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Chap. VIII. Sect. IX. To fay nothing now about that incredible fweetnefs and boldness with God, which the consciousness of fanctification gives thofe, who endeavour after it. On which account David defcribed the ftatutes of the Lord, to be the rejoicing of the heart; fweeter than honey and the honey-comb, P. 19. 8, 10.

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P[ VI. Secondly, in that vifion of God, with which He 2. The vihonours the faints even in this life. We fhall prefently God in the hear, that the compleat happiness of the life to come light of confifts in the perfect vifion of God. That vifion grace. therefore, which is the priviledge of believers here, is certainly the beginning of that other. Now God prefents himself here to be feen, ift. By faith; which, indeed, is mere darkness, when compared with the light of glory, and, in that refpect, is distinguished from fight, 2 Cor. 5. 7, and faid to be the evidence of things not feen, Heb. 11. 1: yet it is a clear and Thining light, in comparifon of the ignorance of unbelievers, in whom the God of this world bath blinded their minds, 2 Cor. 4. 4. Hence Mofes is faid by faith to have feen him, who is invifible, Heb. 11. 27. faith allo, we all with open face, behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord, 2 Cor. 3. 18. Nor does the faith, of believers, behold the perfections of God, only in general, as they are in him, but it likewife beholds them, as belonging to them, and become theirs for the fake of Chrift. Which certainly has no fmall influence on our falvation. He that believes, and, by faith views God, and that, as his own, not only expects, but already has eternal life, and through that very faith he is faved, Eph. 2. 8, according to that of our Lord, John. 5. 24, verily, verily Ifay unto you, be, that beareth my word, and believeth on him that fent me, bath everlasting life. 2dly. God is alfo feen by an experimental fenfe of his goodness, which intimately infinuates itself into the foul, in the holy use of the creatures. So that he not only knows by reasoning, that God is good,not only believes it, on the authority of infallible

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infallible teftimony: but has the experience of it both by fight, fenfe and taste, while God himself, by means of his creatures, wonderfully delights the foul. To this purpofe is the invitation of the Pfal mist, PS. 34. 8. O! taste and fee, that the Lord is good 3dly. He is feen ftill more immedaitely, when he reveals himself to the foul, while deeply engaged in holy meditation, prayer and other exercifes of devotion, as the fountain of life and the fource of light; fo as wonderfully to affect it with the immediate darting of his rays into it. This, I imagine, was what David defired, when he fought to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple, Pf. 27. 4. And this, I am apt to think, he obtained, when he fung, I to fee thy power and thy glory, fo as I have seen thee in the fanc tuary, P. 63. 3. 4thly, Something peculiar is at times imparted to fick and dying chriftians, dir whofe imagination God fometimes draws fo diftinctly the brighteft images of heavenly things, that they feem to fee them before their eyes; nor are they otherwife affected, than if the things themselves were prefent before them. The nearer the foul is to heaven, it is alfo enlightened with the brighter rays of fuperceleftial light, flowing from him, who, being light itself, dwells in light inacceffible Of which there are not a few inftances in the hiftory of the life and death of godly perfons, and very many experiences offer in our daily vifitation of the fick. This is a kind of defcent of heaven into the foul, be fore the foul is taken up to heaven.

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conevoo cil te An excel- VII. Maimonides, the wifeft among the Jews, lent paffeems to have had fomething to this purpofe in his fage of No mind, when, in More Nevochim, P. 3. c. 15, towards the end, he speaks thus: "The more that the fa "culties of the body are impaired, and the fire of luft is extinguished, the more is the understanding ftrengthened, its light encreafed, the apprehenfion purified, and the more it rejoices at what it "apprehends; fo that when the perfect man is arrived

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"at mature age, and just approaching to death, the apprehenfion, the joy arifing from that apprehenfion, and the love of the thing apprehended, are, “in an extraordinary manner, heightened, fo that "the foul, as it were, is in a ftate of feparation from "the body, during the time of that high pleasure. "To this our wife men had an eye, while they fay, that, at the death of Mofes, Aaron and Miriam, thefe three died p, in the kifs, or by the kifs. "For, fay they, what is faid, fo mofes the fervant of the "Lord died there in the land of Moab my, AT THE “MOUTH OF THE LORD, Deut. 34. 5, which fhews, that he died in the act of kiffing, p. And fo it is faid of Aaron, AT THE MOUTH OF THE LORD, "and be died there, Numb. 33. 38. They alfo affirm of Miriam, that he died p, in the act of kiffing: but yet the Scripture does not fay of her, AT THE "MOUTH OF THE LORD, becaufe, being a woman, that parabolical mode of fpeech was not faitable. "But the meaning is, that they died from exceffive "love, in the pleasure of the apprehenfion thereof. "As to the phrafe itfelf, our wife men borrowed it from the fong of fongs, where the apprehenfion "of the creator, conjoined with the fupreme love of "God, is called n, kiffing, let him kiss me with the "kiffes of his mouth, Cant. 1. 2." Thus far that learned Jew.

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VIII. Thirdly, In the gracious poffeffion and enjoyment 3. The of God; when God himfelf, according to the promife gracious of his covenant, holds communion with them, and enjoygives them not only to fee him, but alfo to poffefs God, and enjoy him in the manner we explained, Chap. X. Sec. XXXIII and in this confifts falvation. Happy is that people, that is in fuch a cafe; yea, happy is that people, whofe God is the Lord, Pf. 145. 15. He may juftly glory of riches, who is admitted into the poffeffion of fuch great happiness. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup, thou maintaineft my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places yea, I have a goodly heritage, Pf. 16. 5. 6. But that fruition

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fruition of God confifts in that sweet and frequent delight the foul takes in him as its treasure, Pf. 73. 28, in its being enriched with his riches, fed with his plenty, preferved by his power, directed by his wifdom, refreshed by his goodness, and, in fine, filled with his fufficiency: fo that he knows of nothing he can defire, besides the perfect fruition of him, of which he has now only the first fruits. Blessed is the man, whom thou choofeft, and causeft to approach unto thee, that be may dwell in thy courts: be fhall be filled with the goodnefs of thine boufe, even of thy holy temple, Pf. 65. 4»ol

IX. Fourthly, fuch magnificent beginnings of 4. Affurance of glory beger all riches of the full affurance of understand falvation. ing, Col. 2. 2, and the firmeft certainty of confummate happiness, to be enjoyed in its appointed time.

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For, when one has obtained the first-fruits of the fpirit, and has fo many and fuch evident figns of his communion with God and Chrift, why may he not fay with Paul? I know, whom I have believed, and I am perfuaded, that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day, 2 Tim. 12-2 and again, I am perfuaded, that neither death, nor life, Shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord, Rom. 8. 38, 39. And indeed, I know not, whether there be any thing more delightful and pleafant, can be defired in this life, than that full affurance of our faith, which entirely. calms the confcience, and delights it with the ineffable sweetness of confolations.dube Li

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5. Joy un- X. Fifthly, Thele fo many and fo great benefits peakable. joined together, beget a joy unspeakable and full of

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glory, whereby Peter teflifies, though nose not feeing yet believing they rejoice. Pet. 1. 8. For that God, with whom they have fellowship as their God, is their exceeding joy the God of the 27. joy of their exultation, PA 43, 4. Nothing exceeds 19ds,in this efficacy, for it penetrates into the inmoft to foul, and is alone fufficient to fweeten the moft griev ous of all afflictions, let them be ever fo bitter, and

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eafily difpel the greatest anguifh of foul: fo that the faithful martyrs of Chrift, who had tafted the sweetnefs of it, have gone, with joy and fongs of praife, to the most cruel torments, as to the most fumptu ous feafts. Nothing is more pure. It does not difcompofe the mind, unless in a falutary, wife and holy manner; that, having no command of itself, but being full of Ged, and on the very confines of heaven, it both favours and peaks above the capacity of a man. The more plentifully one has drank of this fpiritual nectar, though he may appear delirious to others, who are unacquainted with those de. lights, he is the more pure, and wife, and happy. Nothing in fine, is more conftant; everlasting joy upon their heads, Ifa. 35. 10: your beart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you, John 16. 22, If it is not conftant as to the fecond effects, or after acts, as they are called, yet ibis fo at leaft, as, to the foundation and first act. For, though God, in this life, according to his infinite wisdom, mixes the communication of his fweetnefs with much bitterness: yet believers have that in them, which proves the unexhaufted fountain of a joy fpringing forth at times, and of a delight, that is afterwards to continue flowing for ever. Nor does God at all times deal out this joy with a sparing hand he fometimes bestows it in fuch plenty on his people, that they are almoft made to own themfelves unable to bear fuch heavenly delight on earth, and to fay with Ephrem Syrus; Lord, withdraw a little, least the brittle vial of my heart should burst by the rays of thy favour darting too strongly. If God does fo great things for his people in the prifon, what will he not do in the palace? If the firft-fruits are fo plentiful, how abundant will the harveft be?

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XI. The glorification of the future life has again The gloriits feveral degrees and periods; and is either of the foul feparated from its body, before the laft judgment: life, either

or of the whole man after the refurrection. here to take notice of the gangrene of the

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We are that of the Socinian feparate divinity;

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