According to the meafure and degree of the manifeftation, it will have some evidence, even as a man seeing the fun, carries its own evidence along with it; though the fight be dark in comparison of what it will be, yet it is) convincing in itself.And as it is convincing, fo it is af fecting. O a fight of Chrift is most affecting, when, it, is a faving fight; it affects with reverence, therefore it is faid of the difciples, when they faw him they worshipped him. It affects with joy; "Then were the difciples. glad when they faw the Lord." It affects with holy fear; "When I faw him, I fell at his feet as dead." It affects with wonder, and makes the foul cry out, "RABBONI, who is a God like unto thee ?" It affects with felf-abhorrence; "Now mine eyes fee thee, wherefore. I abhor myself." It affects with felf-abafement; "O what am I, and what is my father's houfe, that thou haft brought me hitherto?" It affects with penitency and godly forrow; "They fhall look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn." It affects with new vigour and courage; "They looked to him, and were enlightened,, and their faces were not afhamed."

9. Remark is, That there are many means whereby, and glaffes wherein we may fee Chrift.'-Sometimes he is feen in the glass of his outward works, the vifible creation fhews forth his divine glory; the very heavens declare it, fays the pfalmift; and the fpiritual eye will fee Chrift in the creatures, though his glory is above the earth and heaven, Pfal. cxlviii. 13; yet his glory is in the earth and heaven, and in all his works, fmall and great, infomuch, that though they cannot favingly discover him, yet these that have got a saving discovery of him, may fee more and more of his glory, wherefoever they caft their eyes, were it but on a creeping infect, or a grafs pile.

Again, fometimes he is feen in the glafs of his inward works, more especially when he works effectually, upon the heart, implanting the graces of his Spirit there, or afterwards making grace to grow, both in the root, by the increafe of a holy and fpiritual difpofition; and in the fruit, by a fuitable gofpel-walk and converfation. When he works any wonderful change upon

the

the foul, whether it be yourfelves or others, and that you fee he hath taken a gracious dealing with fuch or fuch an one, why, then you fee there the finger of God; and that the Lord is near, his wonderous works declare. Sometimes he is feen in the glass of his providences; common providences are common glaffes, where he may be feen, whether they are judgment or mercy. As the Lord is known by the judgment that he executes, and by the mercy that he renews every moment, fo his people will fee him in a rod; they will fee him in a deliverance; yea, the fpiritual man will see more of the Lord in an ordinary meal, than the hypocrite ever faw at a communion-table. But there are also fignal providences, wherein they get more fignal views of him. When Abraham's knife was at his fon's throat, he met with a notable providence; behold, a ram caught in a thicket by the horns, ready for him to facrifice in room of Ifaac. O! how much of God's glory did Abraham fee in that providence! therefore he calls the name of the place JEHOVAH JIREN," In the mount of the Lord it fhall be feen." The Lord will provide remarkable provifion, remarkable protection; and this or that remarkable providence hath been fometimes the vehicle of a remarkable manifeftation of the Lord's glory. Again, he is to be feen fometimes in the glass of the word, 2 Cor. iii. 18. Rom. x. 6. John v. 39. " Search the fcriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they that teftify of me." Here then we may see him in the types, in the prophecies, in the promifes, in the doctrines of the word, as the Antitype of all the types, the fubftance of all the fhadows, the truth of all the prophecies, the fulness of all the promises, the centre of all the truths and lines of the word. In the precept, we fee his holinefs; in the promife, we fee his goodnefs; his juftice, in the threatenings; his wif dom, in the revelations of the word. Here a believer will fometimes fee Chrift in a title or defignation given him in the word. O the glory that is to be seen in that name Jesus, in that name IMMANUEL, in that name, KING of SAINTS, KING of KINGS! Sometimes in a resemblance or fimile; while he is re

fembled

fembled to a rose, for beauty; to a rock, for ftrength; to a treasure, for bounty; to a rifing fun, for glory. In this glass, the foul will see him infinitely beyond all refemblances. However, when any light from heaven is fhining, you have no more ado, as it were, but to open your Bible, and there fee Chrift.-Again, he is to be feen in the glass of his ordinances, whether public, or private, or fecret; hence his people many times fee him in a duty, they fee him in meditation, they fee him in prayer; fometimes they fee him in a fermon; while the minifter is opening the word, the Lord is opening their underflanding to difcern Chrift there, while they are hearing a fermon; yea, fometimes while they are reading a golpel-fermòn, they will have Chrift in their hand, as it were, Chrift in their mouth, Chrift in their eye; yea, Chrift in their heart.-Finally, in the facrament Chrift is to be feen; for, in baptifm he is reprefented by the water, and the fpiritual eye may fee him there; and in the auguft ordinance of the fupper, he is reprefented by the bread and wine; there he may be feen and known in the breaking of bread. All the believing views of Chrift and fights of him here-away are mediate, thro' the intervention of means and ordinances; not immediate, as they fhall be above: "Now we fee thro' a glafs darkly :" but the time comes, when the glaffes fhall be broken, and believers fhall fee him face to face, and fee him as he is. Rev. xxi. 22. “I faw no temple there; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."

The 10th and laft remark is, That Chrift himself, who is the object of this fight, is a moft glorious, full, and extenfive object.' There is more to be feen in Chrift than all the angels in heaven can tell. This is a larger field than we fhall be able to travel over through all eternity. O what glory is to be seen in his natures and perfon, as God-man in one perfon? To fee him in his miffion and commiffion, as the Sent and Sealed of the Father; to fee him in his offices, relations, and excellencies; in his doing, fuffering, dying, rifing, afcending, fitting at the right-hand of God, interceeding, and coming again to judgment; to fee him in his furniture for

his work as Mediator betwixt God and man, as ftanding fo well affected to both parties and their interests, namely, his Father's honour and his people's happiness both, and in whom both parties may confide: accordingly the Father trufts him with all the concerns of his glory; and well may his people truft him with all the concerns of their falvation; yea, fo furnished, that he is able to bring both parties together, and to decidethe difference betwixt them, fuch is his intereft with God, and power with man. To fee him in his fitness for us, as being a Prophet, to teach;, a Prieft to save; a King, to fubdue; a Phyfician, to heal; a Friend, to help in all cafes: as having merit, to justify; Spirit, to fanctify; blood, to wash; grace, to pardon; fulness, to fupply; fweetnefs, to endear; and beauty, to allure. O how fweet is it to fee him fitted of infinite wisdom to your need! And, do you not need him when you are in the dark, to enlighten you; when dead, to quicken you; when dull, to revive you; when in doubts, to refolve you; when in fears, to encourage you; when you ftagger, to establish you; when you fall, to raife you; when you are tempted,, to fuccour you; when weak, to ftrengthen you; when wandering, to restore you; in duties, to affift you; in difficulties, to guide you; in dangers, to guard you; when under bondage, to loofe you; when under burdens, to relieve you! None but Chrift can do all this, and a thousand times more; and if you were always looking to Chrift, when you ftand in need of him, your eyes would feldom be off him, for you are still needing him in thefe refpects. But it is the fpecial defign of the facrament to fhew him forth in his death and fuffering; there we fee him as a crucified Chrift, and we are to view his death and fuffering, (1.) In the caufe thereof the procuring caufe was fin, He was wounded for our tranfgreffions:" the inftrumental caufe was the devil and his inftruments: the moving and impulfive cause was love; "He loved me, and gave himfelf for me:" the efficient or effective caufe was God; "It pleafed the Lord to bruife him:" the final cause, or the fruit and effect, was God's glory, and our eternal

re

demption. (2.) In the feverity thereof, while he drank the cup of the Father's wrath to the bottom. (3.) In the fufficiency thereof, for paying all the debt that was owing to the law and juftice of God. (4.) In the acceptablenefs thereof, for it was a facrifice of a fweet fmelling favour unto God. In a word, the principal glory to be feen in Chrift, is, that he that fees him, fees the Father. And this leads me to,

III. The Third head propofed, namely, to fhew in what refpects they that fee Chrift, fee the Father; "He that hath feen me, hath feen the Father." I have fhewed the onenefs that is betwixt the Father and him in nature, properties, will, affection, authority, fupremacy, and other ways: and therefore he that fees Chrift, muft fee the Father in all thefe refpects wherein he is one with him. There is no need of Philip's prayer here, "Lord, fhew us the Father:" for having feen Chrift we have seen the Father. It is Chrift and he alone that declares, reprefents, and makes known to us the effential glory of the invifible God; and without him our understanding could make no approach to his di vine excellency. It is in the face of Chrift that we fee the glory of God, 2 Cor. iv. 6. And now, if any would know whether they have got a faving fight of Chrift, here is the great diagnoftic and infallible evidence thereof, namely, if you have feen the Father in him; and, indeed, as there is no feeing of the Father, but in the Son; fo there is no faving fight of the Son, without feeing the Father in him here is the excellency of the glory of Chrift that faith fees; here is the very foundation of our holy religion, and the ground of all our hope of life and immortality, God in Chrift reconciling the world to himself; here is the great mystery of godlinefs, God manifefted in the flesh: here is the fum of the gofpel, viz. the glory of God reprefented to us in the perfon and office of Chrift as God-man, Mediator betwixt God and us. To fee this glory, is faving faith; not to fee it, is damnable unbelief.

VOL. II.

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But,