it is an evident indication that it is not yet truly united unto Chrift by true faith and love; his grace is fufficient to preferve us, and always ready to do it, if we do not wilfully neglect or reject it.

THE

KNOWLE GE

O F

CHRIST CRUCIFIED.

I

N what precedes, we have confidered the advantages and benefits, which, together with Chrift, we receive, relating to a Chriftian's estate in his life in this world, and in his paffage out of it. The laft act of his being here, if it may be called an act, is his death. And therein we have confidered the victory of Christ over death, and the transferring of the advantages of that victory to us; whereby the fear of death, and the damage of death are removed: and that which was before the curse of our nature, is become our gain: not simply in Itself; but in relation to what follows after it, viz. The ftate and condition of the foul and body after death: which is next to be confidered.

Such is the abfolute perfection of God, that he hath his bleffedness and self-sufficiency with himself. He is eternally full of his own goodnefs, which is effentially the fame with himself, an infinite good commenfurate to

an

an infinite defire, and always prefent. So that nothing without himself adds any thing to him, or is defired by him, in relation to his bleffednefs. All good comes from him, and returns into him, as into that ocean from whence it moved.

But all dependent beings, as they have not their being from themselves, but from God; fo they have not their blessedness or happiness effentially in themselves, becaufe not from themfelves. They are vefiels receptive of their good, from him that is the Author of their being potential beings, not pure acts: that are conftituted in fuch a degree, that they are rather paffive in receiving good into them, than active in filling themselves with their own good. They are thin and empty, till they are filled with their objects, and are diverfified in the happinefs or unhappiness. of their beings, and in the degrees of either, according to the nature of the objects with which they are filled, and the different degrees and measures of their unions to them.

The good, fuitable to an intellectual nature, must first be known, before it can be defired: and, according to the position or station of fuch good, it works differently upon the foul, and the foul moves towards it in a different manner. If confidered merely as abfent, it raiseth defire; which is a reaching out of the foul towards an union with that known good: if abfent, and upon probable or fure grounds expected, then it joins unto defire, hope; which, according to the variety of the medium, upon which the expectation is grounded, is the more feeble and weak, having less affurance, and confequently more fear mingled with it: or the more strong and firm, having a stronger affurance, and confequently lefs fear mingled with it. This is a kind of a middle affection, being mingled with defire to the good as abfent, and delight in it as pre-apprehended, and fo in fome degree prefent. The good that is expected, tho' it be not abfolutely prefent, yet it is looked upon as in a nearer conjunction to the power, than if it were not at all expected. Hope hath this property, or power in it, that it unites an abfent object, if expected, unto the power, by pre-apprehenfion, tho' it cannot in actual fruition: and hence it is faid, Heb. xi. 1. "That faith,” which is in effect the firm

eft

But if

eft kind of hope," is the fubftance of things hoped for."
It makes a kind of pre-existence of the thing unto itself,
and fetcheth back futurity to a kind of presence.
the good be really prefent, and not only expected; then
the affection that is wrought in the foul is delight. Tho'
the foul be moved toward the thing it enjoyeth with de-
fire, yet the enjoyment ftill filleth the defire. There is a
continual and mutual action of the defire upon
the object,
and of the object unto the defire, and fo there is a per-
petual motion, and yet a perpetual reft: the defire mov-
ing itself to the object, and the object immediately fatis-
fying the defire, because present and enjoyed: and from
that mutual action of the power and the object one upon
the other, arifeth delight, complacency and content-

ment.

That which is the chiefeft good of the creature, when known, cannot chufe but work moft effectually upon thefe motions of the foul, and draw out thefe affections of the foul, in the most eminent and effectual measure. A fmall good doth draw out a measure of defire unto it, hope for it, and delight in it; but fill in a smaller measure. For the foul muft needs referve fomewhat for fome other good that is more adequate to its power: but if the good be adequate to the power, then it must of neceffity draw out the most intenfe motion of the foul to it: and confequently the greater the good is, the greater must be the defire of it, if abfent; the hope of it, if expected; the delight in it, if enjoyed: because the object is not too narrow for the power, but commenfurate to it, and filleth it fo, that in effect there is no refidue of power left to move towards any thing elfe but it, or at leaft in fubordination to it.

The greatest good that an intellectual creature can poffibly have, and that which alone is commenfurate to it, is to have it felf filled with the manifestation of the truth, glory, goodness, and bounty of God. All other things are too narrow to fill the power and capacity of the foul. This alone being infinite, is commenfurate, and more than commenfurate to that power, and in order unto which, that power or receptivity was planted in the foul, viz. to enjoy God according to that measure and manner that the creature is capable of. And this is the true and only bleffednefs of man: and confequently maft needs

draw

1

draw from the foul the most ardent defire, the most comfortable expectation or hope, and the most abfolute delight and contentment. For herein as the foul moves towards an object that is natural to it, viz. good; fo it moves toward it, as towards the most natural, fuitable, commenfurate good unto it, and confequently in the intensest degree of its power and ability.

Though the enjoyment of God be the happiness and perfection of the creature, because it, and it alone, fills that vacuity and receptivity of the powers of the foul: yet if those powers of the foul be indifpofed, unfit and difordered, uncapable of that blessed object; though there wants not an object to make it bleffed, yet there wants a means of uniting that object to the foul, at least to communicate itself unto it in that perfect measure that may make it perfectly bleffed. If the fight be dim and imperfect, though the object be never so beautiful, and the medium never fo light, yet the object is not united to the power, at least in that perfection it fhould be. If there be an intelligible object never fo glorious, and fit to be known, yet if the understanding be dark, the union is not wrought, or fo perfectly wrought between the underftanding and the object. If the object of the will be never fo amiable, adequate, useful, good; yet if the will be set upon filthinefs, impurity, or any unworthy object; or if any impurity be mingled with it, the power of the will doth not receive, or at least fo genuinely receive, that good that is propounded: and confequently in a foul thus diftempered, there cannot arife that full defire of the foul after God, that comfortable hope or expectàtion of the enjoyment of him, nor that actual fruition of him.

Our Lord Jefus Chrift, the eternal Son of God, the Prince of peace, that came into the world to restore God to the fervice and honour of his creature, and to restore man to the fruition of his Creator, and confequently to his blessedness, in order to this great end.

First, Hath in fome measure cured and healed the diftempers of our fouls, and the powers of them; that fo they may move regularly, even in this life, towards this bleffed union, the enjoyment of God in our defires.

Secondly, He hath obtained for us a state of perfection

of

of foul and body after death, whereby we may be fit to receive and enjoy God in perfection: know him as we are known; love him, and receive him.

Thirdly, He hath obtained for us a most full communication of God unto man, even in the fulleft compass of his power and capacity to receive him in that state after death.

Fourthly, He hath fully defcribed that blessed condition in the enjoyment of God in that life to come, and revealed it unto us, and fealed unto us the affurance of it, by the truth of God and his own resurrection.

Now because in order of nature, the act of understanding to know, doth go before the motions of the will and affections, to defire or hope for the object that is defired or hoped for. And because in order of nature, the thing or object that is to be known hath a priority to the act of the understanding whereby it is known; though in point of execution, or actual existence, the object may be future and fubfequent to the act whereby it is known: therefore we shall in the first place confider the estate of a Christian after death, and the privilege that with and by Christ he fhall then receive: that fo it being known, it may be defired, hoped for, and in due time perfectly enjoyed.

There is therefore confiderable, a four-fold eftate of a Chriftian after death.

1. The state of the foul and body from the inftant of feparation until the time of his resurrection.

2. The state of the foul and body from the instant of the resurrection until the judgment.

3. The state of the body and foul thus re-united in the time of the judgment.

4. The state of the body and foul after judgment unto all eternity.

These are fecrets that never lay within the reach or discovery of the light of nature, Job xxxviii. 17. "Have "the gates of death been opened unto thee:" The state of that region hath been locked up from the knowlege of mankind in this life and no more is discovered or difcoverable unto us, than what it hath pleased the God of nature in the fcriptures to reveal and discover unto us: fo far we may go; farther than that, we may not, cannot fee:

and