160 



hands and eyes, when applied to God, are not spoke 

 in any part of their literal signification ; as neither 

 is the word smiling, when applied to the verdure of 

 a field. 



They differ in this, That in human metaphor the 

 things, for which the figurative words are substituted, 

 may be as immediately and directly known, as the 

 ideas placed in their stead. But in divine metaphor, 

 only the substituted ideas are direct and immediate. 

 We have no direct or immediate conception of the 

 things they are substituted for. 



3. From all conceptions of things, which are purely 

 analogical. Divine analogy is the substituting words, 

 that express our ideas, for heavenly things, whereof 

 we have no ideas. Thus far it agrees with metaphor: 

 but here lies the essential difference. Metaphorical 

 words are spoke of heavenly things, in no part of 

 their proper sense : analogical in seme part of it, 

 though not the whole. So the word hand is spoken 

 of God metaphorically : for he has no hand of any 

 sort whatever. The word power is spoken of him 

 analogically : for he has some sort of power, though 

 of a quite different sort from ours. 



The true nature of our present knowledge of di- 

 vine things, is by the apostle very aptly described by 

 our seeing in a glass darkly, or in a minor, in an ol- 

 scure representation. To shew the aptitude and sig- 

 niiicancy or which expressions, I shall observe two 

 things : 



1. That a glass exhibits to us nothing of thesub* 



