Ver. 24. the 17th Chapter of St. JOHN. 359 to his Eyes, job 19. 26, 27. Tho after my Skin .Worms deflroy this Bady, yet in my F1efs ?hall I fee God : whom I (hall fee for my fel and mine Eyes fba11 behold, and not ano- ther. We _hall fee that Perlon that redeemed us, and that Nature wherein he fuffered fo much for us. God intendeth good to the Body, he bath intrufied it with the Soul,, and the Soul with fo much Grace, that. he will not lore the outward Cask and Veffel. There is a Glory to entertain our Eyes in Heaven ; not only the Beautiful Manfion; and the GloriousInhabitants, but the Face of the Lamb. We thall be always looking ón that Book. 2. There is Mental Virion or Contemplation. The Angels that are not Corporeal, are laid always to behold tlx Face of our Heavenly Father, Mat. 18: to. Angels have no Eyes, yet they fee God. When we are laid to fee God; it is not meant of the bodily Eye ; a Spirit cannot be feen. with bodily Eyes. And therefore God is called bo jf , she Inai fble God, Col. t. 15. And teeing Face to.Eace, is oppofed to knowing in part; I Cor. 13.12. Now we fee through a:Glafs darkly, then Face to Face : now see know but in part, then we (ball know Men as alfa we are !known. The Mind is the nobleft Faculty, and therefore it mull be fatisfied in Heaven, or elle we cannot be happy ; it is the Mind maketh the Man ; it is our preferment above the Beaus, that God hath given us a Mind to know him. Man is a rational Creature, and there is as great an Inclination to Know- ledg in the Soul, as in Beath to Carnal Pleafures. Drunkards may talk of their Ma- tures, and the gratifications of Senfe; but the Pleafure and Delight of the Soul is Knowledg. And betides this general Capacity, there is a paiicular Inclination in Be- lievers by Grace; and therefore that we may be compleatly happy, the Mind mull be fatisfied with the fight of God. III. Why our Happinefs lieth in beholding Chrii`lk Firf ; It is the Caufe of all our Fruition and Enjoiment in Heaven. Secondly; All Fruition and Enjoiment is- refolved into it again. Firfi; It is the Cause of all our Fruition in Heaven. Ocular Vifion maketh way'. for Mental, and Mental Vifion for Compleat Hoinfs or Conformity to God,and Con- formity for Love, and Love for Delight, and Delight for fruition. I. Ocular Viuiion maketh way for Mental. We go to Heaven to ftudy Divinity in the Lamb's Face : Rev. 22. 4. They fhall fee his Face, and his Name _hall be in their Fore- heads. There is an Aflembly fitting round about the Throne, and the Lamb is in the mid_ of them, and there by looking upon his Face, they learn more of God. We need no other Books than beholding his Glory : We converfe with Chrift, that we may know more of God. Thus we come to Knowledg without labour and difficulty; Chrift in his Glory and Eminency is Bible enough. 2. Mental Vifion maketh way for Likenefi and Conformity to God. Knowledg in this Life changeth us. Col. 3. io. Ind have put on the Nev t Man, which is renewed .in Knowledg after the Image of him that created him. Much more are we fanfified and made holy by the Light of Glory. The fight that we have of Chrift in the Gofpel, transformeth us: 2 Cor. 3. r8. For we all with open Face, beholding as in a Glaf the Glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame Image, from Glory to Glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. By looking upon Chrift through the Light of the Spirit, we are made like him ; But now in Glory, when we fee him Face to Face, we are more like him ; I John 3. 2. We pall be like him, for we _Pall fee him as be is. Moles, by con verfing with God, his Face (hone. As a Glati held up againft the Sun, the Image and Brightnefs of the Sun is relefled upon it : So the more we behold Chris}, the more we do bear the Image of the Heavenly; vhù 6 jav ävaXetavó¡/hva, (faith Bafil) he dieth his own Spirit with a Tin&ure of Glory. 3. This Light and Conformity maketh way for Love, that is, Koowledg increáfeth Love; as Light is, Co is Love ; our Affeâion is 11111 according to the rate of our Know- ledg. In this World Love is but weak, becaufe Light is impeded ; we love little, be- caufewe know little. John 4. to. If thou kneweft the Gift of God, and who it is that faith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldeft have asked, and he would have given tg thee Living Water. And Conformity is a ground of Love, it is the higheft pitch of Love, to love God out of the Communion of the fame Nature. The loweft Love, is to love himout of Intereft ; as the higheft Love is to love him out of a Principle of Holinefi, not becaufe he is good and bountiful, but becaufe he is Holy. Whilft h{olinefs is' weak, Love
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