17 8 (-4Declaration ofthe Glorious My ST E RY 4.) All the holy angels in the various orders and degrees oftheir miniftra- tion, areabout the throne continually. So 5.) Are the fpirits of juib men made perfect, in the various meafures of light and glory, And thefe things were obfcurely reprefented in the order of the church at its firft erection in the wildernefs; for the ordi- nances ofGod among themwere patterns or figures of heavenly things, Heb, ix. a3. O. In the midst was the tabernacle or fanduary which repre- fented the fandaary or temple above. (z. In the mat holy place, were the ark and mercy feat "reprefentatives of the throne of grace. (g. The miniftry of the high prieff, a type of the miniftry of atilt. (a,. The levites who attended on the prieff, did reprefent the miniftry of angels, attending on Chrift in the difchargelpfhis office. And (5. round about theirs were the tribes in their order. [a.] In the full . clear apprehenfions which all the bleffed ones have of the glory of God in Christ, of the work and effects of his wifdom anti grace towards mankind. Thefe are the foundations of divine worship. And becaufe our conceptions and apprehenfions about them, are dark, low, obfcure and inevident, our worship is weak and impeded alfo. But all is open unto the faints above. We are in the duff, the blood, the noife of the battle; they arevidorioufly at peace, and have a perfed view of what they have palfed through, and what they have attainedunto. They are come to the fprings of life and light, and are filled with admirationof the grace of Cod in themfelves and one another. What they fee in God, and in Jefus Chrift, what they have experience of in themfelves, what they and learn from others, are all of them inconceiveable and inexprefx fable. It is well for us, if we have fo much experience of thefe things, as to fee a real glory in the fulnefs and perfedion ofthem. The apprehen- fions by fight without mixture of unfteadinefsor darknefs, without the al- lay of fears or temptations, with an ineffable fenfe of the things them - felves on their hearts or minds, are the fprings or motives of the holy wor- fhip which is in heaven. '[3.] In the glorious manner of the performance of it. Now whereas it arifeth from fight and prefent enjoyment, it muff confift in a continual afcription of glory and praife unto God i and fo it is defcribed in the fcripture. See Rev. iv. 9, lo, n. with Ifa. vi. 3. And how little a por- tion of the glory ofthefe things is it, that we can apprehend ! . 3. In this folemn affembly before the throne of grace, the Lord Jefus Christ, the greathigh prieff, doth reprefent and render acceptable unto God, the worshipof the church here below. So it is expreffed, Rev. viii. 3, 4. And an Angel came and flood at the Altar, haying a golden cenfer, and there was given unto bim much incenfe; that he Jbould offer it with the prayers ofall faints upon the golden altar which w before the throne; and the fmokk of the incenfe which came with theprayers of the faints, afcended up unto God out of the angels hand. It is a reprefentation ofthe high prieff burning incenfe on the goldenaltar on the day of attone- ment, when he entred into the molt holy place. For that altar was placed juli at the entrance of it, tiredly before the ark and mercy feat, reprefent- ing the throne of God. This angel therefore is our high prieff; none elfe could aproach that altar, or incenfe on it, the fmoak whereof was toenter into the holy place. And the prayers of all faints is a "fynechdochical ex" preffion of the whole worship of the church. And this is prefented be- fore: the throne of God, by this high pried. And it is not fated that their prayers cache unto the throne ofGod, but the fmoke of the incenfeout of the band "of "the' angel did fo. For it is the incenfe ofthe snterceflion of Chrift alone that gives them their acceptance 'with God. Without this,, none
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=