they hope for is inconceivable, 'tis that which eye hath not seen, Vol. VIL nor ear heard, nor hath entred into the heart of man, which God hath laid up for us.

The Ways of God's Providence, they are not to be traced, Pfal. 77. 19. Thy way is in the fea, and thy paths in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known. Ecclef. 3. 11. No man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. We are but of yesterday, and know nothing. When we look upon Gods Providence, we take a part from the whole, and confider it by it felf, without relation to the whole feries of his Difpenfation; we cannot fee the whole of God's Providence at one view, and never fee from the beginning of the Works of God to the end; therefore our knowledge of them muft needs be very imperfect, and full of mistakes, and falfe judgments of things; we cannot by our petty and fhort-fighted CC 2 defigns,

defigns, judge of the Works of

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Vol. VII. God, and the Defigns of Frovidence; for our ways are not a bis ways, nor our thoughts as his thoughts. but as the heavens are high above the earth, fo are his ways above our ways, and his thoughts above our thoughts, Ifa. 55. 8, 9. The ways of God's Mercy, Pfal. 103. As the heavens are high above the earth, fo great is God's mercy. 17, 18. How Pfal. 139. precious are thy thoughts unto me? how great is the fum of them? if I should count them, they are more in number than the fand. And the ways of God's Judgments; the fe verity and greatnefs of his Judgment is not known, Pfal. 90. Who knoweth the power of thy anger? And who may ftand before thee when thou art angry? And the Reafons of his Judgments are unfearchable, Pfal. 36. 6. Thy Judgments are a great deep. Rom. 11. 35. How unfearchable are his Judgments, and his ways past finding out! These are the Inftances on the part of the Object.

2. On the part of the Subject, Vol. VII. or the perfons capable of knowing God in any measure. The perfect knowledge of God is above a finite Creature's understanding. Wicked men they are ignorant of God, and full of falfe apprehenfions of him; the Scripture gives this description of them; they are those that know not God, 2 Theff. I. Wicked men are fo far from knowing God to Perfection, that they have hardly any true knowledge of him; for as the man himfelf is, fo will God feem to be to him; the Idea and Notion which men have of God, is but the pi&ture of their own complexion. To a true knowledge there is required likeness; a Man's mind muft be like the thing he would understand; therefore the Apoftle tells us, the natural, or animal man, doth not receive the things of God, he is not capable of them, because his mind is unfuitable to them, he. 15 πλήρης τα σώματος, full of body, and he cannot renfh jpiritual things; Cc3

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even those Natural notions which Vol. VII. wicked men have of God, they are ftrangely tinctur'd and obfcured by the temper of the man; they are lux fepulta in opaca materia, light buried and hid in matter and darknefs, in the blackness of a foul and impure heart; fo that there is no queftion of them, whither they comprehend God or not.

But good men they cannot find out God, they have fome falfe apprehenfions of him; all their apprehenfions are dark, have much of obfcurity in them; they know God to Salvation, but not to Perfection; in this life we do but know God in part, that is, in comparifon of the knowledge which our natures are capable of.

But I will inftance yet higher; the Angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect, tho' they have true apprehenfions of God, yet they do not arrive to perfect knowledge of him, they cannot perveftigare ultima, know the utmost of God; the Cherubims themselves

are

are continually looking at the Mercy Seat. To which the Apoftle alludes, 1 Pet. 1. 12. when he tells us, the Mystery of God's mercy in the Gospel was a thing which the Angels defired to pry into. In Heaven that which is in part ball be done away, that is, our knowledge fhall be perfect as our Natures are capable; but it fhall be finite. When we fhall fee Godface to face,that is, have an immediate vifion of him, and fee him as he is, that is, not having our understandings tinctur'd by any luft or paffion that may darken our mind, or mifreprefent the Object; for the Apostle tells us, we shall See him, because we shall be like him; yet then we fhall have fhort and unadequate apprehenfions of him, we fhall ftill retain our limited Natures and finite understandings.

II. By way of Conviction. Doft thou know perfectly the nature of a finite Spirit, the Perfection and the Power of an Angel, how being immaterial they can act upon matter, and move that which can make no refistance to a Spirit? CC 4 Doft

A

Vol. VII.