SIEDITATIONS AND DISCOURSES be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, bath begot- " ten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Eph. iii. 9, lo. a And to make all men seewhat is the fellowshipof the " mystery, which from the beginning of the world bath ,s been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto theprincipalities " and powers in heavenly places, might be known by " the church the manifold wisdom of God." In this frame of heart and suitable actings of their souls, there was more of the power of true faith and love, than is found among the most at this day. They saw the promises afar off, andwere persuaded of them, and embraced them. Heb. xi. 18. They reached out the arms of their most intent affections to embrace the things that were promised. We have an instance of this frame in old Simeon, who so soon as he bad taken the child Jesus in his arms, cried out, Now, Lord, let me depart, now let me die, this is that which my soul bath longed for, Luke ii. 28, 29. Our present darkness and weakness in beholding the glory of Christ, is not like theirs. It is not occasioned by a veil of types and shadows cast on it by the repre- eentative- institutions of it: it doth not arise from the want ofa clear doctrinal revelation of the person and office of Christ; but as was before declared, it proceed- eh from two other causes. First, from the nature of faith itselfin comparison of vision. It is not able to look directly into this excellent glory, nor fully to com- prehend it. Secondly, from the way of its proposal, which is not substantial of the thing itself, but only of an image of it, as in a glass. But the sight, the view of the gloryof Christ, which we shall have in heaven, is much more above that which we now enjoy by the gos- pel, than what we do, or may so enjoy, is above what they have attained under their types and shadows. There is a far greater distance between the vision of heaven, and the sight which we now have by faith, than is between the sight which we now have, and what they had under the Old Testament. Heaven doth more excel the gospel-state, than that state doth the law. Wherefore, if they did so pray, so long for, so de- sire the removal of their shadows and veils, that they might see what we now see, that they might so behold the glory of Christ, as we may behold it in the light of the gospel; how much : more should we, if we have the same faith with them, the same love (which neither will, nor can be satisfied without perfect fruition) long and pray for the removal of all weakness, of all darkness and interposition, that we may come unto that imme- diate beholding of his glory, which he so earnestly pray- ed that we might be brought unto. To sum up briefly what bath been spoken. .There: are three things to be considered concerning the glory of Christ, three degrees in its manifestation: theshadow, the perfect image, and the substance itself. Those un- der the law had only the shadow of it, and of the things that belong unto it, they had not the perfect image of them, Heb. x. 1. Under the gospel we have the per -. fect image, which they had not; or a clear complete re- velation, and declaration of it, presenting it unto us as in a glass, But the enjoyment of these things in their, substance is reserved forheaven; wemust be where he is, that we may behold his glory. Now there is a greater differenceand distancebetween the realsubstance ofany. thing, and the most perfect image of it, than there is betweenthe most perfect image, and the lowest shadow of the same thing. If then they longed to be freed from their state of types and shadows, to enjoy the representation of the glory of Christ in that image ofit, which is given us in the gospel; much more ought we to breathe andpant after our deliverance from beholding it in the image of it, that we may enjoy the substance itself. For what- ever can be manifest of Christ on this side heaven, it is granted unto us for this end, that we may the more fer- vently desire to be present with him. And as it was their wisdom and their grace to rejoice in the light they had, and in those typical administra- tions of divine worship which shadowed out the glory of Christ unto them, yet did always pant after that more excellent light and full discovery of it, which was to be made by the gospel. So it will be ours also, thankfully to use and improve the revelations which we enjoy of it, and those institutions of worship, wherein our faith is assisted in the view thereof; yet so as con- tinually to breathe after that perfect, that glorifying sight ofit, which is reserved for heaven above. And may we not a little examine ourselves by these things? Do we esteem this pressing towards the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=