~--- ~~ Book Ill. lf..,oolttng unto 'jjefu.s. Chap r.Secr.2. -'-~---i-n-t-:"'h-e -:fa:":l-:"'1.-,n-a-y-,-:b-e-=fo_r_e-:"ju-d:-g-m_e_n_t_w_a_s_p-ro-t-lo_u_n-ce-d;-o-n-t-;h·-e -p-e-~rf<:-o-ns-te-m~~: red, the Covenant of,grm rs prqclallnef" 1 0 rhe trrfirue "i:tches of rhc mercy of God in Chrill:! - · ' l \ ...1. But you will fay., bow comes 7efuJ in ? how carried he on the great work of our falvation in this dark tJme?- · I anfwer, I. By ~lfum!11g and qking upon him the form and 01ape of man, and fo dif– charging fome f~ectal offices m that refpe<'l: : We read often of Chdls apparition be. fore his incarnatiOn, and then efpectally whe.~ he had to do with this great negotiation of mans Eternal bappinefs. Some think it not improbable that Chrift atfumed tl\e form of man when he fir{! created man; and fo he made man, not onely in his own image which he had as God, in .holinefs;.Andtme righteonfne!Je, but in refped of that forme which he had alfumed. Howfoevev rips w~ ifind, th:tt ··~~r man had finned, Chlliil: t~en appeared, fir£! ro Adam, then toAbraharm then ro .tf,zac,tben to Jncob, then to MOJes,/:5-C: - Firil, he appeared to Adammthe garden, and they heard the voice of the Lord God, walk£n• in thegarden in the cool of the day. God as he is God hath neither voice to fpeak, norfett to walk , but alfuming the forme and 01ape of a man he exercifed both: and fo he was the firll: that pub!ifl,ed that firll promife to tire world, it fl?all bmifr th)'h~.1d. --2. He appeared to AbrahamintheplainofMamre, where the Lord talksd with Abrah>m, and Abrabam calls him the Judge ofall the earth, which can be afcribed to none but Chrifi the Judge ofquick anddead. Some from that faying of Chrill, Y""father Abrah.<m rejoy– ced tofee my day,andhefaw it,and waJgL.-1, tl<J g1ther that Abraham faw C::hrift, not one!y with the eyes of faith (as all the rei! of the Patriarchs and Prophets did) but alfo in a vifible Jhape which he alfumed, like Unto that whereunto l1e was ·afterwards ro."be united; And fo it w~sChrill that renewed ;he Covenant with .Abraham, faying, I will eftablijh my Covenant between meandth~e, and rhy feed after thee in their generations~ for aneverlafting Covenant, tobea God llnto thee, and to thyfeed after thee.--3. He appeared tO lfaac, Ccn.26.2. and to {acob, Gen. 32.24,30. and to MofeJ, Exod.zo.I ,2,3. and to many o– thers, of which I /hall comment in order. And thefe apparitions ofChrillwere as p-r•– /Jedit<ms ofhis incarnation. But this is not the way I fl1all inti[l upon. 2. Chrill: carried on the great work ofour falvation in that dark time, not by himfelf exhibited (as when he was incarnate) but onely promifed. The great King would lirf! h}ve his l'hrbingers to lead the way , before he himfelf would come in perfon. As the Lord had ·obterved this method in creating rhe world, tlm firll: he would have dark– nefs, and then light; and as frill he obferves this method in upholding theworld~ that fir£! he will have dawning, and then clear day; fo in the framing and ur 10ldmg of hiS Church, he will firfthave Chrift held forth in Ceremonies, Rites, Figures, Types, Pro– mifes, Covenants, and then like a glorio_us Sun, or like the dayfpnnt from on high he wouldvijit the world, ro give light to them thatfit in darkpefs. To r!us purpofe we read, rhat asChrift,fo the Covenant ofgrace (which applies Chrif! to us) was ~rll:p:omtfed, and rhen promulgated; the Covenant of promife was that Covenant, whtch qod made withAdam,andAbraham, andMofes, andDavil, and all !fraclin Jefus !=hnll:; to be incarnate crucified and rifen from the deai:!. and it was meet that the prormfe fl10uld go before th~ Gofpe!,' and be fulfilled in the"Gofpel , that fo a great ~ood n1ight earneftly tie defired befordtwasbef!owed. In a time ofdarknefsmendefireltght; as the mornmg. watch ~rch~th and longeth for the morning, fo the obfcur~ revelation ofChrill: in.a promife, raifed the hearts of the Patriarchs to an earneft deftre of C!mft Ins cor;nng tn the fle!TJ. But in this obfcurity we may obferve fame degrees; before the Law grven by Mofes the promife .was more. obfcure ; the bw being given, even to the ume of the "Prophets, the prom1fe was a lmle more clear; m the ttn;e of the Prophets, even to John rbe Baptif!, it was clearer yet; as the coming ofthe Mefhas dtd approach nearer and nea– rer, fo was the pro£1life clehrer and clearer ll:ill: Juf! as the approach of theSuo IS nea· rer ot· furrher off, fo is the light that goes before It greater or letTer.. In hke manner was theRevelation tbar went before Chrift more dimme or clear as the rtlmg of the Smz ofrighteoufnefl was more remote, or nigh at hand. It was the good pleafure of God to, manifefl the·riches of his grace by degrees, and not all at once; we fee to tlus very day, 1 that God i1d1is feveral.approaches of mercy and goodnefs draws nearer and nea:er to his Church: l!.ven now in this marvellous light ofthe Gofpel we have our diVIne Ce– remonies and Sacraments we fee llim afar off, we know but in parr; but time fl1all come (even before his fecond c;ming) that we or our children fl1all fee him more clearly' per· te<'l:Jy, immediately. My prefent bufinefre is to hold ~orth [efieJ in the Covenant of gra~:
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