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Show Wlutt lYe t~"e ~rtejH, upon them more fully. This Laniee is pu!l'd aown, He bath.~ •• lifbrd the L•,., <Oifttrin'd in Ordinanc~r. Thus Chrift looks no more through the Lattclfes, though in this fcnfe it wb true when Solo•• on wrote this book. 2. Secondly, There is a l~tlict of mortality through which Chrift lookerh fiill upon his people, and will look. The Apoflle .faith, that while rt1e are prefel:t in the bad.y n>e are abfent Trom i6e .Lord. If we be abfent from the Lord, he mull needs alfo be ab· fent from us ; and indeed rhe flate of mortality is that little time of which he fpeakerh, in which Ire will not be with his people; it is rhe time in which.we do n0t fee him as he it ; what hinders ? the lattice of the body, the lOt/ice of our mortal fiate? but he looks through the lat1iu; thougn his people wl\ile they are in rhe body do not fee the Lord ar bt i4, yet they lee fomething of him through a glafi darkly ( as the Prophet exprdferh it.) ·3· There is a lattict ofOrdinanm. Of this Nfr. Ainf,.,orth underllands the Text, this ( poffibly j is that gla[i, through which the A.pollle faith, that 'il'< fee the Lord. Thus Chrifl looketh upon his people through the lattice while he looks upon them in the preaching of his Word, fpeakin·g pe'ace to his peoples Souls, whiles he doth offer himfelf unto his people iri his Sacraments: thefe'are all Lmelfes,rhrough which-the Souls of the Saints do by the Eye of Faith behold Chrifl, and in which the Soul oft-ti!llfs meets with fome fenfible enjoyments'ofhim, but they are all fhort of that beatifiCill Vifion oy which Saints-in Heaven behold Gods face. -And indeed, thefe looks are but the looks of an abfent Cbri~ when ·we !hall fee him face to face, and come to be evu JPith the Lord; we !hall find our enjoyment of our Beloved there will be a m~rc glorious enjoyment, and more fweet 'than ever our enjoyment of · Chrill in Ordinances hath been,though I doubt n6t but I fpeak to many to whom this enjoyrnent,this fight of our Beloved hath ap, pea red exceeding fweet and glorious. I will add but one thing more. 4• There is a .lattice of n..C•Jfarj Inf/Himce. I 'have fometimes amongfi you had 1occa£ion ·t.O· dillinguifh betwixt thofe infi~<: . mcu •f diviHe Gra-. which' are neceffary ~ and thofe wliich are ·indeed .exceeding fweet and advantagious, bur 110t necelf~ry: I will open itnowaiittlero .you, . [Jookas to our naruraflif_e,thc Apollle faith,, In-him n>Hiv~; anilmove, a11/J have our 'being. Dal! idfiith1· 1that Gu<J.k!ept-our'fo#lJ in 'lift i bur now, there are de-grees th1oNgh wbich Chri.ft loo~th? grccs of thcfe influences. There i< an infi!'mce that. H ~eu.Jfory; if God did not hourly concur to keep our vital faculnes. m an ablh· ty to operate, we mufl die. But now God may do this,, and yet withdraw fuch influences as arc oecelfary for to keep us m bealtb, and in a quick and lively vcgete condition: fo it is wtth the Soul. There is no g;ace, no fpiri tual a~ility but is from God , bur there are ditl'etcnt influences ; There IS a.neceffary mf/Hmce •nd co~munication of Grace, without which the Vnion betw~m Cbrift and tbe Soul and the !late ofRrgmuati•n could not be mamtamed, (for the perf~verance of the Saint is from the influence of grace.)Now th":re are further influence I of grace,the qutck!nmg,fh_eng~h~nllrg;, comfortmg influences ofir, without fame degrees of whtch It IS very polfibl~, thai the\ilriion of the Soul with Chrifl,and the !late of Regenc~atl· on may be maintained,and is maintained in rh~ hours of defemon. Now I fay, when the gracious Soul barely lt~e~ the !1fe of grace without thofe degrees of fPiritu•l J!rmgtb, fpmtual It veltnefs and comfort, that other Souls have, or which it poffibl~ hath a; ~nother time then .Chrift lookJ upon it through the lattzc<; ~nd It IS a notion which I .would•have well digefie·d by every grac10us·Soul; for it hath in it (as Ilhall.fh'ew you anon) a great deal of cbmfo'rt. And for the Chur~h ofChrijf, ( which is his collective Spoufe; as 1 may fay,) Ghrifl in the day of his abfcnce fro~ her, yet lo?ks upon ·her through the Lattia :' She !s ne~Ler ~tt.hou t .r"~Jethmg. of his prefence, although the ~c,,~o ttme..(lwh1lc tn tillS l1fe ) en: joyeth him as the lhall enJOY h1m·.1n· glory; and althou!$h her en j.~yments of the prefence,of God · inhe'r· Alfemblie~ be not at all times equal, her libertiJ:s and freedo!T\may •be llralfned, ~ut even at that time he will thew himfelf to her through the Latttce : the fhall yet fee and own her Beloved, and know nill that be is her Redeemer 11-nd Saviour . . So much fo~ the firfl Branch of the Pro· pofition, the fecond follows. ! " '.'" • Tb,tt thiJ fi2h1 ofChri{f whm lie doth bt<!•-look., thrpugfi the l1ttue . is aftourifhinl{.fight. I ~oted to you before ~hat t~e w~rd frgc1fi'tq a· Flower's lhewiug of 1t felf, and th.at not 111 the,her~ .when It begins firfl to appear o.ur of the Earth green;. b·Jt w ~em : th'e .fowtr· of.frll it firfl, lhe"'S tts,. 1 ' · 4mtabltnefo, 2, Profit ,~/!}),ath(all(ng•~> s) fhat I lhall Qpen,!IJis in-tw!) tbin!$'· . ' "' . ,'. 1 '.r '" 1. The lowefl-anq darkfjl difc.ovmeJ gfGbrift to,t.f6,grtfcta"(!9•~'b arr exceeding ••J•i•ble. . It is f)> eet for the Chu r.ch., or t.or the 500! • to fee Chrifl, though It be but through, the Lamer ••. , Ab.rab:m:., . I··j whm |