6 The MÖ'ItTIFI CATION' mired. Hence is that glorious defcription of him, ì Tom. vi. í6, Hilo only Lath im; mortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto,whom no manbath feen- nor can fee. His light is fuch as no creature can approach unto : he is not teen, notbecaufe he Cannot be teen, but becaufe we cannot bear the fight of him. The light of God; in whbüi is no darknefs, forbids all accefs to him by any creature whatever,: we who cannot behold the fun in its glory, are too weak to bear the beams of infinite bright- nefs. On this conhderation, as was faid, the wife man profefieth himfeif a verybea/b, and not tohave the underJlanding of a man, Prov. xxx. e. that is, he knew nothing in comparifon of God fo that he feemed to have loft all his underftanding, when once he came to the confideration of him, his work, and his wais.. In this coehiieration, let our foulsdefcend Co fome particulars. [r.] For the being ofGod ; we are fo for from a knowledge of it, fo as to be able to initru& one another therein by words and expreffions of it, as that to frame any conceptions in our mind, with fuch fpecies and impreffionsof things, as we receive theknowledge of all other things by, is to makean idol to our felves, and fo to wor- fhip a godofour own making, and not the God that made us.. We May as well and as lawfully hew him out of wood, or (tone, as form him a being inour minds, fuited to our apprehenfions. The utmolt of the bell of our thoughts of the being ofGod, is, that we can have no thoughts ofit. Our knowledge of a being isbut low,' when it mounts no higher, but only toknow that we know it not. (a.] Therebe forne things of God, which he himfelf hath;taught us to fpeak of, and toregulate our expreflìons of them ; but when we have fo done, we fee nor the things themfelves, ife know them not : tobelieve and admire is all that we attain to. We profefs, as we are taught, that God is infinite, omnipotent, eternal t and we knowwhat difputes and notions there are about omniprefence, immenftty, infinite- nefs, and eternity. We have, I fay, words and notions about theft things, but as to the things themfelves, what do we know ? What do we comprehend of them? Can the mind ofman do any more but fwallow itfelf upin an infiniteabyfs, which- is as nothing ; gibe itfelf up to what it cannot conceive, much Refs exprels? Is not our un- derftandings brutifh in the contemplation of fuch things ? And is as if it were not ? Yea, the perfeftion of our understanding, is, not to understand, and to relt there t they are but the back -parts of eternity and infinitenefs that we have a glimpfe of. What (hall I fay of the Trinity,or the fubftflence ofdiftinli Perfons in the fame indivi- dual Eilencé, a myftery by many denied,becaufeby none underhood ; a myfterywhofe every letter is inyfterions. Who can declare the generation of the Son, the proceffion of the Spirit, or the difference of the one from the other? But I (hall not farther in- Rance in particulars. That infinite and inconceivable diltance that is between Him and us, keeps as in the dark as to any fight of his face, or clear apprehenfionof his perfe&ions. We know him rather by what he does, than bywhat he is; by his do- ing us good, than by his effential goodnefs, and how little a portionof him, as Yob (peaks, is hereby dilcovered? s. We know little of God, becaufe it is faith alone whereby here we knowhim; I (hall not now difcourfe about the remaining impreffions on the hearts of all men by nature,that there is a God,nor what theymayrationally betaught concerning that God, from the works of his creation and providence, which they fee and behold ; it is con- felfedly, and that upon the woful experience ofall ages, fo weak, low, darli, confuted, that none ever on that account glorified God as they ought, but notwithhanding all their knowledge of God, were indeedwithout God in the world. The chief and, upon the matter, almoft only acquaintance we havewith God, and his difpenfations ofhimfel , is by faith. He that cometh to Godmull believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that feek him, Heb. xi. b. our knowledge of him, anp his re- warding (the bottom of our obedience or coming to him) is believing. We walk by faith, and not by fight, z Cor. v. 7. Ord ,,írws Is J ides ; by faith, and fo by faith, as not to have any exprefs idea, image, or fpecies of that which we believe ; faith is all the argument we have of things not feen, Heb. xi. r. I might here infili upon the natureof it, and from all its concomitants and concernments manifeR, that we know but the back -parts of what we know by faith only. As to its rife, it is built purely upon the teftimony of him, whom we have not feen as theapolle fpeaks, How can ye love him whomye have not feen ? that is, whomyou know net, but by faith, that he is : faith receives all uponhis teftimony, whom it receives to be, cooly on his own teffimony. As to its nature it is an affent upon teltimony, not an evidence upon demonftration ; and the objeta of it, is, as was Paid before, above
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