eAxTea's uri\.'O THOUGHTS. 115 wonderful design and work of grace in him laid open to our clear- est view, O, what beautifying knowledge would this b'e! All dark texts concerning his person, his office, and his works, will then be expounded and fully understood. All those strange and difficult things which were the great exercise and honor of faith, will then be plain. Difficulties will no more be Satan's advantage to tempt us to unbelief, or doubting. The sight of the glory of my Lord will be my glory; John xvii. 24. If Paul had not then attained to perfection in the knowledge of Christ, and the power ofhis res- urrection, but was pressing forward to reach that crown in the life tocome, which he calleth " the resurrection of the dead," (Phil. iii. 9-12.) such as I must not expect here to attain it ; but when that which is perfect is come, this imperfect knowledge of faith will be done away, as childish knowledge is in manhood : and the glass and riddle shall be laid aside, when we "shall see face to face, and shall know as we are known," (1 Cor. xiii.' 10-12.) as to our sight and knowledge of Christ and his triumphant body ; for I dare not apply that phrase to the sight and knowledge of the divine essence, nor yet deny it. If, now, though we see not Christ, yet, believing, we love him, and rejoice in him with unspeakable, glorying joy ; what love and joy will the everlasting sight of our blessed Head excite there in the souls of all the glorified ! 4. I shall better, O, much better, know the heavenly Jerusa- lem, the triumphant church, the blessed angels, and glorifiedsaints; and as my love to them, so my knowledge of them, will not be the least part of my heavenly delight. As strangely as I now look upward to that world;because I cannot see itwith these eyes, it shall be mywell-known everlasting habitation. O, what a sight, what a joyful sight, will death show me by drawing aside the veil, or rather the Lord of life, by turning death to my advantage ! When I am there at home, I shall nomore think with confusion, fear, or doubting, of that blessed place or state. My fears, which now come from the smallness of my faith, will end when faith is turned into vision. As I know the several rooms in my house, and houses in the street, and streets in the city, so shall I then know the many man- sions which Christ hath said are in his Father's house. Words now give me so poor; imperfect a conception of the world and things which I never saw, as that sometimes I can scarcely tell whether the joy. of my faith, or the trouble of my dark apprehen- sions, be the greater. But when I'shall see the place and per- sons, the glory which I heard of, that will be the delightful satisfy- ing and possessing' kind of knowledge. If Nehemiah, and the godly Jews, made so great a matter of seeing the walls of Jerusa- lem repaired ; and others, of the imperfect reedifying of the temple,
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