sessions, estates, power, friends, and honour; how amiable are they! How desirable unto the thoughts of the most of men! But he who hath obtained a view of the glory of Christ, will in the midst of them all say, 'Whom have I in heaven but thee? There is none on earth that I desire besides thee;' Psal. lxxiii. 25. For who in the heavens can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty, can be compared unto the Lord?' Psal. lxxxix. 6.

He himself, out of his infinite love and ineffable condescension, upon the sight and view of his church, and his own graces in her, wherewith she is adorned, doth say, Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse, thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck;' Cant. iv. 8. How much more ought a believing soul, upon a view of the glory of Christ, in whom it pleased the Father, that all fulness should dwell, to say, Thou hast ravished my heart, taken it away from me. 'O thou whom my soul loveth,' one glance of thy glorious beauty upon me, hath quite overcome me, hath left no heart in me, unto things here below? If it be not thus with us frequently, if we value not this object of our minds and affections, if we are not diligent in looking up unto him, to behold his glory, it is because we are carnal, and not in any good measure partakers of the promise, that our eyes shall see the king in his beauty.'

2. Our second direction unto the same end is, that we diligently study the Scripture, and the revelations that are made of this glory of Christ therein. To behold it, is not a work of fancy or imagination; it is not conversing with an image framed by the art of men without, or that of our own fancy within; but of faith exercised on divine revelations. This direction he gives us himself, John v. 39. 'Search the Scriptures, for they are they that testify of me.' The way whereby this is done, is fully set before us in the example of the holy prophets under the Old Testament, 1 Pet. i. 11-13.

This principle is always to be retained in our minds in reading of the Scripture, namely, that the revelation and doctrine of the person of Christ and his office, is the foundation whereon all other instructions of the prophets and apostles for the edification of the church are built, and

whereinto they are resolved, as is declared, Eph. ii. 20-22. So our Lord Jesus Christ himself at large makes it manifest, Luke xxiv. 26, 27. 45, 46. Lay aside the consideration hereof, and the Scriptures are no such thing as they pretend unto; namely, a revelation of the glory of God in the salvation of the church; nor are those of the Old Testament so at this day unto the Jews, who own not this principle, 2 Cor. iii. 13-16. There are, therefore, such revelations of the person and glory of Christ treasured up in the Scripture, from the beginning unto the end of it, as may exercise the faith and contemplation of believers in this world; and shall never during this life, be fully discovered or understood; and in divine meditations of these revelations, doth much of the life of faith consist.

There are three ways whereby the glory of Christ is represented unto us in the Scripture. First, by direct descriptions of his glorious person and incarnation. See among other places, Gen. iii. 15. Psal. ii. 7-9. xlv. 2—6. lxviii. 17, 18. cx. Isa. vi. 1-4. ix. 6. Zech. ii. 8. John i. 1-3. Phil. ii. 6-8. Heb. i. 1-3. ii. 14-16. Rev. i. 17, 18. Secondly, By prophecies, promises, and express instructions concerning him, all leading unto the contemplation of his glory, which are innumerable. Thirdly, By the sacred institutions of divine worship under the Old Testament: for the end of them all was to represent unto the church the glory of Christ in the discharge of his office, as we shall see afterward.

We may take notice of an instance in one kind under the Old Testament, and of one and another under the New.

His personal appearances under the Old Testament carried in them a demonstration of his glory; such was that in the vision which Isaiah had, when he saw his glory, and spake of him;' chap. vi. 1, 2. ' I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. About it stood the seraphims,' &c. It was a representation of the glory of the divine presence of Christ filling his human nature, the temple of his body, with a train of all glorious graces. And if this typical representation of it was so glorious, as that the seraphims were not able steadfastly to behold it, but covered their faces' upon its appearance, ver. 2.

how exceeding glorious is it in itself, as it is openly revealed in the gospel!

Of the same nature are the immediate testimonies given unto him from heaven in the New Testament; so the apostle tells us, he received from God the Father, honour and glory, when there came such a voice unto him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;' 2 Pet. i. 17. The apostle intends the time of his transfiguration in the mount, for so he adds, ver. 18. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, who were with him in the holy mount.' Howbeit, at sundry other times he had the same testimony, or to the same purpose, from God, even the Father, in heaven. Herein God gave him honour and glory, which all those that believe in him should behold and admire; not only those who heard this testimony with their bodily ears, but all unto whom it is testified in the Scripture, are obliged to look after, and contemplate on the glory of Christ, as thus revealed and proposed. From the throne of his excellency by audible voices, by visible signs, by the opening of the heavens above, by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him, God testified unto him as his eternal Son, and gave him therein honour and glory. The thoughts of this divine testimony, and the glory of Christ therein, hath often filled the hearts of some with joy and delight.

This, therefore, in reading and studying the holy Scripture, we ought with all diligence to search and attend unto, as did the prophets of old, 1 Pet. xi. 12. if we intend by them to be made 'wise unto salvation.'

We should herein be as the merchant-man that seeks for pearls; he seeks for all sorts of them, but when he hath found one of great price,' he parts with all to make it his own; Matt. xiii. 45, 46. The Scripture is the field, the place, the mine where we search and dig for pearls; see Prov. ii. 1-5. Every sacred truth that is made effectual unto the good of our souls, is a pearl whereby we are enriched; but when we meet with, when we fall upon this pearl of price, the glory of Christ, this is that which the soul of a believer cleaves unto with joy.

'Then do we find food for our souls in the word of truth, then do we taste how gracious the Lord is therein, then is

the Scripture full of refreshment unto us, as a spring of living water, when we are taken into blessed views of the glory of Christ therein. And we are in the best frame of duty, when the principal motive in our minds to contend earnestly for retaining the possession of the Scripture, against all that would deprive us of it, or discourage us from a daily diligent search into it, is this, that they would take from us the only glass wherein we may behold the glory of Christ. This is the glory of the Scripture, that it is the great, yea, the only outward means of representing unto us the glory of Christ; and he is the sun in the firmament of it, which only hath light in itself, and communicates it unto all other things besides.

3. Another direction unto this same end, is, that having attained the light of the knowledge of the glory of Christ from the Scripture, or by the dispensation of the truth in the preaching of the gospel, we would esteem it our duty frequently to meditate thereon.

Want hereof is that fundamental mistake, which keeps many among us so low in their grace, so regardless of their privileges. They hear of these things, they assent unto their truth, at least they do not gainsay them; but they never solemnly meditate upon them. This they esteem a work that is above them, or are ignorant totally of it, or esteem themselves not much concerned in it, or dislike it as fanaticism. For it is that which no considerations can engage a carnal mind to delight in. The mind must be spiritual and holy, freed from earthly affections and encumbrances, raised above things here below, that can in a due manner meditate on the glory of Christ. Therefore are the most strangers unto this duty, because they will not be at the trouble and charge of that mortification of earthly affections, that extirpation of sensual inclinations, that retirement from the occasions of life, which are required thereunto. See the Treatise of Spiritual-mindedness.

It is to be feared that there are some who profess religion with an appearance of strictness, who never separate themselves from all other occasions to meditate on Christ and his glory. And yet with a strange inconsistency of apprehensions, they will profess that they desire nothing more, than to behold his glory in heaven for ever. But it is evi

dent even in the light of reason, that these things are irreconcilable. It is impossible that he who never meditates with delight on the glory of Christ here in this world, who labours not to behold it by faith as it is revealed in the Scripture, should ever have any real gracious desire to behold it in heaven. They may love and desire the fruition of their own imaginations; they cannot do so of the glory of Christ, whereof they are ignorant, and wherewith they are unacquainted. It is, therefore, to be lamented, that men can find time for, and have inclinations to think and meditate on other things, it may be earthly and vain; but have neither heart, nor inclination, nor leisure to meditate on this glorious object. What is the faith and love which such men profess? How will they find themselves deceived in the issue!

4. Let your occasional thoughts of Christ be many, and multiplied every day. He is not far from us; we may make a speedy address unto him at any time. So the apostle informs us, Rom. x. 6-8. 'Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven (that is, to bring Christ down from above)? or, Who shall descend into the deep (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead)? For the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart.' The things that Christ did, were done at a distance from us, and they are long since past. But saith the apostle, the word' of the gospel wherein these things are revealed, and whereby an application is made of them unto our souls, 'is nigh unto us, even in our hearts; that is, if we are true believers, and have mixed the word with faith; and so it exhibiteth Christ and all the benefits of his mediation unto us. If, therefore, this word is in our hearts, Christ is nigh unto us. If we turn at any time into ourselves to converse with the word that abideth in us, there we shall find him ready to receive us into communion with himself; that is, in the light of the knowledge of Christ which we have by the word, we may have sudden, occasional thoughts of him continually; and where our minds and affections are so filled with other things, that we are not ready for converse with him who is thus nigh unto us by the word, we are spiritually indisposed.

So to manifest how nigh he is unto us, it is said that 'he stands at the door and knocks;' Rev. iii. 20. in the continual tender that he makes of himself and his grace unto