94 c.4 Declaration ofthe Glorious MYSTERY God. He that loves not Jefus Chrift, let hint be Anathema maranatha forhe is unlike.unto God, his carnal mind is enmity againft God. Among thofe who are in the image of God, the angels above are of the ¡hit confideration. We are indeed as yet much in the dark unto the things that are within the vail. They are above us as unto our prefent capacity, and bid from us, as unto our prefent ftate. But there is enough in the fcripture to manifeft the adhefionof angels unto the per- fon of Chrift by divine love. For. love proceeding from figlie, is the life of the church above ; as love proceeding from faith is the life of the church below. And this life the angels themfelves do live. For, e.) Theywere all `unto their inexpreífible prefent advantage and fecuri- ty for the fúture, brought into that recovery and recapitulation ofall things which God hathmade in him. He'hathgarhered together in one all things in Chrifl, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even, in him, Ephef. i. so. The things in heaven, and things in earth, angels above, and men below, were originally united in the love of God. God's love unto them, whence fprings their mutual love between themfelves, was a bond of union between them, rendring them one compieat family of God in heaven and earth, as it is called Ephef. iii. 15. On the entrance of fin, whereby mankind forfeited their intereft in the love of God, and loft all love unto him, or any thing for him this union was utterly diffolved, and mutual enmity came into the place ofits principle in love. God is pleafed to gather up thefe divided parts of his family into one, in one head,, which is Chrift Jefus. And as there is hereby an union eftablilhed again between angels and the church in love, fo their adherence unto the head, the center, life and fpring of this union, is. by love and no otherwife. It is not faith, but love that is the bond ofthis union betweenChrift and them; and herein no fmall part of their bleffednefs and glory in heaven doth confift: 2.) That woríhip, adoration, fervice and obedience which they yield unto him, are all in like manner animated with loveand delight. In love they cleave unto him, in love they worlhip and ferve him. They had a command to woojlhip him on his nativity, Heb. i. 6. and they did it with joy, exultation and praifest all effelts of love and delight, Luke ii. 13; 14. And as they continue about the throne ofGod, they foy with a loud voice, Worthy is the lamb that wasHain to receive power, and riches, andwifdomny andflrengtb, and honour, and glory, and bleing Rev. v. n, is. Their continual afcription of glory and ,praife unto him, is an effeét of reveren- tial love and delight. And from thence alfo is their concernment in his gofpel and grace, Ephef. iii. 9, io. x Pet. i. 12. Nor without this love in the higheft degree, can it be conceived how they Mouldbe blef ktl and happy in their continual imployment. For they are all minifIring fpirìtà font forth to minifter for the heirs offalvation, Heb. Were they not ailed herein by their fervent loveunto Chrift, they could have no delight in their own:.niiniftry. We have not, we cannot have in this world a full comprehenfton of thenature ofangelical love. Our notions are but dark and uncertain things whereof we can have no experience. Wherefore we cannot have here a clear intuition into the natureof the love of fpirits; whilft our own is mixed with what derives from the aflingsof the animal fpirits of ourbodies alfo. But the bleffednefs of angels doth not confift in the endowmentsoftheir nature, that they are great in power, light, know- ledge and wifdom. For notwithltanding thefe things, many 'of them be- came devils. But the excellency and bleffednefs of the angelicalflare con- lifts in theft two things. [r.] That
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