ut that which most of all concerns us, is to
know God and ourselves. This is the special excellency of the reasonable
creature, that it is made capable to know its Creator, and to reflect upon
its own being. Now, we have to know ourselves, what we are now, and what
man once was, and accordingly to know of God, what he once revealed of
himself, and what he doth now reveal. I say, the Scriptures hold out to
our consideration a twofold estate of mankind, and according to these, a
twofold revelation of the mystery of God. We look on man now, and we find
him another thing than he was once, but we do not find God one thing at
one time, and another thing at another time, for there is no "shadow of
change" in him, and "he is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."
Therefore we ask not, what he was, and what he is now; but how he
manifests himself differently, according to the different estates of man.
As we find in the Scriptures, man once righteous and blessed, Eccles. vii.
29, and God making him such according to his own image, "in righteousness
and true holiness," Col. iii. 10, Eph. iv. 24; we find him in communion
and friendship with God, set next to the divine majesty, and above the
works of his hand, and all things "under his feet." How holy was he "and
how happy." And happy he could not choose but be, since he was holy, being
conformed and like unto God in his will and affection,--choosing that same
delight, that same pleasure with God, in his understanding,--knowing God
and his will, and likewise, his own happiness. In such a conformity he
could not but have much communion with him, that had such conformity to
him--union being the foundation of communion--and great peace and solid
tranquillity in him.

Now, in this state of mankind God expresses his goodness and wisdom and
power, his holiness and righteousness. These are the attributes that shine
most brightly. In the very morning of the creation, God revealed himself
to man as a holy and just God, whose eyes could behold no iniquity; and
therefore he made him upright, and made a covenant of life and peace with
him, to give him immortal and eternal life,--to continue him in his happy
estate, if so be he continued in well doing, Rom. x. 5, "do this and
live." In which covenant, indeed, there were some outbreaking of the
glorious grace and free condescendency of God, for it was no less free
grace and undeserved favour to promise life to his obedience, than now to
p