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that are carnal cannot receive, as the apostle testifies, 1 Cor. ii. 14. But the meanest believer who lives in the exercise of faith, may have an understanding of them so far as is needful unto his love and obedience. The sum of the whole is this; if you would behold the glory of Christ, as the great means of your sanctification and consolation, as the only preparation for the beholding of his glory in eternal blessedness; consider what of God is made known and represented unto you in him, wherein God purposed and designed to glorify himself in him. Now this is all that may be known of God in a saving manner; especially his wisdom, his love, his goodness, grace, and mercy, whereon the life of our souls doth depend; and the Lord Christ being appointed the only way and means hereof, how exceeding glorious must he be in the eyes of them that do believe!

These things being premised, I shall close this first consideration of that glory of Christ which we behold by faith in this world, with some such observations, as may excite us unto the practice of this great duty, and improvement of this great privilege; the greatest which on this side heaven we can be made partakers of.

There are some who regard not these things at all, but rather despise them. They never entertain any serious thoughts of obtaining a view of the glory of God in Christ, which is to be unbelievers. They look on him as a teacher that came forth from God to reveal his will, and to teach us his worship; and so indeed he was. But this they say was the sole use of his person in religion, which is Mahometism. The manifestation of all the holy properties of the divine nature, with the representation of them unto angels above, and the church in this world, as he is the image of the invisible God, in the constitution of his person, and the discharge of his office, are things they regard not; yea, they despise and scorn what is professed concerning them; for pride and contempt of others were always the safest covert of ignorance; otherwise it would seem strange, that men should openly boast of their own blindness. But these conceptions of men's minds are influenced by that unbelief of his divine person, which maketh havoc of Christianity at this day in the world.

I speak of them whose minds are better disposed to

wards heavenly things; and unto them I say, Wherefore do you love Jesus Christ? for so you profess to do. Wherefore do you trust in him? Wherefore do you honour him? Wherefore do you desire to be in heaven with him? Can you give a reason of this hope that is in you? an account why you do all or any of these things? If you cannot, all that you pretend towards him, is but fancy and imagination; you fight uncertainly as men beating the air; or is one of your reasons hereof, that in him you do by faith behold that glory of God, with the holy properties of his nature, and their principal operations, in order unto your own salvation and blessedness, which otherwise would have been eternally hid from you? Hereon is he 'precious unto them that do believe.'

Let us therefore, as many as are spiritual, be thus minded. Let us make use of this privilege with rejoicing, and be found in the discharge of this duty with diligence. For thus to behold the glory of Christ, is both our privilege and our duty. The duties of the law were a burden and a yoke; but those of the gospel are privileges and advantages.

It is a promise concerning the days of the New Testament, that our eyes shall see the King in his beauty;' Isa. xxxiii. 17. We shall behold the glory of Christ in its lustre and excellency. What is this beauty of the King of saints? Is it not, that God is in him, and he is the great representative of his glory unto us? Wherefore, in the contemplation of this glory consists the principal exercise of faith. And who can declare the glory of this privilege, that we who are born in darkness, and deserved to be cast out into utter darkness, should be translated into this marvellous light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ?'

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What are all the stained glories, the fading beauties of this world? Of all that the devil shewed our Saviour from the mount? What are they in comparison of one view of the glory of God represented in Christ, and of the glory of Christ as his great representative?

The most pernicious effect of unbelief under the preaching of the gospel is, that together with an influence of power from Satan, it blinds the eyes of men's minds, that

they should not see this glory of Christ,' whereon they perish eternally; 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.

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But the most of those who at this day are called Christians, are strangers unto this duty. Our Lord Jesus Christ told the Pharisees, that notwithstanding all their boasting of the knowledge of God, they had not heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape;' that is, as Moses did. They had no real acquaintance with him, they had no spiritual view of his glory; and so it is amongst ourselves. Notwithstanding the general profession that is of the knowledge of Christ, they are but few who thus behold his glory; and therefore few who are transformed into his image and like

ness.

Some men speak much of the imitation of Christ, and following of his example; and it were well if we could see more of it really in effect. But no man shall ever become 'like unto him,' by bare imitation of his actions, without that view or intuition of his glory, which alone is accompanied with a transforming power to change them into the same image.

The truth is, the best of us all are wofully defective in this duty, and many are discouraged from it because a pretence of it in some hath degenerated into superstition; but we are loath at any time seriously to engage in it, and come with an unwilling kind of willingness, unto the exercise of our minds in it.

Thoughts of this glory of Christ are too high for us, or too hard for us, such as we cannot long delight in; we turn away from them with a kind of weariness; yet are they of the same nature in general with our beholding of the glory of Christ in heaven, wherein there shall be no weariness or satiety unto eternity. Is not the cause of it, that we are unspiritual or carnal, having our thoughts and affections wonted to give entertainment unto other things? For this is the principal cause of our unreadiness and incapacity to exercise our minds in and about the great mysteries of the gospel; 1 Cor. iii. 1-3. And it is so with us moreover, because we do not stir up ourselves with watchfulness and diligence in continual actings of faith on this blessed object. This is that which keeps many of us at so low

an ebb, as unto the powers of a heavenly life, and spiritual joys.

Did we abound in this duty, in this exercise of faith, our life in walking before God would be more sweet and pleasant unto us; our spiritual light and strength would have a daily increase; we should more represent the glory of Christ in our ways and walking, than usually we do; and death itself would be most welcome unto us.

The angels themselves desire to look into the things of the glory of Christ; 1 Pet. i. 10. 12. There is in them matter of inquiry and instruction for the most high and holy spirits in heaven. The manifold wisdom of God in them is made known unto 'principalities and powers in heavenly places by the church;' Eph. iii. 10. And shall we neglect that which is the object of angelical diligence to inquire into; especially considering that we are more than they concerned in it?

Is Christ then thus glorious in our eyes? Do we see the Father in him, or by seeing of him? Do we sedulously, daily contemplate on the wisdom, love, grace, goodness, holiness, and righteousness of God, as revealing and manifesting themselves in him? Do we sufficiently consider, that the immediate vision of this glory in heaven will be our everlasting blessedness? Doth the imperfect view which we have of it here, increase our desires after the perfect sight of it above? With respect unto these inquiries, I shall briefly speak unto sundry sorts of men.

Some will say they understand not these things, nor any concernment of their own in them. If they are true, yet are they notions which they may safely be without the knowledge of; for so far as they can discern, they have no influence on Christian practice, or duties of morality. And the preaching of them doth but take off the minds of men from more necessary duties. But if the gospel be hid, it is hid unto them that perish.' And unto the objection I say,

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1. Nothing is more fully and clearly revealed in the gospel, than that unto us Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God;' that he is the character of the person of the Father, so as that in seeing him, we see the Father also; that we have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God

in his face' alone, as hath been proved. This is the principal fundamental mystery and truth of the gospel; and which, if it be not received, believed, owned, all other truths are useless unto our souls. To refer all the testimonies that are given hereunto, to the doctrine which he taught, in contradistinction unto his person as acting in the discharge of his office, is antievangelical, antichristian, turning the whole gospel into a fable.

2. It is so, that the light of faith is given unto us principally to enable us to behold the glory of God in Christ; to contemplate on it, as unto all the ends of its manifestation. So is it expressly affirmed, 2 Cor. iv. 6. If we have not this light, as it is communicated by the power of God unto them that do believe, Eph. i. 17-19. we must be strangers unto the whole mystery of the gospel; 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.

3. That in the beholding of the glory of God in Christ, we behold his glory also. For herein is he infinitely glorious above the whole creation, in that in and by him alone the glory of the invisible God is represented unto us. Herein do our souls live. This is that whereby the image of God is renewed in us, and we are made like unto the firstborn.

4. This is so far from being unnecessary unto Christian practice, and the sanctified duties of morality, that he knows not Christ, he knows not the gospel, he knows not the faith of the Catholic church, who imagines that they can be performed acceptably without it. Yea, this is the root whence all other Christian duties do spring, and whereon they grow, whereby they are distinguished from the works of heathens. He is no Christian who believes not that faith in the person of Christ is the spring of all evangelical obedience; or who knows not that faith respects the revelation of the glory of God in him.

If these things are so, as they are the most important truths of the gospel, and whose denial overthrows the foundation of faith, and is ruinous to Christian religion, certainly it is our duty to live in the constant exercise of faith with respect unto this glory of Christ. And we have sufficient experience of what kind of morality the ignorance of it hath produced.

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