makes a description of that heavenly Jerusalem, the beauty, of it, and in it the maker of it; “Likening it to a city of pure gold, like unto clear glass, shining and garnished with all manner of precious stones, having no need of sun or moon:  for the lamb is the light of it, the glory of God doth illuminate it:  to give us to understand the infinite glory, beauty and happiness of it.”  Not that it is no fairer than these creatures to which it is compared, but that this vision of his, this lustre of his divine majesty, cannot otherwise be expressed to our apprehensions, “no tongue can tell, no heart can conceive it,” as Paul saith.  Moses himself, Exod. xxxiii. 18. when he desired to see God in his glory, was answered that he might not endure it, no man could see his face and live. Sensibile forte destruit sensum, a strong object overcometh the sight, according to that axiom in philosophy:  fulgorem solis ferre non potes, multo magis creatoris; if thou canst not endure the sunbeams, how canst thou endure that fulgor and brightness of him that made the sun?  The sun itself and all that we can imagine, are but shadows of it, ’tis visio praecellens, as [6320]Austin calls it, the quintessence of beauty this, “which far exceeds the beauty of heavens, sun and moon, stars, angels, gold and silver, woods, fair fields, and whatsoever is pleasant to behold.”  All those other beauties fail, vary, are subject to corruption, to loathing; [6321]"But this is an immortal vision, a divine beauty, an immortal love, an indefatigable love and beauty, with sight of which we shall never be tired nor wearied, but still the more we see the more we shall covet him.” [6322]"For as one saith, where this vision is, there is absolute beauty; and where is that beauty, from the same fountain comes all pleasure and happiness; neither can beauty, pleasure, happiness, be separated from his vision or sight, or his vision, from beauty, pleasure, happiness.”  In this life we have but a glimpse of this beauty and happiness:  we shall hereafter, as John saith, see him as he is:  thine eyes, as Isaiah promiseth, xxxiii. 17. “shall behold the king in his glory,” then shall we be perfectly enamoured, have a full fruition of it, desire, [6323]behold and love him alone as the most amiable and fairest object, or summum bonum, or chiefest good.

This likewise should we now have done, had not our will been corrupted; and as we are enjoined to love God with all our heart, and all our soul:  for to that end were we born, to love this object, as [6324]Melancthon discourseth, and to enjoy it.  “And him our will would have loved and sought alone as our summum bonum, or principal good, and all other good things for God’s sake:  and nature, as she proceeded from it, would have sought this fountain; but in this infirmity of human nature this order is disturbed, our love is corrupt:”  and a man is like that monster in [6325]Plato, composed of a Scylla, a lion and a man; we are carried away