by his back, which is a
great point of estrangement. It is said, in heaven we shall see him "face
to face," and fully as he is, because then the soul is made capable of it.

Two things in us here put us in an incapacity of nearness with
God,--infirmity and iniquity. Infirmity in us cannot behold his glory. It
is of so weak eyes, that the brightness of the sun would strike it blind.
And iniquity in us, he cannot behold it, because he is of pure eyes, that
can look on no unclean thing. It is the only thing in the creation that
God's holiness hath an antipathy at, and therefore he is still about the
destroying of the body of sin in us, about the purging from all filthiness
of flesh and spirit, and till the soul be thus purged of all sin, by the
operation of the Holy Ghost, it cannot be a temple for an immediate vision
of him, and an immediate exhibition of God to us. Sin is the will of
partition, and the thick cloud that eclipses his glory from us. It is the
opposite hemisphere of darkness, contrary to light, according to the
access or recess of God's presence, it is more or less dark. The more sin
reigns in thee, the less of God is in thee, and the more sin be subdued,
the readier and nearer is God's presence. But let us comfort ourselves
that one day we shall put off both infirmity and iniquity, mortality shall
put on immortality, and corruption be clothed with incorruption. We shall
leave the rags of mortal weakness in the grave, and our menstruous clothes
of sin behind us, and then shall the weak eyes of flesh be made like
eagles' eyes, to behold the sun, and then shall the soul be clothed with
holiness, as with a garment, which God shall delight to look upon, because
he sees his own image in that glass.

We come to the Lord's satisfying of Moses' desire, and proclaiming his
name before him. It is himself only can tell you what he is. It is not
ministers preaching, or other discourse, can proclaim that name to you. We
may indeed speak over those words unto you, but it is the Lord that must
write that name upon your heart. He only can discover his glory to your
spirit. There is a spirit of life which cannot be enclosed in letters and
syllables, or transmitted through your ears into your hearts, but he
himself must create it inwardly, and stir up the inward sense and feeling
of that name, of those attributes. Faith indeed, "cometh by hearing," and
our knowledge in this life is "through a glass darkly, through ordinances