fhall be in vain or not, fince it is poffible, we may fall and fo have all along laboured for nothing.

away,

CHAP. XIV.

Of Glorification.

1. AS all God's works tend to his glory, fo alfo to the GLO RIFICATION of his chofen people. This doubtless is the glory of God, to manifeft himself in his elect, to be what he is to himself, the fountain of confummate happiness. When he does this," he is glorified in his faints, and admired in all them that believe," 2. Theff. i. 10. Believers exult in this hope of their falvation, which is fo connected with the glory of God that it is called by that very name in the holy fcripture: "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God," Rom. v. 2. Our glo rification is called the glory of God, not only because it comes from and is freely bestowed on us by God; but also because the magnificence of the divine majefty displays itself no where more illuftriously than in that glorious happinefs, which he makes to shine in his beloved people.

II. Some would prove, that we are called to this by God, from 2 Pet. i. 3. "who hath called us to glory and virtue":" but the Greek runs, dia dons xai agers, by glory and virtue; which may be understood either of our glory and virtue, or of the glory and virtue of God, and of Chrift. If we understand it of ours, the meaning will be, that God had called us to communion with himself, by fuch a clear difplay of the glory to be revealed in the faints, and by the propofal of true virtue, which is made in the gofpel, that none can be acquainted with it, but must be inflamed with a defire after it. But it will be better to apply them to God, as Peter elsewhere calls them, sas ágeras rõ xaλécavros nuãs, the virtues (praises) of bim who hath called us, 1 Pet. ii. 9. And fome manufcripts have dia dika xai ugern, his own glory and virtue: and then the meaning will be, he hath called us by his own glorious virtue: or, what I take to be fulleft, the Lord Jefus hath called us by glory, while he prefents unto us a glory in himself, as of the only begotten of the Father, and by virtue, while he discovered a life full of every inftance of virtue, which, as they are set forth in a preached gofpel, clearly fhew, that he was the Son of God and Saviour of the world. And thus we keep to the proper fignification of YOL. II

L

the

the particle, which I have not yet feen proved by any example, to fignify the fame as us to. Indeed, the venerable Beza adduces Rom. vi. 4. where Chrift is faid to be raised from the dead, dia rus doğns rỡ margos, that is, fays he, to the glory of the Father. But fuch an explication is unneceffary; let us fay, as the words bear by the glory of the Father. Which admits a twofold fenfe, and both of them very agreeable. As firft, by glory to mean the strength, and glorious power of God, for fometimes the Greek word die anfwers to the Hebrew ny, Ifa. xlv. 24. Thus God is faid to "have raised Chrift die TAS duváμENS AUTE by his own power," I Cor. vi. 14. in the fame fenfe. Again, if by glory we understand the difplay of the divine fupereminent excellency, we will fay, that Chrift was raised by the glory of the Father, because it was for the Father's glory, that the only begotten and righteous Son of God fhould live a glorious life in himself, and a holy life in his members.

III. But whatever`be Peter's meaning, it is evident, we are both called and juftified, in order to glory; and for that end powerfully preserved by God. Paul fpeaks of our calling, i Theff. ii. 12. " who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory" of juftification he fays, Rom. viii. 30. "whom he justified, them he alfo glorified:" of confervation Peter fpeaks, I Pet. i. 5. "who are kept by the power of God, through faith unto falvation, ready to be revaled in the last time.

IV. GLORIFICATION is the gracious act of God, whereby he actually translates his chofen and redeemed people, from an unhappy and bafe, to a happy and glorious ftate. And it may be confidered, either as begun in this life; or, as confummated in the next. The firft-fruits of the Spirit, Rom. viii. 23. who is the Spirit of glory, 1 Pet. iv. 14. are even in this life, granted to the children of God: not only, that by these they might comfort themselves in adverfity; but alfo that, from these, they might in some measure, infer what and how great that future happiness is, which is reserved for them in heaven; and that, having had a foretaste of that great reward they expect, they may be the more chearful, in the courfe of faith and holiness: now, these first-fruits confift in the following things.

V. First, In that most excellent holiness, which is freely beftowed on the elect, and was defcribed, chap. XII. For, as there is the greatest filthinefs in fin, it being contrary to the moft juft and righteous law of God; and the greateft vileness and mifery, as it makes man moft unlike the infinitely glorious and bleffed God. Accordingly these two things are conjoined, "they have finned, and come fhort of the glory of God," Rom.

iii. 23. and fin is called "that shameful thing, Jer. iii. 24. On the contrary, in righteoufnefs and holiness, there is not only fome morál goodnefs, in fo far as they agree with the law and with God, the pattern of them; but also an excellent glory, in fo far as there is in them a refemblance of the moft bleffed God; whom Mofes reprefents as pa 5 magnificent, glorious in holiness, Exod. xv. 11. Accordingly, the image and glory of God, 1 Cor. xi. 7. are connected. See what we have faid chap. VIII. fect. 9. To fay nothing now about that incredible fweetnefs and boldnefs with God, which the consciousness of fanctification gives thofe who endeavour after it. On which account David described "the statutes of the Lord, to be the rejoicing of the heart; fweeter than honey and the honey-comb," Pf. xix. 8, 10.

VI. Secondly, in that vifion of God, with which he honours the faints even in this life. We fhall prefently hear, that the complete happiness of the life to come confifts in the perfect vifion of God. That vifion therefore, which is the privilege of believers here, is certainly the beinning of that other. Now God prefents himfelf here to be seen. ift, By faith; which, indeed is mere darkness, when compared with the light of glory, and in that refpect, is diftinguished from fight, 2 Cor. v. 7. and faid to be the evidence of things not feen, Heb. xi. 1. yet it is a clear and fhining light, in comparifon of the ignorance of unbelievers," in whom the god of this world hath blinded their minds," 2 Cor. iv. 4. Hence Mofes is faid by faith "to have feen him, who is invifible," Heb. xi. 27. By faith alfo, "we all with open face behold as in a glafs the glory of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 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. ii. 8. according to that of our Lord, John v. 24. " verily, verily, I fay unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that fent me, hath everlafting life." 2dly, God is alfo feen by an experimental sense of his goodness, which intimately infinuates itself into the foul, in the holy use of the creatures. So that he not only knows by reafoning, that God is good, not only believes it on the authority of infallible teftimony; but has the experience of it both by fight, fenfe and tafte, while God himself, by means of his

creatures, wonderfully delights the foul. To this purpofe is the invitation of the Pfalmift, P. xxxiv. 8. " O! tafte and fee, that the Lord is good." 3dly, He is feen ftill more immediately, when he reveals himself to the foul, while deeply engaged in holy meditation, prayer and other exercises 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. xxvii. 4. And this, I am apt to think, he obtained, when he fung, "to fee thy power and thy glory, so as I have feen thee in the fanctuary," Pf. Ixiii. 3. 4thly, Something peculiar is at times imparted to fick and dying Chriftians, in 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 itfelf, 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, before the foul is taken up to heaven.

VII. Maimonides, the wifeft among the Jews, feems to have had fomething to his purpofe in his mind, when, in More Nevochin, p. 3. c. 51. towards the end, he speaks thus; "The more that the faculties of the body are impaired, and "the fire of luft is extinguished, the more is the understand"ing ftrengthened, its light increased the apprehenfion purified " and the more it rejoices at what it apprehends: so that when "the perfect man is arrived at mature age, and juft approaching "to death, the apprehenfion, the joy arifing from that appre"henfion, and the love of the thing apprehended, are, in an "extraordinary manner, heightened, fo that the foul, as it were "is in a state 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, these three died np, 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 "OF THE LORD," Deut. xxxiv. 5. which fhews, that he died ❝in the act of kiffing, pw. and fo it is faid of Aaron, AT "THE MOUTH OF THE LORD, and he died there, Num. xxxiii.

AT THE MOUTH על פי

"38. They alfo affirm of Miriam, that fhe died p, in the "act of kiffing: but yet the Scripture does not fay of her, "AT THE MOUTH OF THE LORD, because, being a woman, "that parabolical mode of fpeech was not fuitable. But the "meaning is, that they died from exceffive love, in the plea"fure of the apprehenfion thereof. As to the phrase itself, 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 pwa, kissing, let him kiss me with the "kiffes of his mouth, Cant. i. 2." Thus far that learned Jew.

VIII. Thirdly, In the gracious poffeffion and enjoyment of God; when God himself, according to the promife of his covenant, holds communion with them, and gives them not only to fee him, but alfo to poffefs and enjoy him in the manner we explained, Chapter X. fection 33. and in this confifts falvation. "Happy is that people, that is in such a cafe; yea, happy is that people, whofe God is the Lord," Pf. cxlv. 15. He may justly glory of riches, who is admitted into the poffeffion of fach great happinefs. "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. xvi. 5, 6. But that fruition of God confifts in that fweet and frequent delight the foul takes in him as its treasure, Pf. lxxiii. 28. in its being enriched with his riches, fed with his plenty, preserved 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, befides the perfect fruition of him, of which he has now only the first fruits. "Bleffed is the man, whom thou choofeft, and causeft to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts; he fhall be filled with the goodness of thine house, even of thy holy temple." Pf. lxv. 4.

IX. Fourthly, Such magnificent beginnings of glory beget all riches of the full affurance of understanding, Col. ii. 2. and the firmeft certainty of confummate happiness, to be enjoyed in its appointed time. For when one has obtained the first-fruits of the Spirit, 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. i. 12. and again, "I am perfuaded that neither death, nor life, fhall be able to feparate us from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord," Rom. viii. 38, 39. And indeed, I know not, whether there be any thing

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