18 MEDITATIONS AND DISCOURRSES to behold the beauty and glory of the light of the sun. above; but immediately hereon falls into an admiration of the wisdom, goodness, and; love of God, exalting that nature incomparably above all the works of crea.. Lion, in the person of Jesus Christ, as the apostle ex- pounds this place, Heb. ü, b, 6. " For unto the an- " gels bath he not put in subjection the world to come,. hereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, " saying, What is man that thou art mindful of him? " or the sort of man that thou visitest him ?" This therefore is the highest, the best, the most use- ful object of our thoughts and affections. Ile who bath a real view of this GLORY,. though he know himself to be a poor, sinful, dying worm of the earth, yet would he not be an angel in heaven, if thereby he should lose the sight of it; for this is the centre wherein all the lines of the manifestation of the divine glory do meet and rest. Look unto the things of this world, wives, children, possessions, estates, power, friends, and honour; how amiable are they! desirable unto the thoughts of the most of men! but he who path obtained a view ofthe glo- ry of Christ will in the midst of them all say, " whom it have I in heaven but thee! and there is none on earth d' that I desire besides thee." Ps. lxxiii. 25. as For who- " in the heavens can be compared unto the Lord? who " anions the sons of the mighty can be compared unto " the Lord ?" Psalm lxxxix. 6. He himself out ofhis infinite love and ineffable conde- scension, upon the sight and view of his church, and his own graces in her, wherewith she is adorned, doth say; " thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my " spouse, thou hast ravished my heart, with one of " thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck." Cant. iv. 8. How much more ought a believing soul, upon a viewof the glory of Christ, in whom it pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell, to say, thou hast ravished my heart, taken it away from me, O thou whom my soul loveth; one glance of thy glorious beauty upon me, path quite overcome me, bath left no heart in met unto things here below? If it be not thus with us fre- quer,uy, if we value not tisis object of our minds and affection, ifwe are not diligent in looking up unto him, to behold Isisglory, it is because we are carnal, and not in any good measure partakers of the promise, that our eyes shall see the King in his beauty. 2. Our second direction unto the same end is, that So is it with all that spend their thoughtsabout the ob- jects of their sinful pleasures, refusing to look up after one view of this glory of Christ. Some keep their thoughts in continual exercise about the things of this world, as unto the advantages and emoluments which they expect from them. Hereby are they transformed into the image ofthe world, becoming earthly, carnal, and vain. Is it because there is sto God in Israel, that these applications are made unto the idol, ofEkron? that there is no glory, no desirableness in Christ for men to inquire after, and fix their minds upon? Oh the blindness, the darkness, the folly of poor sinners! whom do they despise, and for what? Some of more refined parts and notional minds, do arise unto a sedulous meditation on the works of crea- tion and providence.. Hence many excellent discourses on that subject, adorned with eloquence, are published among us. And a work this is worthy of our nature, and suited unto our rational capacities; yea, the first end of our natural endowment with them. But in all these things, there is no glory in comparison of what is proposed unto us in the mysterious constitution of the person of Christ. The sun path no glory, the moon and stars no beauty, the order and influence of the heavenly bodies have no excellency in comparison of it. This is that which the psalmist designs to declare, Psalm viii. 1. " O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth? who hast set thy glory " above the heavens. Ver. 3. When I consider thy -" heavens, the work 0f thy fingers, the moon and the " stars which thou hestordained; ver; 4. What is man "that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, " that thou visitest him? ver. 5. For thou hast made " him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned " him with glory and honour. Ver. 6. Thou madest ." him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; " thou hast put all things under his feet." He is engaged in a contemplation of the glory of God in his works; and he concludes that the fabric of hea- ven, with the moon and stars there (for it was his medi- tation by night, when he beheld them), was exceeding glorious, and greatly to be admired. This cast his thoughts on the poor, weak, infirm nature of man, whichseems as nothing in comparison of those glories
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