of the PERSON of CHRIST. 31 invifible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, and to birds and fourfooted beafts, and creeping things, Rom. t. 23. Wherefore this ,commonprefumption that there was no way to attain a due fenfe of the divine being, but by.faine reprefentation of it, though true in it felf, yet by the craft of fatan, and foolifh fuperftitions of the minds of men, became the occafion ofall idolatry and flagitious wickednefs in the world. Hence were all thofe empayul,m, or fuppofed illuflrious appearances of their gods, which fatan deluded the Gentiles by ; and hence were all the ways which they devifed to bring God into humane nature, or the likenefs of it. Wherefore in all the revelations that ever God made of himfelf, his mind and will, he always laid this praflice of making reprefentations of him, under the moft fevere interdif and prohibition. And this he did evi- dently for thefe two reafons ; (r.) Becaufe it was a bold and foolifh intrenching upon hisprovifional wiif dom in the cafe. He had taken care that there Should be a glorious image and reprefentation of himfelf, infinitely above what any created wifdom could find out. But as when Mofes went into the Mount, the Ifraeliter would not wait for his return, but made a calf in his Stead ; fo mankind re- futing to wait for the ahtual exhibition of that glorious image of himfelf which God liad provided, they broke in upon his wifdomand fovereignty, to makefame of their own. For this caufe was God fo provoked, that he gave these up to fuch Stupid blindnefs, that in thofe things wherein they thought to fbew themfelves wife, and to bring God nearer unto them, they became contemptibly foolifh, abated their nature, and all the noble faculties of their minds unto hell, and departed unto the utmoft diftaace from God, whom they fought to bring near unto them. (2.) Becaufe nothing that can fall into the invention or imagination of men, couldmake any otherbutfalfe reprefentations of him, and fo fubftitute an Idol in bis place. Hisown immediate works have great charaflers of his divine excellencies upon them, though unto us obfeure, and not clearly legi- ble without the light of revelation. Somewhat he did of old reprefent of his glorious pre-fence, though not of his being, in thevifible inftitutions of his worfhip. But all mens inventions to this end, which are neither divine works of nature, nor divine inflitutions ofworfhip, are all but falfe repre- fentationsof God, and therefore accurfed by hun. Wherefore it is granted that God bath placed main, charallers of his di- vine excellencies upon his works of creation andprovidence; many of his glorious prefence upon the tabernacle and temple of old but none of there things ever did or could give fuck a reprefentation of him, as wherein the fouls of men might fully acfuiefce, or obtain fuch conceptions of him as might enable them toworfhtp and honour him in a due manner. They cannot, I fay, by all that may be teen in them, and learned from them, re- prefent God as the complete objefl of all our affections, of all the acings of our fouls in faith, truft, love, fear, obedience, in that way whereby he may be glorified, and we may be brought unto the everlafting fruition of him. This therefore is yet to be enquired after. Wherefore, q. A meer external doflrinal revelation-of the divine nature and proper- ties, without any exemplification, or real reprefentation of them, was not fufficient unto the end of God in the manifeftation of himfelf. Tisis is done in the fcripture: But thewhole fcripture is built on this foundation, or proceeds on this_fuppofition, that there is a real reprefentation of the di- -vine nature unto us, which it declares and defrribes, And as there was fuch a notion on the minds of all men, that fome reprefentation of God, wherein he might be near unto them, was necelfary, which atufe from the confi-
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