To the Reader. ----~ to preach ; Chrift in jou the hope of glory (laid I' au! to~~ ani) and he irpmediately adds, whom we preach, Col.t. 2 7 , 2 8. and unto me, who a ill lefJ than the leaft ofall the Sai11ts, is this gr!lce gi– 'VCn . what grace ? that 1jhould preacb among the CentileJtheun– fear~hable ruhes ofChrift,Eph.3_.8. Minifiers ought in dmy more abundantly to preach J efus Chnfi. Do.:torSibbs is clear thattbe Jpuial ojjice of the miniftry of Chrift is I@ lay op<n Chr,jf,t~ hold up the tapijiry,& to lmfold the hidden myftmes of Cbriji :and there– fore he e;x.horts that we jhould labour to be alwayes jpeak,jng fome– ·wbat about Chrift, or tending that way: when weJPea4., ofthe law .·let it drive UJ to Chrift: when of moral duties, let them teach u.n: walk... worthy ofChrifi:Chrifl,or fomewhat tending to Chrift,jho 1 dd be our theme, and mark... to aimat. Sibbs Camic.p.428. And I may feelingly fay, it is the fweetefl:fubjechhat ever was preached on. is it not M ano~ntment poured forth, whofe finell is fo fragrant,and \Vhofe favour IS fo fweet, that therefore all the Virgins love him? is it not comprehcmGve of all glory,beauty,excellency, whether of things inHeaven,or of things on Earth ? is it not a myfiery fweet and deep? furely Volumes 'are written of J efus Chrifi,there is line upon line, Sermon upo11 Sermon, Book uponBook, andTome uponTome, and yet fuch is the myfl:ery (as one fpeaks plainly) that we are all but as yet at the firfl: fide of the Gngle Catechifm ofJefus Chrifl:: yea,Solomonwas but at What 15 hu Namg? and I fear many of us knowneither Name nor thing. It is a worthy fl:u– dy to make further and further difcoveries of this bleffed Myfl:e– ry,and it were to be wifhed that all the Minifiers of Chrifi would fpehd themfelves in the fpelling,and reading, and underfianding of it. Look as fom~greatpoimdoth require the abilities of many Scholars (and all little enough when joyned together) to make a good difcovery thereof; fuch is this high point, this holy, facred, glorious Myfie~y, worthy of the pains of all the Learned ; and if they would altbring their notestogether,and add all theirfiudies together (which I have in fome meafure endeavoured in the fol– lowing T reatife) they fhould find frill buta little of thisMyfiery known, in comparifcn ofwhat remains and is unknown; only this they fhould know, Q!!_od difjicili intelleElle, dileE!:a~ile inquiji- , tit (as Bernard fa id) 1hatwbicb is bard to underftand,u delightjlll tobe dived into; and fo I found it. 2. For the aCt of look,jng ttnlo J cjiu, as it is compreh~n~v.e of4._nowing, dejiring, -hoping,belie– 'Vinf\, •fovin.~, fo alfo of;oymg; how .then flwuld I ?m be ?.!led · ~, wi_d1joy unfpeakable and glorious,wh1lfi Iwas B:udymg,wnrmg, .t· ··->~:'· and .. ~ ; .~~ J- "·:~,:. . . t ,· ·~ ·:. ; ...
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