The same Author in one of his Epistles hath this remarkable relation, viz. That the same day wherein Jerome died, he was in his Study, and had got pen, ink, and paper to write something of the glory of heaven to Jerome, and suddenly he saw a light breaking into his Study, and smelt also a very sweet smell, and this voice he thought he heard. O Augustine, what doest thou? dost think to put the Sea into a little vessel? when the heavens shall cease from their continual motion, then shalt thou be able to understand what the glory of heaven is, and not before, except you come to feel it, as I now do. Certainly, the glory of heaven is beyond all conception, and all expression, and so is that portion that is ⟨image 5⟩a little hinted at in the following Discourse. And indeed a full description of that God that is the believers portion, is a work too high for an Aaron when standing upon Mount Hor; 1or for a Moses, when standing on the top of Nebo after a Pisgah prospect; yea, it is a work too high and too hard for all those blessed Seraphims that are still a crying before the throne of God, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. No finite being, though never so glorious, can ever be able fully to comprehend an infinite being. In the second Verse of the sixth of Isaiah we read that each Seraphim had six wings, and that with twain he covered the face of God, with twain his feet, and with twain he did sly, intimating ⟨image 5⟩(as one well observes upon the place) that with twain they covered his face, 2the face of God, not their own face, and with twain they covered his feet, not their own feet; They covered his face, his beginning being unknown; they covered his feet, his end being incomprehensible, only the middle are to be seen the things which are, whereby there may be some glimmering knowledge made out what God is. 3The wise man hit it, when he said, That which is afar off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? who can find out what God is? The knowledge of him a priori is so far off, that he whose arm is able to break even a bow of steel is not able to reach it; so far off, that he who is able to make his nest with the Eagle is ⟨image 6⟩not able to sly unto it. And so exceeding deep that he who could follow the Leviathan could not fathom it; that he who could set out the centre of the earth, is not able to find it out;
The same Author in one of his Epistles hath this remarkable relation, viz. That the same day wherein Jerom died, he was in his Study, and had got pen, ink, and paper to write something of the glory of heaven to Jerom, and suddenly he saw a light breaking into his Study, and smelt also a very sweet smell, and this voice he thought he heard. O Augustine, what doest thou? dost think to put the Sea into a little vessel? when the heavens shall cease from their continual motion, then shalt thou be able to understand what the glory of heaven is, and not before, except you come to feel it, as I now do. Certainly, the glory of heaven is beyond all conception, and all expression, and so is that portion that is ⟨image 5⟩a little hinted at in the following Discourse. And indeed a full description of that God that is the believers portion, is a work too high for an Aaron when standing upon Mount Hor; 1or for a Moses, when standing on the top of Nebo after a Pisgah prospect; yea, it is a work too high and too hard for all those blessed Seraphims that are still a crying before the throne of God, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts. No finite being, though never so glorious, can ever be able fully to comprehend an infinite being. In the second Verse of the sixth of Isaiah we read that each Seraphim had six wings, and that with twain he covered the face of God, with twain his feet, and with twain he did sly, intimating ⟨image 5⟩(as one well observes upon the place) that with twain they covered his face, 2the face of God, not their own face, and with twain they covered his feet, not their own feet; They covered his face, his beginnig being unknown; they covered his feet, his end being incomprehensible, onely the middle are to be seen the things which are, whereby there may be some glimmering knowledge made out what God is. 3The wise man hit it, when he said, That which is afar off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? who can find out what God is? The knowledge of him a priori is so far off, that he whose arm is able to break even a bow of steel is not able to reach it; so far off, that he who is able to make his nest with the Eagle is ⟨image 6⟩not able to sly unto it. And so exceeding deep that he who could follow the Leviathan could not fathom it; that he who could set out the center of the earth, is not able to find it out;
- 1Num. 20. & ch. 33. Deut. 32.49. and chap. 34.1. Isa. 6.3.
- 2Vide Origen on the Text.
- 3Eccl. 7.24. There are many depths in God which our shallow reason cannot fathom; & indeed it is the credit of our Religion, and the glory of our God, that he is unsearchable
