Chap. a3. AnExpofition upon the Book of Jos. Verf. 24. god, Kings (zKin. 14. 8.) that the one fent to the other , laying, Come, let aslook oneanother in the face ; that is, Let us have an enterview. The foul of a Believer hath enterviews with God, God and he dooften lookoneanother in the face. Wherefoever the Saints are ( except in cafes of defertion) the place may be called, as Jacob called that where he wratfled with God, ( Gen. 3 2. 3o. ) Peniel, that is, the face of God : yet not ita that fenfe fully in which Jacob calls it fo ; He called it the face ofGod, be- caufe he had feen God face toface, We call it foonly (ordina- rily) becaufe we fee his face ; It is one thing to fee the face of God, and another thing to fee Godface toface. The former is the common priviledge of Saints in this life, the later is very rarely g ;ven the Saints here, or it is the priviledgeof but force Saints, and thofe rare ones, tohave it here. There is a twofold fight or vifion of God. Fini, Avifion of grace; Secondly, a vifionof glory. Glory is nothing elfe , but thevifion of God ; (t job. 3. t.) We (hall fee him as he is. Both thefe fights of God are expreffed by one plìrafeof fpeech, in the Hebrew of the old Teftament, and in the Greek of the new, and we tranflate both by feeing Godface toface. SoJacob profeffed in the place nowcited, that he had Peen God ; and t'.,e Apoifle promifeth that we fhall fee him fo (a Cor. a3. ra .) where he afrocompares the fight of Godhere to feeing in a glafs darkly, and calls the tight of him in Heaven, a feeing of God face toface. Now the reafon why force of the Saints ( as Jacob and Mofes) arePaid to fee God face toface in this life, which the Apoftle appropriates to thenext, is this, as I conceive, becaufe thofe fights of God which Jacob and Mofes had were immediate, God in an extraordinary manner coming down towrat}lewith Jacob, and calling up Mofes in an extraor- dinary manner to {peakwith him in the mount ; Thefe difpen- fatio is being(praindiagloria)the foreaetings ofa glorified elate, are f°t forth by thatat which is peculiar and proper unto the fEat s or gory, Thefeeing ofGodface toface. But, as for theufual ti wi eritions of God to believers in this life, they areonly the Beings of Ris face. So then we muff diftin;uifhofthevifionsof God in this life. Some areextraordinary, fuchwas that of Jacob and Mofes, filch was that of the Prophet (Ifa. 6.5.) and Job (chap.42. g. ) By, all fade God was feen (in this fenfe) face to face. There Tua are
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