58 S ER114O NS upon the Serm. X. Dolt. z. That Faith is for Earth ; and fight is for Heaven: So the Apoftle forteth thefe two.Herewcbelieve inGod,and there we fee him as he is. As loon as we are reconciled to him,God will not admit us into his immediate prefence; as Abfolom, when he had leave to return, yet he could not fee the King's face, a Sam. 14.2.4. So God caufeth us to flay a while in the World ere we come before him in his Heavenly Temple. 1. Becaufe now we are in our minority and all things are by degrees carryed on towards their (late ofperfe &ion;as an Infant Both not prefently commence into the nature ofa man. In the courfeofNature there is an orderly progrefs from an Imperfeét Bate to a perte&. The difpenfations of God to the Church Gal. 4. And the Apoftle compareth our eftate in Glory'and our eflate by grace, to Child-hood and manly Age t Cor. 13. t t, t z, Our words,inclinations,affe&tons arequite changed in the compafs ofa few years, fo as we nei- ther fay,nor delire, nor underftand any thing as force years before we did; fo it is with this and the next life. Now our vifion is very dark and imperfe&, looking upon things when they are (hewed us, as through a glafs, on purpofe to give us a Glimpfe of them, but when we come to Heaven, we flail feeperfe &ly, as we fee a perfon or thing that is beforeour Eyes. z. We are now upon our tryal, but then we are in termino, in our final Rate; now we 'are in our way, but then we are in our Country. Therefore now we walk by faith but then by fight, God would not give us our reward here. A tryal cannot be made in a Elate of fenfe, but in a fiate of Faith. We are juflified byFaith, we live by Faith, we walk by Faith. This Efate of Faith requireth that the manner of that difpenfation by which God governeth the World, fhould neither be too fenfible and dear, nor too obfcure and dark, but a middle thing, as the day break or twilight is between the light of the day and the darknels of the night; that as the World is a middle place between Heaven and Hell, fo it fhould have fomewhat ofeither. If all things were too clear and liable to fenfe, wefhould not need Faith ; if too obfcure we fhould wholly lofe Faith : Therefore 'tisneither night nor day, but towards the evening. If the Godly fhould be prefently admitted to their Happinefs, and have all things according to Hearts delire, it would matte Religion too fenfible a thing, not fit for that kind of Government, which God will now exercife in the World, Heb. 6. 1.z. But followers of them who through Faith and patience have inherited the promi /es. And Yam. r. a z. Blefe1 i the man that endureth Temptation, for when he is tryed he (hall receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord bath promifed to them that love him. Every man mull be tryed and approved faithful upon tryal, and then God will admit him into his prefence. 3 . There is no congruity between our prefent. late, and the beat kcal vifion; the place is not fit nor the perfons. t. The place is not fit; becaufe 'tis full of changes.Here,time and chance happeneth to all, and there is a continual fuccefiìon of Night and Day,Calm and Tempeft, Winter and Sum- mer. 7 here is neither evil,nor only evil, not all good, nor all Bleffing, but a mixture of either. The World to come is either all evil,or all good. This is a fit place for our exercife, butnot for our injoyments; here is the patience of the Saints. But there is the reward ofthe Saints. 'Tis a fit place to get an Intereft in, but not a poffeffion. 'Tis Gods Foot-flail, but not his Throne, Ifa. 66. t. Now he will not immediately thewhimfelf to us, till we come before the Throne ofhis Glory. He manifeffeth himfelfto the Blefled Spirits, as a King fitting in his Royal Robes upon his Throne, but the Church is but his Foot- ftool; as he filleth the upper part of theWorld,with hisGlorious prefence, fo the lowerpart with his pow- erful prefence. This is a place wherein God will thew his bounty to all hisCreatures,aCom- mon Inn and receptacle for Sons and Wards, a place given to the Children of men : But the Heaven of Heavens, he hath referved forhimfelf and his people, Pfa. 115.16. z. The perfons are not ftt.Our Seals are notyet enough purled to fee God, Matth. S. 8. t John, 3. 3. Till fin be done away which will not be till Death, we are unmeet for his prefence ; when Chrift will prefent us to God, he will prefent us faultlefs before the pre- fence ofhis Glory, yule z8. Our Bodies aljo are not fit, till we have paffed the Gulph of Death. We are not able to bear Eternal Happinefs. Old bottles will not hold the new wine of Glory ; a Mortal Creature is not capable of the Glorious prefence of God, and cannot endure the fplendour of it, Matth. iv. 6. They fell on their Faces, and were fore afraid. Upon any manifeftation of God the Saints hide themfelves. Esjjah Wrapt his Face in a mantle. Mojes himfelf,when God gave the Law, trembled exceedingly. 3. Point. 'I hat till we have fight, 'tit fame advantage that we have Faith. There is no other
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