Of HEAVEN. Chap.III. Deity is fpiritual, and invilibleto the Eye of the Body, infinite, and in comprehenfible to the Eye of the Soul ; but the glonfied Saints fo clearly under!land the Di vine Perfections, that our prefent knowledgof God, compar'd to thatVifion, is but as the fceing of a dark Shadow in a Glafs, to the immediate view of the living Sub!lance and Pe rfon. The difcovery of theDeitytousintheprefentState, is by his Worksand Word: and bothare if(lperfea, and far inferiour to the manife!lation in Heaven. The abfolute fulnefs of PerfeCiion that is infeparable from the Godhead, is inimitable by any Creature ; for t he Perfellion of any Creature is limited in its kind as well as degrees, Therefore God was pleafed by variety of effetis and refemblances, to exprefs and reprefent his Attributes, t hat our Minds might afcend by thofe !leps to contemplate thofe Perfeaions that are in him e minently and beyond ~~~~;r.~~~bie B;;~~t;~r,l~t ~~ !ea;~~e\~~~i~~stfu~1Xbi~~~i~~~~r~sb~~t."w~:~ 0~p~~f;n~ tattoo of the Glory of his Attributes, like the defcribing with a Coal the beautiful Colours of the Morning : and compar'd with the immeofity of his PerfeCiions, are like the defcribing in a fheet of Paper the va!l Cele!lial Spheres. In his Word there is a more clear and full difcovery of his Nature an d Will, but according to our capacity of receiving. The Divine Attributes in Scriptur e are mask'd and fhadowed under fenfible Comparifons: for no Light fhines into our Min ds here, butthrough the Wmdows of Senle. The mtelleaual Powers depend, as to the fir!l notices of things on the lower Facultres and Senfes:. therefore as. Elifba in reviving the Shunamite's Child; contratied hrmfelf to the proportron of the Cluld, and pm his Mouth upon lm Mouth, and /m Eyes upon /m Eyes, avd hu Hands upon hts Hands ; fa God is pleafed to condefeend to our Capacity, and to adapt the Expreffions of his Majelly to the narrown efs of our Imaginations. But in Heaven the Revelation of the Deity is much more glo rious: and the Mind is clarified from thofe ten·ene Images that flow through the grofs Ch annds of the Senfes. In rlus prefent fiate our pureft Conceptions of God arc mix'd with Drofs, a nd very im~ perfea ; but there the Gold fhall be feparated from the Drofs, and our Conceptions be more proper and becoming the Srmplicity and Purity of God. Here the ObjeCis of Glory are humbled to the preception of Senfe: Hereafter, the fenfible Fa culties fhall be raifed and refined, and made the Subjells of Glory. Now when Divine Li ght fi1ines with direll Beams, and the thick Curtain of Flefh is fpiritualized and tranfparen r, the Soul enjoys the cleare!l Vifion of God. The Light of Nature was fo defcaive as to the difcovery of God's Compaffionate Counfels to fave the loft World, and the Minds of Men were fa darkned from the Fumes of their Lull:, that that Light was but the Hemifphere of the Night in com~arifon of the Revelation of the Gofpe!: as St. Peter expre!fes the happy Privilege of Chrill:ians, and their confequentDuty, that they fhould Jhew forth the Praifis of JJJm who has called them out of Varknefs mto hu marvellous Light. And the Glorious Go_(pe!, compar' d to the Revelation of God in Heaven,is butas theTwilight of the Morning, wherein the Light of the Day is checker'd with the Shadows of the Night, to the Sun in its full lp!lre. In Heaven we fhal!fee God face to face; which fignifies thecleare!l manifell:ation of his Glory, and of his favor to the Bleifed: for the Face is the Throne of Majdly and Beau- ~~;;d~ }~~fe~Z'Jh~:~~~,=~::h;1~t~~~~~~~~f~v~~~~pl~i::,C:usi~ w~sc~~~~~~e~v}o~~~~t; could fee his face and live. And the form of Divine Bleffing to the People of Jfraelwas, The Lord make hU F4ce to fbine upon thee, andbe graciotu to thee. Whetl.1er the immediateEITence ofGod can be feen by the intelleClual Creature, is a queftion; but we are fure in the Heaven of Prefence, God exhibits himfe!f to the Bleifed in a moll glorious manner : for acc ording to the degrees of Excellency in the Work, are the Impreffions and Difco veries of the Caufe. ~o~:i~tf[~~~.T:~~~~:~%~s;f tl~~~,I~J:;,Y~~~rE~e~s"1~~~;e ~~vf::~~ar7;•~ 11~~n~~rf~ci the Place and of the Inhabitants the Angels and Saints, are the moll: n oble EffeCis and Expreffions ~f the Divine Attributes. But in a tranfcendent manner God exhibtts h imfelf in the glorified Mediator. He is !liled the brightnefs of his Father's GlorJ, and the exprefs Image of his Perfon ; to fignify that God, in the Perfon of the incarnate Mediator, is fa fully reprefented to us, that in' him we have a view of God's unc hangable PerfeCiions. This appears by the following words, that having purged m from ot~rSms, he fat down on the MajeJfy on high : for they refpea the Son of God as united to the Human~ Nature, m which he performed the Office of the Pnellhood, and took poifeff ion of Ius Kmgdom. During his humble State, tho darken'd with many affiitiine; Circum!lances, the Drvtne Virtues, Wifdom, Goodnefs, Holinefs, Power, were fa vtfible m h iS Ltfe Revelanons, and miraculous Works, that when Philip with that ardency of AffeCiion defired the fight of the Father, the onll:' confummate Bleifednefs, fh"• m the Father, andtt foffices; He told lum, He ~ha£~-~~ f '!_i! '!"• ~a1h feen t~e Fat~e~, But how bngbtly do they~
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