Firft Commandment. 87 ----------------~~ :ifC read out of this Book, are fo conv incing and demonfrrativc of many oLt hc glo.. rions Attr ibutes ofGod, that the Apoftle tells us, The very Heathens t hcmfcl vcs were left without Excnfe, becaufe t hey d id not worfhip him as God, when by the th ings which they faw, they knew him to•be God, _Rom. t •. 2 1. . . Bnt to us God hath vouchfafed more clear and hvcly Drfcoven cs of hunfclf, de~ cl;:n·inu to us thofe A t tributes by his \ i\lord, the knowledge of wh ich We could never ha~e attained by his Works alone. And therefore t hC Scriptmres are called the li vel y Oracles of God, .AE/s 7· 38. And they arc t he Glafs wherein wi th open face we behold the Glory of the Lord, 2 Corinth. ·3·. 18. ~ J:Ourthly, \Vhen WC have improved our Uriderftatldi ngs to the highcrc adv;anta.ge, 4· and ft retch'd t hem to the largeft and moft con'i'prehenfiv'cfize, yet ItHl we fhall He Jcft in the dar k, and it will be nt terly impoffiblc to know God as he is i1i l1imCelf : He dwelleth in that Light to which no mor ta l Eye eau approach : he hides afid veils 'himfclf,':'ith Light and G lory : it is his alone Pr ivilege and Prerogative, as to love, foro know himfclf, for Jlothing better can be loved, noth ing greater can be known. God is incomprehenliblc tO a)l his Creatures, but is comprehended by himfclf; and that Ever BleflCd EfiCnce which is Infinite to all others, is yet F inite to i'ts·own view and mcafnre. All the Difcovcries \\'e receive of God, are not fo mucll.'to fa..., t isfi e an i(lquifi tive Cn riolity, as to excite pions Affeaions and Devotion . For Reafan, which is the eye of the intelleChla!J'Soul, glimmers a'nd is dazlcd ·~· hen ir attempts to look fted fufl:ly on Him who is the Father of Lights; and its weakocfs is 1l1ch, tha t that Light which makes it fee, doth alfo Ihikc it blind. Yea, onr Fa ith which is a n:ronger Eye than that of Reafon, and given us that WC might fee Him who is i nv i f ibl~, yet here in this life it hath fo much duft and allies i1r it, that it difccr n-> bu t impcrfetHy, and receives the Dif~0veriesofa Deity refracted through the Gla {~ of the Scriptures, fo allayed and attemper 'd, that rho' they arc not moft exp refll\•cof hjs Glory, yet they are fittcft for our Cap;~city. The fuU man~fcftation of his nri~htnciS, is refervecl fqr Heaven : T his beatifical VHion is the Happiners aud Perfection of Saints and Angels, oq. Whom the Godhead difplays it fclf in its cl carcft Rays. There we fhaU fee him as he is, and know him as we axe knoW'n by him. Here we could not fhbrt~, if Gnd fl].ould let out upon us the fdll Reams>of h i ~ cxcef\l\•e Li ~htand Glory. And therefore we read in Scrip ture; what dreadful apprchcnfions.... thc bell: of God's Saints have been poOHS'd withal, after fome. cxtraord in:lry Difcoverics that God had made of hi!nfclf unto t hem. Thus Jfttiah cries ont, lf!i:!1 J 6 . ) · ~Vo is me, .(o1 f am undone, becaufe I am a miVf. of uncletfuli'ps, and mine' cyts h1tvt (ten the King, the Lord of hof!s. And whcJ~ our SaviOur Chnft pm forth hi<> Divine Power bnt in the working of a Miracle, the Glory of it was fo terrible and infupport:thle, even to hol y Petet, th:tt he cries out, Luke 6. 8. Depa1t from me; Jo~ f am a jiil/id nMn, 0 Lord. Tho' God be the very life of our Souls, a1id t he ma ni fcfb t ious of bis Love :l.fld Favour better thllllife it felf; yet fi1ch is our limited Efratc here in th is World, th1t we cannf)t fee God and live. F rai l Nature is too weak to ~ontJin its own Ilappinefs, until Heaven and eternal Glory inlargc it ; and then it flull fee thofc inc::mcc ivahlc Myftcrics of the Trinity and U nity, the Hypo::>ftatical U nion of the Hmm nc Nature with t he Divine; then it fhall view and fu rround the incomprel:crfiblc God, and J:e· able to bea r t he unchecked Rays of the Deity beat ing · ful l uron It. l n the mean nme, we muft hl)mbly content our felves with thofe imperfc<?: Difcover i ~s th:tt God is. plcared t~ al_low u_s, . fl:ill h: eath!ng after t h:t t Eftatc where we Oull enJOY pcr fctt Vilion , and tnl t an JUt1rc Sa usfiHlton ami Happinefs. Let us then moft c:trnefi:Jy covet the knowledge of God, and cndcav0ur to m1kc ou r fclvcs here as like to wlnt we hope to be her eafter, as the frailt y of H unune Condition will pcn~1 i t . T bis is _the chief Glory of a _Man, o~c of the higheft Orna~ ments and Per feChons of a rational Soul; that wh1ch cloth m fome fort r epa ir the Decays of our fallen_Efrate, ~nd rcnc.ws thofe ~ri~i tive CharaCl:ers wh ich Ignorance and Errour have obli terated 111 our Souls. And mdeed, wit hout t he knowledge of God, we can never be brought to love him, t o t r uft and confide in him, nor to fen•e . him as we ?ught : And altho' ~here may ?e. a great dea l o~ Z_eal in ignorant Perfons, ye~ Zell .wlthout Knowledge, 1s but a reltg!ous Frenzy; 1t IS Religion frightcd out of 1ts \V_J t s. A Man that knows _not the bounds of Sin and Duty, is a fit Sllbjca for t he Dcv1l _to work upon , who wlil be fit re fo to mamge him, that he lhall do a great deal of m1fchief very honcllly, and witlt v~ry good intentions. ?7Jirdly,
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