SEEM. XII:) THE SCALE OE BLESSEDNESS. 215 proach it. The High , and Holy One, who inhaúiteth eternity, anddwelleth in the high and holy place, dwell- eth also with the humble soul, Is. lvii. 15. But this leads me to a farther degree of the blessedness of the man Christ Jesus ; and that is, 4. He bath a fuller, a richer, and a more transport- ing 'sense of the love of God, since God makes nearer approaches to. him, and discovers more of his infinite goodness, and communicates more of his love. We may venture to say, that God loves the human nature of Christ better than he does any other creature; and this ,human nature has a stronger, and more intimate consci- ,ousness of the divine love, and a sweeter sensation of it, than saints.or angels can have, because of the personal union .between the son of man and the. eternal God : which union, .though we know not precisely what it is, yet, we know. to be sufficient to give him the name Emmanuel, God with us ; which distinguishes it most gloriously from all our unions to God, and raises his dignity, his. character, and his advantages, even as á man, to so sublime a degree above that of all other crea- tures. By his exaltation, and his dwelling so near toGod, his powers are inconceivablyenlarged, and..made capable of taking in higher degrees of felicity. Sights.of God stretch the faculties of the soul, and enlarge it to receive more of God ; this eternal sight has our Redeemer. We see the glory of God chiefly in the face, of Christ Jesus his Son, but he sees theglory of God in his,own face and brightness, Christ himself is the brightness of his Father's glory, Heb i., 2, 3. 5. As Christ is the medium our nearness to. God, as he is the head of all those who: approach to God, and the Mediator through whom all approach, so his bless- edness is above ours; for in some sense; and by way of eminence, he enjoys and feels all that we enjoy and feel, and vastly more _too; for he is the medium through which we approach, and we enjoy, as well as a person who himself, and for himself, approaches and enjoys As when a stream of wine or living water is conveyed from the spring by a pipe or channel, the pipe has a tincture of the rich liquor as it flows; so, if it be lawful to illustrate things heavenly and divine, by things en r 4
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