probability, a kind of certainty of salvation, yet that faith, which the best Christian hath, is not so far beyond that sight of God which the natural man hath, as that sight of God which I shall have in heaven, is above that faith which we have now in the nighest exaltation. Therefore there belongs a consideration to that which is added by our apostle here, that the knowledge which I have of God here (even by faith, through the ordinances of the church) is but a knowledge in part. Now I know in part.

That which we call in part, the Syriac translates modicum ex multis; though we know by faith, yet, for all that faith, it is but a little of a great deal that we know yet, because, though faith be good evidence, yet faith is but the evidence of things not seen1. and there is better evidence of them, when they are seen. For, if we consider the object, we cannot believe so much of God, nor of our happiness in him, as we shall see then. For, when it is said, that the heart comprehends it not, certainly faith comprehends it not neither: and if we consider the manner, faith itself is but darkness in respect of the vision of God in heaven: for, those words of the prophet, I will search Jerusalem with candles1o, are spoken of the times of the Christian church, and of the best men in the Christian church; yet they shall be searched with candles, some darkness shall be found in them. To the Galatians well instructed, and well established, the apostle says, Now, after ye have known God, or rather are known of God; the best knowledge that we have of God here, even by faith, is rather that he " knows us, than that we know him. And in this text, it is in his own person, that the apostle puts the instance, Now I, (I, an apostle, taught by Christ himself) know but in part. And therefore, as St. Augustine saith, Sunt quasi cunabula charitatis Dei, quibus diligimus proximum, The love which we bear to our neighbour is but as the infancy, but as the cradle of that love which we bear to God; so that sight of God which we have in speculo, in the glass, that is, in nature, is but cunabula fidei, but the infancy, but the cradle of that knowledge which we have in faith, and yet that knowledge which we have in faith, is but cunabula visionis, the infancy and cradle of that knowledge which we shall have when we come to see God face to face. Faith is infinitely

15 Heb. xi. 1.

16 Zeph. i. 12.

17 Gal. iv. 9.

above nature, infinitely above works, even above those works which faith itself produces, as parents are to children, and the tree to the fruit: but yet faith is as much below vision, and seeing God face to face. And therefore, though we ascribe willingly to faith, more than we can express, yet let no man think himself so infallibly safe, because he finds that he believes in God, as he shall be when he sees God; the faithfulest man in the church must say, Lord increase my faith; he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, shall never be put to that. All the world is but a glass, in which we see God; the church itself, and that which the ordinance of the church begets in us, faith itself, is but anigma, a dark representation of God to us, till we come to that state, To see God face to face, and to know, as also we are known.

Now, as for the sight of God here, our theatre was the world, our medium and glass was the creature, and our light was reason, and then for our knowledge of God here, our academy was the church, our medium the ordinances of the church, and our light the light of faith, so we consider the same terms, first, for the sight of God, and then for the knowledge of God in the next life. First, the sphere, the place where we shall see him, is heaven; he that asks me what heaven is, means not to hear me, but to silence me; he knows I cannot tell him; when I meet him there, I shall be able to tell him, and then he will be as able to tell me; yet then we shall be but able to tell one another, this, this that we enjoy is heaven, but the tongues of angels, the tongues of glorified saints, shall not be able to express what that heaven is; for even in heaven our faculties shall be finite. Heaven is not a place that was created; for all place that was created, shall be dissolved. God did not plant a Paradise for himself, and remove to that, as he planted a Paradise for Adam, and removed him to that; but God is still where he was before the world was made. And in that place, where there are more suns than there are stars in the firmament, (for all the saints are suns) and more light in another sun, the sun of righteousness, the Son of Glory, the Son of God, than in all them, in that illustration, that emanation, that effusion of beams of glory, which began not to shine six thousand years ago, but six thousand millions of millions ago, had been six thousand millions of

millions before that, in those eternal, in those uncreated heavens, Ishall we see God.

This is our sphere, and that which we are fain to call our place; and then our medium, our way to see him is patefactio sui, God's laying himself open, his manifestation, his revelation, his evisceration, and embowelling of himself to us, there. Doth God never afford this patefaction, this manifestation of himself in his essence, to any in this life? We cannot answer yea, nor no, without offending a great part in the school, so many affirm, so many deny, that God hath been seen in his essence in this life. There are that say, that it is fere de fide, little less than an article of faith, that it hath been done; and Aquinas denies it so absolutely, as that his followers interpret him de absoluta potentia, that God by his absolute power cannot make a man, remaining a mortal man, and under the definition of a mortal man, capable of seeing his essence; as we may truly say, that God cannot make a beast, remaining in that nature, capable of grace, or glory. St. Augustine speaking of discourses that passed between his mother, and him, not long before her death, says, Perambulavimus cuncta mortalia, et ipsum cœlum, We talked ourselves above this earth, and above all the heavens; Venimus in mentes nostras, et transcendimus eas, We came to the consideration of our own minds, and our own souls, and we got above our own souls; that is, to the consideration of that place where our souls should be for ever; and we could consider God then, but then we could not see God in his essence. As it may be fairly argued that Christ suffered not the very torments of very hell, because it is essential to the torments of hell, to be eternal, they were not torments of hell, if they received an end; so is it fairly argued too, that neither Adam in his ecstacy in Paradise, nor Moses in his conversation in the mount, nor the other apostles in the transfiguration of Christ, nor St. Paul in his rapture to the third heavens, saw the essence of God, because he that is admitted to that sight of God, can never look off, nor lose that sight again. Only in heaven shall God proceed to this patefaction, this manifestation, this revelation of himself; and that by the light of glory.

The light of glory is such a light, as that our schoolmen dare not say confidently, that every beam of it, is not all of it. When

some of them say, that some souls see some things in God, and others, others, because all have not the same measure of the light of glory, the rest cry down that opinion, and say, that as the essence of God is indivisible, and he that sees any of it, sees all of it, so is the light of glory communicated entirely to every blessed soul. God made light first, and three days after, that light became a sun, a more glorious light: God gave me the light of nature, when I quickened in my mother's womb by receiving a reasonable soul; and God gave me the light of faith, when I quickened in my second mother's womb, the church, by receiving my baptism; but in my third day, when my mortality shall put on immortality, he shall give me the light of glory, by which I shall see himself. To this light of glory, the light of honour is but a glow-worm; and majesty itself but a twilight; the cherubims and seraphims are but candles; and that Gospel itself, which the apostle calls the glorious Gospel, but a star of the least magnitude. And if I cannot tell, what to call this light, by which I shall see it, what shall I call that which I shall see by it, the essence of God himself? And yet there is something else than this sight of God, intended in that which remains, I shall not only see God face to face, but I shall know him, (which, as you have seen all the way, is above sight) and know him, even as also I am known.

In this consideration, God alone is all; in all the former there was a place, and a means, and a light; here, for this perfect knowledge of God, God is all those. Then, says the apostle, God shall be all in all. Hic agit omnia in omnibus, says St. Hierome; Here God does all in all; but here he does all by instruments; even in the infusing of faith, he works by the ministry of the Gospel: but there he shall be all in all, do all in all, immediately, by himself; for, Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father". His kingdom is the administration of his church, by his ordinances in the church. At the resurrection there shall be an end of that kingdom; no more church; no more working upon men, by preaching, but God himself shall be all in all. Ministri quasi larvæ Dei, says Luther. It may be somewhat too familiarly, too vulgarly said,

18 1 Cor. xv. 28.

19 Ver. 24.

but usefully; the ministry of the Gospel is but as God's vizor; for by such a liberty the apostle here calls it ænigma, a riddle; or, (as Luther says too) God's picture; but in the resurrection, God shall put off that vizor, and turn away that picture, and show his own face. Therefore is it said, That in heaven there is no temple, but God himself is the temple"; God is service, and music, and psalm, and sermon, and sacrament, and all. Erit vita de verbo sine verbo"; We shall live upon the word, and hear never a word; live upon him, who being the word, was made flesh, the eternal Son of God. Hic non est omnia in omnibus, sed pars in singulis": Here God is not all in all; where he is at all in any man, that man is well; In Solomone sapientia, says that father; It was well with Solomon, because God was wisdom with him, and patience in Job, and faith in Peter, and zeal in Paul, but there was something in all these, which God But in heaven he shall be so all in all, Ut singuli sanctorum omnes virtutes habeant, that every soul shall have every perfection in itself; and the perfection of these perfections shall be, that their sight shall be face to face, and their knowledge as they are known.

was not.

Since St. Augustine calls it a debt, a double debt, a debt because she asked it, a debt because he promised it, to give, even a woman, Paulina, satisfaction in that high point, and mystery, how we should see God face to face in heaven, it cannot be unfit in this congregation, to ask and answer some short questions concerning that. Is it always a declaration of favour when God shows his face? No. I will set my face against that soul, that eateth blood, and cut him off. But when there is light joined with it, it is a declaration of favour; this was the blessing that God taught Moses for Aaron, to bless the people with, The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious to thee. And there we shall see him face to face, by the light of his countenance, which is the light of glory. What shall we see, by seeing him so, face to face? Not to enlarge ourselves into Gregory's wild speculation, Qui videt videntem omnia, omnia videt, because we shall see him that sees all things, we shall see all things in him,