210 on the Exeellency of the Saul". per, but upon'the choiceil metals,, uponGold and Silver : So when (god would . have a Creature upon which hee would lamp his Image, hee Both not chufe a mean Creature, the brute be ails, or anyfenfitive Creature, but hee chufeth the moil excellent of his Creatures, Angels, and the fpirits of Men; that are, one as Gold, and the other as Silver, and the greatGod Ramps his Image upon thefe two, and onely upon thefe two; thefe are the two Principal Metals, Gold and Sil- ver, Angels and mens fpirits, upon which God did Ramp his image in their firft Creation. Secondly, Nor onely to have the Image of God upon them, but they are able to work as God himfelf workr; No o- ther Creature is able to do fo, but Angels and mens fpirits And this is the principal thing that thews the excellency of the foul, it is able to underftand the firft beeing, God himfelf, and to make God to bee the tail end of all things; what is Gods work,wherein the very happinefs,as I may fo fay,of God himfelf confifts, but in the underilanding of himfelf, as the fist beeing, and the working untohimfelf as the 'aft end, and the enjoyment of himfelf? . that is Gods own happinefs : Now of fuch excellency is the foul ofman (however by fin it is de- praved) that it is capable of the underilanding of an infinite eternal firft beeing; it is capable of working towards this firft beeing, as the laf good of all, which is the fame way and kinde of working, as God himfelf doth work. Thirdly , flnel it it capable of injoyment of the commu- nion with God himfelf; What is Gods happinefs, but to enjoy himfelf as the onely good ? Now the foul of man is capable of the enjoyment of God, of having communion with the in- finite firft beeing of allthing, and fo bee is capable of liv- ins the fame life that God himfelf lives; for fo the Scripture Ephëf. q. i ß. faith, That the Heathens were eifranged from the life of God; Color. I. z i. fo that it appears then, that beleevers are not efranged from the life of God,but do live the life ofGod in the injoyment of communion withhimfelf : For indeed there could bee no com- mst»ion,, except there were living the fame ksnde oflife; as thus, A man and a beaRR cannot have communion together, why? becaufe
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