2. In the life to come; and this glorious sight of God is meant in the Text, [Greek or Hebrew], they shall see God: A pleasant prospect! this Divines call the beatifical vision*; at that day the Veil will be pulled off, and God will show himself in all his glory to the soul; as a King on a day of Coronation shows himself in all his Royalty and Magnificence: This sight of God will be the heaven of heaven; we shall indeed have a sight of Angels, and that will be sweet; but the quintessence of happiness, and the Diamond in the Ring will be this, we shall see God. If the Sun be absent, it is night for all the Stars. The Angels are called Stars, Job 38.7. But it would be night in heaven if the Sun of righteousness did not shine there; it is the Kings presence makes the Court; Absalom counted himself but half alive, unless he might see the Kings face*: — Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. — This sight of God in glory, is 1. Partly mental and intellectual; we shall see him with the eyes of our mind. If there be not an intellectual sight of God, how do the spirits of just men made perfect see him? 2. Partly corporeal; not that we can with bodily eyes behold the bright essence of God. Indeed the Anthropomorphites and Vorstians erroneously held that God had a visible shape and figure; as man was made Gods image, so they thought God was made in made in mans image; but God is a spirit, John 4.24. and being a Spirit, is [Greek or Hebrew], invisible, 1 Tim. 1.17. He cannot be beheld by bodily eyes; whom no man hath seen, [Greek or Hebrew], nor can see, 1 Tim. 6.16. A sight of his glory would overwhelm us; this wine is too strong for our weak heads.
2. In the life to come; and this glorious sight of God is meant in the Text, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, they shall see God: A pleasant prospect! this Divines call the beatifical vision*; at that day the Vail will be pull'd off, and God will shew himself in all his glory to the soul; as a King on a day of Coronation shews himself in all his Royalty and Magnificence: This sight of God will be the heaven of heaven; we shall indeed have a sight of Angels, and that will be sweet; but the quintessence of happiness, and the Diamond in the Ring will be this, we shall see God. If the Sun be absent, it is night for all the Stars. The Angels are called Stars, Job 38.7. But it would be night in heaven if the Sun of righteousness did not shine there; it is the Kings presence makes the Court; Absalom counted himself but half alive, unless he might see the Kings face*: — Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. — This sight of God in glory, is 1. Partly mental and intellectual; we shall see him with the eyes of our mind. If there be not an intellectual sight of God, how do the spirits of just men made perfect see him? 2. Partly corporeal; not that we can with bodily eyes behold the bright essence of God. Indeed the Anthromorphites and Vorstians erroneously held that God had a visible shape and figure; as man was made Gods image, so they thought God was made in made in mans image; but God is a spirit, John 4.24. and being a Spirit, is 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, invisible, 1 Tim. 1.17. He cannot be beheld by bodily eyes; whom no man hath seen, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, nor can see, 1 Tim. 6.16. A sight of his glory would overwhelme us; this wine is too strong for our weak heads.
- *Inspectio sola divinitatis efficit, ut beatius nihil esse potest. Cassiodor.
- *2 Sam. 14.32
