asures
of wisdom, and goodness, and power in him, what an amiable and refreshful
sight would it be, when there was no cloud of sin and ignorance to
interpose and eclipse the full enjoyment of that uncreated light! When the
aspect of the sun makes the moon so glorious and beautiful, what may you
conceive of Adam's soul framed with a capacity to receive light
immediately from God's countenance! How fair and beautiful would that
soul be, until the dark cloud of sin did interpose itself! Then consider,
what a beautiful rectitude and uprightness, what a comely order and
subordination would ensue upon this light, and make his will and
affections wonderfully good "God made man upright," Eccles. vii. 29. There
was no thraw(152) or crack in all,--all the powers of the soul bending
upright towards that Fountain of all goodness. Now the soul is crooked and
bends downward towards those base earthly things that are the abasement of
the soul, then it looked upright towards God,--had no appetite, no delight
but in him and his fulness, and had the moon or changeable world under its
feet. There was a beauty of holiness and righteousness which were the
colours that did perfect and adorn those lineaments of the image of God
which knowledge did draw in the soul. "He was a burning and a shining
light," may be truly said of Adam, who had as much life as light, as much
delight in God as knowledge of him. This was the right constitution and
disposition of man,--his head lifted up in holiness and love towards God,
his arms stretched out in righteousness and equity towards man and all the
affections of the man under their command, they could not trouble this sea
with any tempest, because they were under a powerful commander, who kept
them under such awe and obedience as the centurion his servants--saying to
one, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, sending out
love one way, holy hatred another way. These were as wings to the bird to
flee upon, as wheels to the chariot to run upon, though now it be turned
just contrary, that the chariot draws the coachman, because the motion is
downward. There could be no motion in an upright man's soul till the holy
and righteous will gave out a sentence upon it. That was the _primum
mobile_ which was turned about itself by such an _intelligentia_ as the
understanding. And so it was in Christ,--affection could not move him, but
he did move his own affections, he troubled himself. In us the servan