Glimpse of glory, or, A Gospel discovery of Emmanuel's land (2)

by James Fisher

A

GLIMPSE OF GLORY:

OR, A

GOSPEL DISCOVERY

OF

EMMANUEL’S LAND.

BY THE REVEREND

Mr. JAMES FISHER,

Who diſſented from the Errors of the
⁠Kirk of Scotland, along with the great
⁠Erskine. &c. He was then Miniſter at
⁠Kincleven, and removed to Glasgow where
⁠he ſerved his great Master above 39
⁠Years, and died in Septenber, 1775.

---

Stirling, Printed by C. Randall. 1806

A GLIMPSE of GLORY: or, a Gospel

Discovery of EMMANUEL’S LAND.

WHAT ſpeak we, men and angels of the limits of divine power; What talk we of his manifeſting his excellency in one or many, or innumerable worlds? Is it not manifeſted to the uttermoſt: The protection of ever ſo many armies of creatures can add nothing thereto? Since the manifeſtation of God in the fleſh is the principal deſign of eternity: And all other manifeſtations are in order to this. There ſtands one among us all, who is the firſt born of every creature exiſtant, or poſſible: Here is that man, in whom is viſibly to be ſeen ſuch glory, majeſty, lovelineſs, ſweetness compaſſion mercy, juſtice, wiſdom, and all creatures of overflowing fulneſs of excellency in ſuch an incomprehenſible, tranſcendant, eminent and ſuperboundant manner, as all the beholders are overwhelmed in a ſea of delightſome raviſhment for evermore.

Couldſt thou O my God, manifeſt thy ſelf more clearly, familiarity, ſweetly condeſcending? Away with other worlds, tho’ they were: this is the only one since my all lovely, Well Beloved dwells here. Thy beauty my fair one, darts round about thee, and fills this world with paſſing glory: yea, were this world myriads of myriads of ſtages and over ſo many times greater than it is one ray of thy countenence, one glance of thine eye would enlighten and adorn it all: What tho’ we could view and comprehend at once, thouſands of thouſands of created paradiſes of beauty, one ſight of thy God-like viſage would ſwallow up all angels, had you ſuch a ſweet manifeſtation of divine beauty in the beginning, as now: Is not our heaven now two heavens? Since the eſſential image of God ſtandeth here clothed with the human nature, as our ‘everlaſting king priest’ the great Lord ‘mediator of the new covenant’ the boundleſs treaſure of all fulneſs, out of which we ſhall all be filled and ſatiated for evermore. Are we not as it were conſtrained betwixt ſtanding back and drawing ⟨near?⟩ Theſe who behold thee, what can thy think of themſelves? Yet who can ſee and take reſt until they be folded in thy raviſhing embrace? Verily, thou art both the ſhame and glory of creatures: Created excellency is exalted in thee to the higheſt pitch; and all created excellency is ⟨beautified⟩ and obſcured before thee. This is the man, men and angels by whom all things in heaven and earth do flouriſh and bloom. This is the Tree of Life, the great Vine of Glory, into which we are all ⟨ingrafted⟩ as ſo many boughs and twigs; all the glory of his father’s houſe hangs upon him the Offspring and Iſſue, as ſo many chips and pieces ⟨darting⟩ out from him. This is he, in whom we have been ordained to this bleſſedneſs from eternity: This is he, who was promiſed to the people, under he firſt diſpenſation of the goſpel; who was held forth by types and ſhadows unto them. This is he, by whom the carnal and beggarly elements of the world were deſtroyed, the clear evident Goſpel diſpenſation was brought in; the hand-writing of the law cancelled, the vail betwixt Jew and Gentile was rent aſſunder; the nations were ingrafted into the old ſtock of the peculiar people, the ⟨abſtruſe⟩ ſecrets of eternity were opened, the kingdoms were ſhaken the princes of the earth were ſet up and pulled down; the church was preſerved, and flouriſhed. in deſpite of all the world this is the man who ‘wounded the heads’ over many countries; who trode the wine preſs alone,’ and trampled the people in is fury: until all his raiment was ſtained with blood. This is He whoſe name is called ‘Wonderful Counselor, the almighty God, the everlaſting father, the Prince of Peace; Of the ⟨increaſe⟩ of his government and peace there is no end. This is the ‘STONE cut out without hand,’ which ſmote all the power, ſtrength and might of kingdoms, nations, and languages: and lo, all principalities and thrones and powers, and dominions are broken to pieces together; and become like the chaff of the ⟨ſummer⟩ threſhing-floor that the wind hath carried away. And behold the Stone, which hath ſmitten to nothing, all ⟨tranſitory glory⟩, is become exceeding great, and (illegible text) all in all. ‘This is He, whom nothing would overcome; he entered the liſts with Death and Hell, and give them an eternal ſoil; ſo that they lie under his feet, and the feet of the choſen, for ever and ever.

Could ten thouſand deaths overcome him? Were not devils and wicked men fools, that imagined to bind him with any ties? What would chains greater then many worlds? What would infinite numbers of mountains of braſs, be to hold him down that he riſe not again. How ‘did this Lion of the tribe of Judah’ rouſe himſelf from the ſleep of death, like a mighty man after wine? and made heaveu and earth, and all to quake! Who but the Standard-bearer among ten thouſand? Who but the Prince of the kings of the earth? Who, but the mighty Captain of the Lord’s hoſts could have done ſo valiantly? Thou only has done heroically, O Well Beloved. You little heroes of time, your magnanimity, and heroic acts vanish here: even tho‘ you had done all you did, in your own ſtrength and not by his. What tho‘ you ſubdued kingdoms, wrought righteouſneſs ſtopped the mouths, of lion, quenched the violence of ⟨fire⟩ through weakneſs was made ſtrong, put to ⟨flight⟩ the armies of the aliens? All theſe were ⟨done⟩ through faith in him. Yet what have ye done? Could you have trode the wine-preſs alone? and drunk the cup of the wrath of the almighty, from brim to bottom? Could you have ſtood in the gap, when infinite eternal vengeance, like a mighty flood, was cruſhing in upon rebellious mankind? Who elſe could, have turned back the mighty current of ſuch floods of wrath? and pacified offended Majesty, bringing rebels to ſtoop; and be received into mercy and favour again? Who other could have given hell ſuch a blow as it ſhall never be able to riſe? and raiſe men and angels to ſuch a pitch, as that they ſhall never fall! Who other could have led captivity captive and purchaſed gifts for men, even for the rebellious? Who other could have opened the gates of this celeſtial paradiſe, ſhut upon baſe, ungrateful man? and exalted him, by thouſands of ſtages to more glory an excellency than he fell from! thou art all in all, thou art marrowleſs, O well Beloved! no more compariſons betwix thee and creatures. Hide yourſelves and be confounded, all lower excellencies; be ye ſilent, all creatures, when he begins to ſpeak; cover your faces, all you little glories and beauties, when he doth ſhew his face; you are nothing, you are vanity compared to him, he is all things. Verily in him dwells all fulneſs Thou are not O heaven of heavens, worthy to be a ⟨footſtool⟩ for his glorious feet. Infinite worlds erected above one another were low for him to tread upon. What are you men and angels that you ſhould thus ſtand beside him? That you ſhould let your head within that word, ⟨he is pleaſed to dwell in?⟩ Did he not wonderfully condeſcend, you might run out without the very creation? What is ⟨our⟩ ſtrength and beauty? ⟨On⟩ whoſe legs do we ſtand? Are we able for a moment, to perſevere in our integrity without him? Should we not all become deformed in ſin? Can he draw into himſelf what he darts forth How is the paradiſe of God planted with goodly trees, bloſsoming and flouriſhing with an eternal verdure? but did they not receive ſap and life, and all from this golden Branch of the ſtem of Jeſſe; how in a moment ſhould their golden bloſſoms wither, their fruit fall off their leaves decay and their root dry up? It is ten heavens of joy, O Well beloved to know that thy love is unchangeable and theſe that are united to thee by faith, in time, and immidiate beholding, in eternity, ſhall never be diſjoined from thee; but ſhall ever remain cloſe locked in the arms of eternal love.

No worlds to this world! no happineſs to this happineſs, this is the flower, and top of all poſſible diſpenſations: Here is a confluence of innumerable providences, that ſhall never be comprehended. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou haſt done, and thy thoughts which are to us ward, they cannot be reckoned up in order to thee. How evidently do I now ſee that thy love paſſeth all underſtanding; that thy ways are innumerable; and thy thoughts unrearchable? My eyes are eternally fixed upon thee, O flower of all beauty, and loveliness; thou art the centre whereunto all deſireablneſs and excellency betakes itſelf. In beholding thee, I behold all things, Art thou not love diſcovered to the full? Mercy manifeſted to the higheſt perfection? Judgement and righteouſness visibly, in its full ſplendor; what have we which is not in thee? And what can a creature want, which is not in thee? Shall we not, O enjoyers to ſatiated, beautified, raviſhed, bleſſed for evermore, with what infinite fullneſs of all the excellencies which dwells in him? ‘We behold to the full the glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and ⟨truth⟩: and of thy grace we have all received, and grace for grace. We have received thy teſtimony, have ſet to our ſeal that God is true that thou whom he ſent into the world, ſpeak oft the things of God: for he giveth not the Spirit by measure unto thee. O how great is the myſtery of godlineſs? God manifeſted in the fleſh, juſtified in the ſpirit, ſeen of angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world, received up into glory. If this was wonderful in time, is it not ten thouſand times more ſo now? When the bright day of eternity hath broken up is a ſign of this by faith, was raviſhing, am not now paſſed all the limits of ſuch motions? O this frame! O glory! glory! thou art maſſie indeed!

FINIS