9 z Of the Happinefs of Good Men, Vol. II. his eternal Power and Godhead are clearly fen by the Things that are made. But thus we do not fee God immediately and dire&ly ; but by a Refle&ion of his Per- fe&ions from the Works of Creation and Providence. We fee him by Faith at a great Dif ante, which the ApoRle calls, feeing hint as it were through a Glaf, z Cor. a 3. 12. Now Faith in Scripture is most frequently oppofed toSight, which is a more immediateView and nearer Difcovery ofa Thing, 2 Cor. i. 7. We milk by Faith, and not by Sight. But in Heaven we fhall have an immediate and dire& Sight ofGod, that which the Scripturecalls,feeing him Face to Face not at a Di- fiance, as we do now byFaith ; not byReflation, as we do now fee him in the Creatures : but we (hall have an immediate and dire&View of him. Faith Jhall then ceafe, as the Apoftle tells us, and be pérfetted inSight, becaufe of the Near- nefs and Evidenceof theObje&. (2.) We shall not only then havean immediate, but afar clearer Knowledgeof God, than we have now in this Life, 1 Cor. r3. 12. We now fee him in a Glaf darlly, èv divivván, in a Riddle, which is an obfcure and involvedDeclaration of a Thing. We have now but very dark and confufed Apprehenfions, and fuch as do not only reprefent him very imperfel ly, but manyTimes very faifly to us. While our Souls are muffled in thefe grofs Bodies, we are compafs'd about with Clouds, which do in a great meafure intercept the Sight of him : But the Light ofGlory will fcatter all thefe Clouds, The rail (hall then be taken away. The Refur- re&ion will refine our Bodies to that Purity, that they (hall be fit Instruments for our Souls. We (hall have fpiritual Bodies, as the Apoflle tells us, 1 Cor. 1 g. fo purified from all thefe Dregs which now encumber them, that they {hall be fit to be united to a Spirit, and to a& with it ; and then we (hall mith'open Face behold the Glory ofGod, as theApo41e expreflèth it, 2 Cor. 3.18. oras it ishere in theText, We JINX fee him as he is. We fee him now many times as he is not; that is, we are liable to falfe and miftaken Conceptions of him : but then We 'hallfee him as he is. TheClearnefs of our Knowledge will free us from all Error and Miftalee about him. We are now many times at a Lofs, what Conceptions to have c$God ; we are hard put to it to reconcile one Perfection ofGod with another, and to make them confiftent and agree together. Webelieve his Provi- dence; but we are puzzled many times how to make that accord with his Good- nefs and juftice: but in Heaven we (hall fee the Harmony of all thefe, and that it was nothing but our IgnoranceandDarknefs, which made us imagine any Dif -' cord and Difagreement in them. (3.) We (hall then likewife have a certain Knowledge of God, free from all Doubts concerning him. There may be a Certainty in Faith; but not that high Degree of Evidence. and Afiurance which is in Sight. 'Tis fpoken by way of abating of the Certainty of Faith, when it is called the Evidence of Thingnot fern. Nay, many Times the Faith of Good Men is m'rx'd with a great deal ofFear and Doubt of the contrary. But in theState of Glory, we {hall not be liable to any of thefe Doubtings and Jealoufies, which do fo frequently pof ecs the heft of Men in this World. Then We (hell know, as alfo we are known, as the Apoftie expref- feth it, 1 Cor. 13. 12. As God now knows us, fo (hall we then know him, as to the Truth and Certainty of our Knowledge. Now fnch an immediate, and clear, and certain Knowledge of God, as bath been defcribed, Both neceffarily fuppofe a very great Elevation of our Under ftandings, above what this State of Mortality can bear. We cannot now have a clear and immediate Sight of God, becaufe the Weaknefs and Imperfe&ion of our prefent State will not admit of it. In this Life, our Underftandings are eafily over -born by the Luftre and Excellencyof an Obje&. Hence it was that God Paid to Mofes, when he fo earneftly defired to fee his Face, Thine canff not fie my. Face and live, Exod. 33.20. So tranfcendent and gloriousa Sight would quite overwhelm and overcome our Faculties ; as the Light of the Sup, if we look ftedfaftly and directly upon it, will dazle and blind the ftrongeft Eye. The Sight of fo glorious a Being as God is, of fo muchExcellency, and Hap- pinefs, and Perfe&ion, as concenter in him, would fill us with Joy and Won- der too great for frail Mortality to bear : but in the State of Glory, the Eye
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