Chap. Ill Of HEAVEN. pear in his Exaltation? We fhall fie him ,u he i;, in the Majelly and Glory of the Son of God. The A pollle fays, We fhall know "' we .re kno.vn ' Tlus we are not to underlland according to the exall:nefs of the Expreflion ; for the Sun may be as well included in a Spark of Fire, as Godmay be com~rehended by our finite Faculties. Beyond the fullefl. ~ifcovenes we can recetve of the Dctty, there remams an mttre tnfimty of PerfeEbons, not b~~~rk~~:~i~r th;.~~1~~~~1~fe~tif~~i~~ ~s ~~~~;'n~n;,e!sn;;;;L~h~ ~'t:f,~L;~t,~~~u~~; with thatextentandfplendor. We fhallhavefucha perfell: know!e<lg of God, as our Minds can receive, and our Heartsdefire. We fhall then fee what we now believe concerning the glorious Nature of God, his Decrees and Counfels, his Providence and Difpenf.1tions. The fublimeft Doll:rin of the Chrillian Religion, abcve the difquifition and reach of Reafon, is that of the Sacred Tri· nity, upon which the whole Oeconomy of the Gofpel depends. In affenting to this, Faith bows the Head and adores. But fuch is the pride of the Carnal Mind, that it difdains to !loop to Divine Revelation : and the feeming wife Philofophers defpifed the Primitive Chrillians as Captives of a blind Belie£ But this foul Reproach was as unjull as many others wherewith they deflgned to difgrace Chrillianity ; for the humility of Faith does not extinguifh or darken the Light of Reafon, but revives and increafes it. What is more futab!c to uncorrupt Reafon, than to believe the Revelation God affords of his O\Vn Na.- ture, who cannot deceive us? In the State above, where Reafon is reEtified and inlarged, we fhallunder lland rhat from Eternity God was foie exifhog, bur not folitary ; that the Godhead is not confus'd in U niry, nor divided in Number ; that there is a priority of Order, yet no fuperiority among the Sacred Perfons, but they are all equally poffefs'd of the fame Divine Excellences, and the fame Divine Empire, and are the ObJe8: of d1c fame Adoration. Our Saviour tells his Difciples, In that day ye foal/ know that I am in the Father, that is by unity of Effence, end as naturally and necelfarily God as the Father. This Promife immediately refers to the time of pouring forth the Holy Gholl upon them after the Refurrell:ion of our Saviour, but fhall be fully accomplifhed in Heaven. All things of a fupernatural Order fhall be re~ealed. The great M1ftery of Godlim[s; Godmanifeft m the Fl•fb, the Union of the high Perfell:ions of the Divme Nature wirh the innocent Imperfeaions of the Humane Nature, the contrivance of our Redemption, wherein there is an harmonious concurrence and concord of the principal Attributes of the Deity that feem'd irreconcilable; that produll: of the Divine Wifdom that is fo ador'd by the Angels, that allonif11es and faves us, fhall be un fo lded. The Divine Counfds in ~?d'."~~~nll,~teb:C~~1pict:;u?ef~~nf~~~"o'fr;J~ra:~~?~~e~o~~dw~pde[(c~~~stl~[~Y~d;~ r;;~~ top of his Scepter: The Wifdom, the Re8:itude, the Equity of his Pmvidence, is [o vifible in the defence of the Innocent, and his Jullice and Power in the punifl1ment of the Guilty, that it may convince the Atheifls who deny a Providence, and caufcs all fin cere Believers to admire and rcverc·nce it. But there are other Difpenfations, the immediate Reafons of which are fo conceal'd in the Bofom of God, that only the Lamb, with whofe Blood the Elell: to Glory are written in the Book of Life, can reveal ' Why the Light of the Gofpel was never viflble to fo many Kingdoms; why many are called, aud few chojen; the unfearcbable \Vays, and incomprehenflble Judgments of God, which Sr. Paul in an extafy admires, which 'tis not lawful to enquire into here, we fhall then underlland in fuch a manner, that Light it felf is not more clear. How often are the People of God here in miferable Perplexities? and fay with the Prophets, Verily thou art aGod tlw hidefl thy [elf, 0 Godof Ifrael the Saviour! 'Tis true, a lledfall Faith in theProv1denceof God, that all that he does, and all that he permits and difpofes is bell, will quiet their Pallions, and change the tempeftuous Ocean into the Pacifick Sea: But when they arc admitted inro the Council ofState above, and fee the immediate Reafons of his Decrees, what aHeat'enly Wonder, what an exquiflte Pleafure will fill their Minds? When the original Founrains 9f W1fdom, as clear as deep, fhall be opened, what fweet fati sfall:10n will be 01ed abroad m the~r Spirits? They w!l! fee tlje Beauty of Providence in difpoflng temporal Evils in order to.the1r eternal FehClty: that as m a cuneus P11l:urethe darkell rin~ures are fo difpofed, as to give Life and Grace to the orient Colours; fo all the Affiill:ions of this State were but fhadows or foils, to make thei •· Faith, and Love, and Patience more refplen· dent, and thC<r Reward more excellent. What our Saviour faid to Peter, is applicable to the 1mpenerrable difpenfations of Providence to us in our mortal Sta<e : What I do, thou knorvefl not now, but fhaU know hereafter. Then the Arcana Imperii, the Secrets of his Counfels flJall be unfealed, and we fhall be able to expound the perplexing Riddle, how out of the E.ate~ came M;~ot, and out of the Strong came Srveetne{s: We Chall underfiand that Ins over-ruhng Prov1dence is moft eminently glorified in extrall:ing good out of cvd ; for we fbaO know as we Are known. C HA P.
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