ner.

knowledge of this very God, If we behold it not there, we be"whom no man hath seen or can hold it not at all. And as there is see," is essential to the religion, no other, so there never can be and hope, and happiness of a sin-a more glorious representation of "The heavens do indeed the divine excellencies than we declare his glory, and the firma- have in him. The meanest bement showeth forth his handy liever in the Lord Jesus, has infiwork;" and "the invisible things nitely more knowledge of the perof God, from the creation of the fections of God, of his wisdom, world, are clearly seen, being un-love, righteousness, holiness, derstood by the things that are grace, truth, than the most promade, even his eternal power and found philosopher on earth, or Godhead:" but still no reflec- the most exalted angel in heaven tions of himself upon any finite could ever attain merely by their creation, or in any finite creature, own intellect. Every other knowcan afford a satisfactory repre-ledge of God, but as he is revealsentation of the infinite God. And ed and represented in the Lord hence it is, that they who have Jesus, is, for all the purposes of had no other knowledge of God our being, utterly worthless and than what they derived from the fruitless. It may consist with a works of his hands, have always rejection of his truth, and concorrupted the glory of the in-tempt for his love. But this is not corruptible God by images made only delightful and enrapturing, like unto corruptible man.". but unutterably useful and pro"The world by wisdom knows ductive; for they, and they only, not God;" and ignorance of the that behold the image of God in divine perfections ever has been, the Lord Jesus are transformed and ever will be, a prolific source into the same image from glory to of iniquity and misery in our glory, as by the Spirit of the world. But now, though "no Lord. It is the contemplation of man hath seen God at any time, this image that is the great emyet the only begotten Son who is ployment of our faith in this in the bosom of his Father, he world, and the great mean of all hath declared him." He has not our life and beauty and it is the merely in his words given us the perpetual and immediate vision of knowledge of God, but he has, in it hereafter, that shall constihis own person, given us the image tute our everlasting blessedness of God of God as he is the ob- and glory. "Here we see ject of our faith and love, of our through a glass darkly-but then trust and obedience. "He is the face to face: here we know but brightness of his Father's glory, in part-but then shall we know and the express image, the exact even as also we are known." likeness, the perfect delineation And "though now it doth not apof his Father's person; so that pear what we shall be, yet we be that hath seen the Son, hath know that when he shall appear, seen the Father also." We we shall be like him, for we shall know nothing of "the light of the see him as he is." knowledge of the glory of God," III. All the counsels of God as sinners ought to know it, but were founded in the Lord Jesus. "in the face of Jesus Christ." He represents to as the divine

excellencies not merely as they | momentous contents: for this belong essentially to the divine roll of heaven's edicts, which has Dature, but as they are exercised been laid up from eternity in the in determining, beforehand, what-archives of the skies, and into soever was to happen; and more which the angels and the Church especially, in designing the salva- desire to look, was written in his tion of the Church. The pur- own blood and sealed by his own poses of God's will were all pur- Spirit. Upon that roll he himposed in the Lord Jesus alone. self has engraved the destinies of "Jehovah possessed him in the every creature, and inscribed the beginning of his ways, before his name of every ransomed sinner : works of old-he was set up from and as he now stands in the higheverlasting, from the beginning, est heavens, with this roll in his or ever the earth was." As the hands, his voice from on high to eternal counsels of God are the his redeemed upon earth is, results of his infinite wisdom, the" Come up bither, and I will expressions of his infinite love, show thee things which must and the sources of bis infinite be hereafter." What knowledge glory, his chief delight and com- then is so desirable, so interesting, placency are centred in them. so stupendous as the knowledge And as they were all to be ac- of the Lord Jesus! What song complished in and by the Lord so triumphant and so transporting Jesus, the Father delighted in to those who would study the rehim from eternity. Hence he is cords of eternity, as that to which said to have been always "in the they "whose names are written bosom of the Father." We ne-in the book of life" tune their ver shall know any thing of the harps?" Thou only art worthy divine purposes, but what we to take the book, and unloose the learn from him who was always seals thereof; for thou wast slain, "in the bosom of the Father ;" and hast redeemed us to God by for as he alone has power to ex- thy blood, out of every kindred, ecute them, so he alone has wis-and tongue, and people, and nadom to unfold them. The mystion."

teries of the everlasting counsels, IV. The Lord Jesus is the obno creature in earth or heaven ject and centre of all the dispensacan ever explore: but when they tions of divine Providence. would contemplate them, even Of every revolution that has Gabriel must exclaim, with Paul, occurred or shall occur-from "O the depth of the riches, of the that moment when the morning wisdom, and the knowledge of stars shouted their first jubilee to God! How unsearchable are his celebrate the glory of the Creajudgments, and his ways past find- tor, and to sound the march of his ing out!" But behold, that vo- Providence over our world, until lume which, to all created intel- that period when his magnificent ligence combined is a "sealed march shall be finished, the Lord book," has been delivered into Jesus has been, and will be, the the hands of the Lord Jesus. He end, the source, and the glory. alone, throughout the universe of His finger touches all the springs God, is found worthy to break that govern the machinery of the the seal thereof and unfold its natural, the intellectual, and the

moral world; and he directs them ther for good to them that love all to fulfil the purposes of his him, and are the called according government and advance the wel- to his purpose." What mean fare of his Church. All the laws the stupendous revolutions that that regulate the movements of have employed the historian's nature, not only in this world, pen and excited our wonder, our but throughout the universe, he admiration, or our joy? Wherecontrols as his wisdom sees best, fore the fall of kings, and the to succour his people or destroy crash of kingdoms? It is, that his adversaries. What are the upon their ruined thrones and devouring fire, the noon-day pes-over their shattered sceptres tilence, the wasting famine, the may be erected that kingdom overwhelming tempest, that have which is righteousness, and peace, so often buried millions in an un- and joy in the Holy Ghost." timely tomb? They are the mes- Who is he that often shakes the sengers of Jesus, and the execu-earth to its centre, and shivers in tioners of his will. Who is he pieces the nations with the temthat crowns the year with his pest of his fury? Who that terrigoodness, and gives fruitful sea- ble one that often treads the sons to fill the heart of the hus- winepress of his wrath, and bandman with food and gladness? makes blood to stream out even Who makes the hills rejoice, and unto the horse-bridles? Behold, the valleys to shout for joy? it is the King, the Redeemer of Who makes all nature beauty to his Church! Why do blasphemy the eye and music to the ear? It and wild misrule, ambition and is even that Jesus who "hangs death, so frequently take their creation on his arm, and feeds it sweep? Wherefore have we at his board." The movements heard the sighing of the widow, of all the rational and irrational the cries of the orphan, and the creatures are equally under the groaning of millions in our world? operation of his hands; and how- Wherefore is the prince of darkever complicated their motions ness allowed to brood over namay appear, he regulates them tions with his infernal wings, to all, from the meanest brute that overspread them with midnight perisheth to the archangel above blackness, and breathe upon them or the arch fiend below. All the pestilence of the second heaven is the theatre of his death? It is but to show the praise-all the armies of heaven brightness, the beauty, and the move at his will-all hell is naked glory of the coming of the Son of to his eyes-all its fiends are but man. It is that from the east ministers to subserve his plea- and the west, the north and the sure-all their malice and fury south, that song of triumph may against his Church but occasions burst with sweeter transport on to pour more brilliant glory our earth, "Alleluia; now is around himself, and more tre- come salvation, and strength, and mendous horror upon them- the kingdom of our God, and the selves. All the passions of man, all his interests, his systems and his plans, he makes to illustrate his own praise, and "work toge

power of his Christ"-that the rapture of that song upon earth may be a prelude and a pattern of the unutterable bless

edness and everlasting song in splendours that are to be found. heaven. in his universe, every other disV. The Lord Jesus is the play he has made of himself in great fountain of the glory of God. heaven, in earth, or hell, and All things were originally made when they are all concentred in in perfect harmony and beauty, one luminous blaze, they are and in direct subordination to the utterly eclipsed by this glory that divine glory. But when man excelleth. Nowhere but in the lifted up his hand and voice in Lord Jesus has he made a full rebellion, instead of lifting them display of his perfections. Noup to glorify his Creator, discord where else is that peculiar glory ensued in the works of God; yet of God to be seen as the pardoner his purposes seemed to be de- of sin. It is not to be found in

feated, and his wisdom degraded, the works of creation, or in the although he might have magni-evolutions of Providence. But fied his power and righteousness this, his greatest glory, is known in our eternal perdition. only in the Church, and by the Now, if the Lord Jesus, when Church alone revealed to earth he interposed not merely to and heaven. The angels know rescue the rebels, but to vindi- nothing of it but what they learn cate the glory of the rebel's God, from sinners redeemed by the had been foiled in that work, blood of the cross-and a great wherein the honour of the divine portion of their blessedness conthrone was embarked, not only sists in discovering the wonders had the hope of man perished and ministering to the heirs with him, but the glory of God of redeeming grace-so that from this lower creation would, Christ, having bound them togefor the most part, have perished ther in one common interest, with the hope of man; so that has "gathered all things in heahell might have proudly waved ven and earth under one head in her infernal banner over our himself," and cemented them in ruined world, and inscribed upon a union which no power can disthat banner, "To the infamy of solve, and no time can destroy : the wisdom and the government and thus the glory, which God of God!" But, all thanks and will now receive from the angels. praise to the name of Jesus! He and the redeemed throughout destroyed the empire of darkness, eternity, will unutterably surpass and despoiled the murderer of that which he would have receivthe human race of his prey, not ed if man had never rebelled: merely by power, but by right. and if the interposition of the And while he thereby restored Lord Jesus shall render the notes the harmony of God's creation, of praise from the glorious hosts and secured his intended revenue above infinitely more enrapturof praise from man, he also made ing than otherwise they would a more brilliant display of the have been, it will also make the divine perfections than ever had shrieks of horror from the botbeen made before. Yea, no- tomless pit infinitely more awful. where does the glory of God ap- Yea, the very torments of hell pear so magnificent as in the sal-shall add to the blessedness of ration of man.

Combine all the heaven: and while the smoke of

the torments of the damned shall Such is "the excellency of the be for ever ascending up more knowledge of Christ Jesus our and more ghastly to show the Lord." But, oh! how weak and fierceness of his terrors, the more imperfect are our conceptions, and more ardent will be the alle- how feeble and poor our language, Juias of the spirits of the just when we would speak of Him made perfect, to proclaim the whose praises are indeed unutwonders of his love. terable, and whose glory sur

:

But not only from this world passeth all comprehension. But shall God receive a revenue of is not even the little glimpse we glory through the Lord Jesus, can catch of his beauty abundbut also from all the worlds he antly sufficient to cast into the has made for, from the analogy shade every earthly glory? Is it of his dispensations, and the infi-not enough, and more than nite excellence of the person of enough, to make us count all our Redeemer, it is exceedingly things but loss, in comparison probable that his dispensations with this Jesus, who is altogether towards our little world shall be lovely? Is not every other obbut the commencement, the cen-ject of pursuit worse than worthtre, and the pledge of dispensa-less, in competition with him? tions still more stupendous, of Is there any other possession beglory still more magnificent, neath the skies so infinitely prethroughout his boundless uni- cious? Is any other knowledge verse; and that those who were whatever so useful or interesting, ransomed by his blood in our so valuable or so productive, so world, shall be employed as in- delightful or so ennobling? Come, struments, by whom the countless all ye sons of science, ye philomillions of the countless worlds sophers, with all your boasted that are made, shall bring their wisdom and virtue! Come, ye tribute of love to our Redeemer who toil day and night to amass and of glory to our God: so that riches, come with all your treaall these worlds and systems sures! Come, ye devotees of which now revolve around each pleasure, with all your enchantother, shall hereafter revolve as ments, your rioting and your satellites around the Lord Jesus. mirth! Čome, all ye who glitter And while they shall for ever in earthly honours, with the revolve around him as the centre proudest wreaths that adorn your of their blessedness and beauty, brows! Come, heap together oh! what glory shall be added to your riches, your pleasures, your his cross, and what brilliancy glories-pile heaps upon heapspoured around the throne of God, yea, present the whole world, when not only from earth to hea- with all its thrones, and wealth, ven and from heaven to earth, and attractions-yea, if in your but from world to world, shall be re-echoed round the universe of God that transporting song, "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever.”

power, offer the whole universe to an humble believer in exchange for the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord, and though he were in rags, and counted as the offscouring of the earth, he would spurn your offer with infinite indigna