316 CHRIST THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF THE FATHER. Book If. of its Fruit ahd Efficacy: For it opens the Secret of eternal Generation and the L of the heavenly Father. A. S~al is more.highly valued.' and more.. cl~fely kept, t~~~ other Thmgs. See I[a. xlu. 1. Matt. Ill. I7· and xvu. 3· John m. 35· and xvii. 24 . Through an.Umon wtth tlus blelfed Image, the loft Image of God is reftored in Belie– v~rs; now znchoatz.vely, ~r with ;-e~J:>.eB: to Begu111.mg; after Death, confummatively, or with refpeB: to Perfechon; Col. m ; 10. 1. Pet. I. 4· I10t by ejfential Tranfmutation but by a 111J'fiical Union. . ' METAPHb~. PARALLEL }; AN Image is the Likenefs of, I. CHRiST is theLikenefs of the Father, the or doth reprefem and ex- . true. Form, Figure, .charaCter, or Repreferiprefs the Perfon whofe rt 1s. tation of him." TillS S1m1htude (faith a reverend . Divine) relates to the Perfons of the Godhead· it is b?rrowed froin tlie Impreffiori of a Signet: The Son in himfelf is " p.op~n e, 8, i~ the L1kenefs of God. "t ll. An exprefs Im•ge reprefents a Perfon umo others. II. Chdft is ""~' e,., the Image of God, re– prefenting him unto Men; he manifefteth God unto us. He is faid to be mc.w11 -r~ 0~8 fg tx.')pe%-ra the Image of the invifible God, Col. i. 15. becaufe partaking of the Nature of rh~ Father, the Goodnefs, Power, Holinefs, Grace, and all other glorious Ptoperties of God do lhine forth, or are reprefented, declared, and exprelfed to us. ' Ill. An exprefs Image reprefents Ill. Chrift reprefents God the Father to Bea Perfon unto us, whom we many !ievers, in his true Form, CharaCter, or Likenefs times cannot fee perfonally, becaufe whom we fee not as he is in himfdf, nor can fee' abfent, and at a great Diftance he dwelling in inacceffible Light, at an infinit~ from us. Diftance of Divine Nature, and manner of Bein" . , . from our Apprehenfions· and Conceptions. N; Man bath Jeen' God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the Bofom of the Fa– ther, he bath declared him, John i. I 8. IV. An Image, and the Perfon it reprefents, are not the fame. IV. Chrift, refpecring his Elfence, is the fame God with rhe Father; but the Subfiftences or Perfons of the Father and Son are different, and fo n'Ot toe fame. V. An exprefsimagebrings him, who is held forth or reprefenred by it, into our Minds, whereby we call to remembrance what mann'er of Perfon he is, and thereby contem– plate upon his Beauty,andexcdlent Accompli!hments, which before probably might be forgot. VI. An exprefs Image, if it re– prefents fome noble or renowned Perfon, one that hath an endeared Love and AffeCtion to him or her to whom it is fent, their great and on!y Benefactor, or a dear Re– lation, is exceedingly prized and valued by the Receiver. VII. An exprefs Image of a Per– fan is curiouOy drawn, and is a moft rare and admirable Piece of Work– manlhip; it is viewed and cam– mended by all fl<ilful and difcer– ning Perfons in that Art. V. ChriO: being the exprefs Image ofthe Father; brings into our Minds what kind or manner of God the Almighty is; his Excellencies, and glori– ous PerfeCtions, are hereby prefented as it were to our view: 2 Cor. iii. I8. zCor. iv. 46. By which means we are taken up into holy Meditations and Contemplations of him, whom by reafon of Sin, we had forgotten, and loft the true Knowledge of. VI. Chrift being the exprefs Image of God the Father, who is the blelfed and only Potentate, and the glorious King of Heaven and Earth, who hath dear and tender Love to us his poor Crea– tures, who is our Friend, Hulband, Father, graci– ous and chief Benefactor, caufes all true Believers greatly to prize, love, and efteem the Lord Jeiils, not only for his own fake, but for the fake of him whom he doth refemble and reprefent. VII. Chrift, God-Man in one Perfon, or God manifefted in the Flejh, I Tim. iii. 16. the glorious Reprefentation of the Father to Sinners, is rhe Admiration of Saints and Angels; 'tis a great Myftery, and comprehends the Depths of God; That the Glory of God lhould lhine forth in the N arure of Man, is, and will be the Wonder of both Worlds; it is judged by all the Go lly, to be the Mafter-piece of Divine Wifdom. ~Sec Arfl ofthe Covtnant, P• t64. t Dr. Ovmz on Heh. vii. 3· P· 55· D I S 1' A R I T Y.
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