I 6 c/iDeclaration of the Glorious My ST ERY perfon,-upholding all things by the word of his power, by bimfe[f purged ourfuns. That he purged our fins by his death, and the oblation of him- felf therein unto God, is acknowledged. That this fhould be done by him, by whom the worlds were made, who is the effential brightnefs of the divine glory, and the exprefs image of the perfon of the fa- ther therein, whoupholds, rules, fuftains all things by the word of his power, whereby God purchafed his church with his own blood, A£Ïs xx. 28. is that wherein he will be admired unto eternity. See Phi/Ai. 2,----6, 7, 8, 9. ¡faiah vi. there is a reprefentation made of him as on a throne, filling the temple with the train of his glory. The Son of God it was, who was fo reprefented, and that as he was to fill the temple of his hu- mane nature with divine glory, when the fulnefs of the Godhead ,dwelt in him bodily. And herein the Seraphim; which adminibred unto him, had fax wings, with two whereof they covered their faces as not being able to behold or look into the glorious myf}ery of his incarnation, v. 2, 3. John xü. 40. chap. ü. t9. Col. u. 9. But when the fame miniftring fpirits under the name ofCherubtms attended the throne of God in the admini- ftration of hisprovidence, as unto the difpofal and government ofthe world, they had four wings only, and 'covered not their faces, but fiedily beheld the glory of it, Ezek. i. 6. chap. x. 2, 3. This is the glory ofchriftian religion, thehafts andfoundation that bears the whole fuperftruclure, the root whereon it grows. This is its life and foul, that wherein it differs from, and inconceivably excels whatever was in true religion before, or whatever any falle religion pretended unto. Religion in its firfi conflitution, in the bate of pure incorrupted nature, was orderly, beautiful and glorious. Man being made in the image of `God, was fit and able to glorify him as God. But whereas whatever perfe£tion God had communicated unto our nature, he had not united it unto himfelf inaperfonal union, the fabrick of it quickly fell unto the ground. Want of this foundation- made it obnoxious unto ruin. God manifefled herein, that no gracious relation between him and our nature could be fiable and permanent, unlefs our nature was - afiivied into perfo-. nel union and fubfflence with himfelf. This is the only rock and affüred- foundation of the relation of the church unto God, which now can ne- ver utterly fail. Our nature is eternally fecured in that union, and we ourfelves, as we Ihall fee thereby. Col. i. 17, 18. In him all things con- %ff ; wherefore whatever beauty and glory there was in the relationthat was between God and man, and the relation of all things unto God by titan, in the prefervation whereof natural religion did confift, it had no beauty nor glory in comparifon of this which Both_excel or the manì- feftation of God in the fieit, the appearanceand fubfiftence of the divine and humane natures in the fame Ongle individual perfon. And where- as God in that bate had given man dominion over the fifb of the fea, and the fowl of the air, and over the cattel, and over alL the earth, Gen. i. 26. It was all but an obfcure reprefestation of the exaltation of our nature in Chrift, as the apoftle declares, Heb. ii. 6, 7, 8, 9. There was true religion in the world after the fall, both before and af- ter giving of the law; a religion built upon and refolved into divine revelation, And as for the outward glory of it, the adminifiration that itwas brought into under the tabernacle and temple, it was beyond what is reprefented inthe inftitutions of the gofpel. Yet is chriftian religion, our evangelical profeffion, and the flute of the church thereon, far moreglo-. ous, beautiful and perfed, then that bate of religion was capable of or could
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