Manton - BX8915 M26 1684 v1

60 S E R .M O N S . upon the Serm. X. therefore the Apoftle groaneth after,and def retll a better eflate. The l>;eafons of this. a. The excellency of that better elate which is to comc.'Tis expreffed in the Text by Sight. Now what fight Ihall we have t The fight of Go and Chrifl. Of God 1 Ccr. t 3, t z, We 'ball feehimfaceto face, andwcjhallkaow as we arelnown. And for Chrill, 1 Joh. ;. z. We 'hall fee him as he is. And Yoh. 17. zo. That they may be where I am, and behold my glory. What is this glory I The Excellency of his Perfon, the Zrnion of the Two Natures in the Perfon of Chrift, John 14. zo. At that day ye (hall know that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. The clarity o fhir humane nature. They (hall fee.the Lambs Face, and be eye - witnefles of the honour which the Fatherputs upon him as Mediatour. In what manner thall we Behold it?' either ocular or mental. a. Ocular. Our fenfes have their Happinefs as well as our Souls ; there is a glorifyed eye as well as a glorified mind. With thefe eyes fhaII Zeholdhim, yo6. 19. z6. We ihall fee that perfon that Redeemed us, that nature, wherein he fuffered fo much for us. God intendeth good to the Body, and hath intrufled it with the Soul, and that Soul a ith fo much grace, that he will not lofe the outward Cask and Veffel. 1. There is a mentalVifion or Contemplation. The Angels that are not bo -' tidy, are faid.roBehola'thefaceofoar heavenly Father, Mat. 18. to. And when we are faid to fee God,'tis not meant of the bodily Eye; a Spirit cannot be feen with bodilyEyes,fo he is invifille, Col. 1. t S.And Peeing face to face is oppofed to knowing in part.The Mind is thenobleft faculty: And therefore muft have its Satisfa&ion. Well then, this is our Happi- ncfs,to fee God and Chrift with Eye and mind; ocular vifion makethway for mental, men- tal for fruition, and fruition for love and joy, and that accompanyed with all manner of felicity. Alas now we have dull and low conceptions of God, are little Transformed by them, or weaned from flefhly and . Worldly lulls; could we fee God in alibis Glory no- thing would be dreadful, nothing would be fnaringly or inticingly amiable to us any More, 1 Yob/ z. 6 Whofoever fnneth hath not feen God,nor known him. We can hardlyget fuck a fight of God now as to prevent heinous and wilful fins,but then (hall fee him and him,grow more holy and god litre. z. The tall which we have by Faith drazveth on the Soul to look and long for a fall 9oyment. They are fweet and ravifhingas apprehended by Faith, but what will they be when enjoyed by fight t Mofes his firftrequett was,Tell methy name;afterwards,lhew me thy Glory;-now we fcarce know his name,but then we !hall fee his Glory. A little Chrift bath told us, who hath feen God, and is with God,and is God himfelf, Math. a1. 27. This little.doth not fatisfy, but inkindle our thirft to know more, efpecially if this knowledge be joyned with Experience, 1 Pet. z. 3. If we have rafted that the Lord is gracious. This fets the Soul a longing fora fuller draught, and we (till follow on to know more of God, Hof 6. 3. 5. Point. If we have Faith we may be fare that hereafter wefhallhave fight. For God will not difappoint the Soul that looketh and longeth for what be bath promif- ed, and net only looketh and longeth, but laboureth, and fuffereth all manner of in- convenienchand is willing to do any thing,andbe any thing,that it may injoy thefe blefrd hopes. Would God court the creature into a vain hope, to his great lofs and detriment ? More diflindtly; 1. is Faith that makeshift mindfrght,or regard the things of another World. When they were perfwaded of things afar off, they Imbraced them. 7 here is a twofold life com- monly fpoken of in Scripture, as being in man. The Animal life and the Spiritual life. The Animal life is the life of the Soul void ofgrace, accommodating its felf to the Interefìs of the body, 7ude 19. Senfual, having not the Spirit, as to the power and Pomp of the World, heighth of rank and place, riches, pleafures, honours, or fuch things as are grate- ful to fenfe. Our Spi ¿tuallife is a principle that inableth us td live unto God, to a& to- wards him, to make his Glory our Chief Scope, his favour as our felicity and happinefs. Thefe two lives aregoverned by fenfe and Faith ;the Animalby fenfe,the .spiritual byfaith.: So that Reafon is either debafed by fenfe, or fublimated and raifed by faith ; fenfe carry - eth and incliner' the Soul to the pleafures, hóhours, profits of the prefent World, .Faith direáeth it to the Concernments of the World to come ; hereunto all cometh, the diflin- ¿lionofthe outward man and inwardman: The Animal life is cheriflied by the comforts of this life, the other by the life to come; fee, 1. Cor. 2. 14. But the natural man received) not the things of the Spirit of'God. So z Cor. 4. 16. For which centre we faint not,but though our outward man perifh, yet the inwardmanis renewedday by day. Well then, 'tis Faith that breedeth an heavenly Spirit, fo that a man is made heavenly in his walkings, heavenly inhis thoughts, heavenly in his fupports, heavenly in his difcourfe, heavenly in his expe&ations. Faith doth not a little Ti nature a man, but he is deeply drenched by ir, and Baptized into an Heavenly Spirit. z. '7 is 'Mg

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