Featly et. Al. - BV4275 T47 1672

for thegreat Epiphany, 265 had trimmed their lamps, and made all things ready to meet him. So then where this excellent looking for this bleffed hope is, there will be all thee; An earneflnefs firft. And then a Patience. And then aJoy. And then a diligence to meet him, to make our leives ready for him. Dolt thou not look earneftly ? And doll thou not look with patience ? Anddolt thou not joy to think of this coming ? Then thou dolt not look as thou;hoaldcff do. But the nextword is, Looking for what ? The bleffed Hope: Hope is put for the thing hoped for; the bleffed hope, is thehopedfor. blefednefi ; and this codas intwo things ; Afreedome from all ill, both of foul and body. And a fruition of all good, both in foul, and body, in the wholeman. Firff, this bleffed hope confifts in this, in a freedom from all ill. Firfl,that there :hall be no more blindnefs in our underftandings : no more rebellion in our wills : no more terror in our confciences : no more wcaknefs inour memory : no more fin, no more power to fin : here is a non poffepecari. Nomore temptations of Satan : no more allurements of the world: nomore frailties of the flefh : no inure hunger : no more thirft : no more wearinefs: no more ficknefs : no more tne- grome in the head : no inore pallie in the hand : no snore gout in the feet : no motedifcafes, and nomore death. For ifwe fhall be freed fromcorruption, how much more (hall we be frecd from vexation, and infirmity, and deformity. Here is freedom from ill. Well,here is not all: it is not enough tobe freed from ill: but herd is thefecOnd part of this bleffedhope, to enjoy all good. Firff, this is our bleffed hope, that the Image ofGod fhall be wondroufly per- feEted inour fouls and all the faculties of it. This is our hope that God (hall be to our underftandings fulnefs of light : that he :hall be fo our wills abundance of peace : to our memories a continuationof eternity. Ín a word, God fhallbe All in all. This is our bleffed hope, that this vile body of ours, .as vile as it is (asthe Apoftle calls it , a bodyof vilenefr) it fhall be railed tip again, and made like the glorious body of Chrift by that mighty working : that this corruptible(hall pur on incorruption , and this very mortal , ¡hall put on immortality. I, and this is the bleffed kipe, that both in foul and body being bleffed, we titan be gathered tòge- ther to the Congregation of the (jilt born. Where we are lure nctet tö `Erne anÿ enemy, and we are hire never to lofe a friend.. Wherc we have the fociety, andcompany of Gods Saints, andof the bleffed Angels. And in the'beatifcal vifion and fruition, and communion of God, we (hall have filch joy, as neither eye kith feen, nor ear hate heard, nor tongue can exprefi : fuch joy as cannot be conceived, and fhall never be ended. Oh, bleffed be that God, that is the author of this hope ; and bleffed is themin that is partaker of this hope. But when will this be ? for quoth the Apoftle, Ifour hope were only in this life, of all men living, we were moil miferable. Why, but when muff we IoóJPfile it then ? . At the approaching ofthe rent God, andour Saviour Jefas Chri At the glorious appearing. Theword is. at the Epiphany, at the appearance of glory, at the glorious appearing. There is' a twofold Epiphan' of Chriff : an Epiphany of grace, that was his appearing inour flefh, to work the work of our redemption. And thenthere is anEpiphanyof glory here fpoken of. There. Blelfrd hope. r. In freedom from all ill. z. To enjoy all good. Appearing of Çhriff, two- fold.

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