. ~ 2. Internal, by his natural Faculties. By the Light of Reafon he underrtood that [o long as he continued in his Original Innocence, the Creator who from pme Goodnefs gave him his Being, and all the Happinefs which was concornirJnt wi(h ir, would cerrainly preferve him in the perpetual enjoyment of it. But there was no promife of Heaven annexed to that Covenant, withou~ which Adam could anain no knowledge, nor conceive any hopes of it. If there had been a nece!Tary connexion betw<:>en his p~rfetl: Obedience, and the Life of Glory, it would have been revealed 10 him, to alime his Will : For there can be no defire of an unknown Good. And where:1s in the Covenant God principally and primar ily regards the Promi [e, and bur [econdarily the Thrcatning, the exercife of Ooodnefs being more pleafing to him than of revenging Jurtice; 't is fa id, that God expretly threatned Death, but he made no promi[e of Hea-·en: By which ·,is evident it did not belong to that Covenant. For it was eafier for M:m to undertland rhe quality of t)1e Punifhment that attended Sin, than to conceive of Cele[\ial HappinHs, of which he was incapable in his animal State. Tis true , God might have be!\owed Heaven as an abfolute gift upon Man, after a courfe of Obedience~ but 'twas not due by the condition of the firft Covenant. A natmal Work can give no Title to a fupernatural Reward. Man's perfe\'erance in his Duty, according to the Original Treaty, had been at tended with immortal Happine[s upon the E.rth; but the bleffed Hope (Tit. 2. '3·) is only promifed in the Gofpel, and unfpeakably tranfcends the Felicity of Nature in its confummate rtate. This Reward is an[werable to the Hnvaluable T reafure which was laid down for it. The Blood of the Son of God, as ' tis a Ranfom to redeem us from Mifery, fo 'tis a Price to purcha[e Glory for Believers, I Tim. o. 6. 'Tis called the Blood ofthe New Te- {lamwt, Mat. o6. 28. becaufe it conveys a Title to the Heavenly Inheritance. Our Impunity is the elfect of his Satisfaction, our pofitive Happinefs of his redundant Merit. God was [o well pleafed with his perfect Obedience, which infinitely furpalfes that of any meer Creature, that he promifed to confer upon tho[e who believe in him, all the glorious Qualities becoming the Sons ofGod, and to make them AITociates with him in his Eternal Kingdom. The compleat Happinefs of the Redeemed, is the Redeemer's Re- ~~~~~~c~f ~hi:~~~~:h~ J,~1 h~~!i~~e~o;,a;~~js!~~;r~~~~~a~~;;~~,"b;~~~~~~~i~~: I. The place where 'tis enjoyned, and that is the Heaven of Heavens. A,/.," was put into the Terrertri al Paradife, a Place fuitable to his natural Being, and abounding with ~~tp~~~~~~ ~~~~ct~1~;~~tt~f ;ne~;1[,u~e~~ ~~~~!~~:a~: ~~~v~rrek:~~ ~~~Y~~b~~:t~a~:~f the Creation. 'Tis the true Palace of God, intirely feparated from the Impurities and Imperfections, the Al terations and Changes of the lower World; where he reigns in Eternal Peace. 'Tis the Temple of the Divine Maje{ly, where his excellent Glor; is revealed in the n~oft con'fpicuous manner. 'TiJ the Habitatitm of hit Holinefs, the 1)/ace where JJis Honour d~Vclls. · ')'is the Sacred Manfion of Light, and Joy, and Glory. Paradife with all its Plea[ures, was , ~tlt a fhadow of it. I!. The Life of Ad•m was attended with innocent Infinnities. For the Body being ~~~\;~,~~ :'t~~n~~~ ·~~f~t1i~it!~d0~~J:~;:v:S~::~~~,be~e~~i~JbrJ~~d 11 .~xJ Sleep. Ad"" was made a /ivmg SoHI, I Cor. '5· 45· therefore [ubject.- to thofe Inclinations and Neceflities which are purely Animal. And though whil!\ innocent, no Difea[e could feize on him, yet he was capable of hurtful impreflions. Immortality wa• not the elfenrial property of Man as compounded of Soul and Body, but conditional upon his Obed ience, and confequent to his eating the Fruit of the T ree of Life, Gen. 3· 02. Therefore .Man, after his Sin, was expelled from Paradife, that he might not eat of it and Jive for ever. By which it appears that Eternal Life in that happy !\ate was not from the tea1perament of the Body, but to be preferved by the Divine Power in the ufe of .means. From bence it follows that Adam in hi s natural frate was not capablr: of the Vi lion of Gocl. Heaven is too ~ttrean Air for him to have lived in. The Glory of itisinconfifient withfuch ateq1per'd Body. Flefo tmd Blood cannot inherit tbe Ki11g .. doiJJ of Heavcn, .t .Cor. 15. 50. The Faculties would be confounded with its overe<;Jming Brightne[s. 1'i1J the fenlitive Powers are r efin·d, and exa lted to that degree that they become Spillitual> they caonot converfe with glorified Object•. N<i>w the Bodies of tlie Saints fball be inverted with Celemal Qualities. The Natural (hall be changed into a Spiri tu•l

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