qo The Harmony of the Di·vine Attributes ~ equally defcr.-d a final rejection. There was no fingular good in them, nor tranfcetident mp. 7· c\·ils m others. The unaccountable Pleafure of God was the foie motive of the different ~ Difpenfarion. Our Saviour breaks_ forth in ~.n e~wafj of Joy, 1 thank thee, 0 1'111her, Lord of :fieavw and Etirth, that thofl haft htd tbefe th1ngs from the JVtje and prudent, anH revealed them ttmo babes; e11en fo, Fat!Jer, for fo i& feemed good in thy fight. 'Ti$ the Prerogative of God to reveal the fec_n~ts of ~he Kingdom ro whom he pleafes, llfat. x ~· 1 r . 'I is an aCt of purcGr~ce, putting a dJ fJerence ber_wccn one Nation and another, with the fame liber.. ty; as. m the Creation of the fame mdigcftcd matte!: He fOrm'd the Earth, the clregs of the Umverfe, and the Sun and Stars the Orname_nrs of the Heavens, ~n~l the glory ?fthe vifible World. How can we reAcCt on our Spintua l Obligations to DIVmc Grace without a rapture of Soul ? The corruption of N ature was univerfal, our Ignorance as perverfc , and our Manners as rrophane as of other 1'\ations, and we had been condemn d to an eternal Nighr, if the Light of Life had not gracionOy 01 in1d upon us. This fnould warm our hearts in affcftionate acknowledgments to God, H'ho haPh made kno:r·n to us t!Je richer of the glory of this !l1yflery, amongfl the Gent ties, Col. 1. 26. 27. and with that Revelation th~ concomitant Pm:· er of the Spirit, to tranOa te us from the kmgdo!". of darknefS into the /(jnga'om of lm (.ear ::,oH. If th~ Pubhcation of the Law by the Muuftery of _Angels to the 1/Yaelitu were fuch a Privtlege, that 'tis reckon'(\ their peculiar Treafure : He bath ft;eJved J~H Statutes unto Ift·ael; He hath not dealt fo with anJ Nation, Pfal. 147. 19, 20. What JS the Revelation of the Gofpel by the Son of God Himfelf? For although the law 15 obfcurcd and defaced fincc the Fall , yet there are fome mgrafrcd Not1ons of it in the humane Nature, but there is not the icaft fufpicion of the GotpeJ. The Law difcovers our Mrfcry, but the Gofpel alone 01ews the way to be delivered from it. If an Advantage fo great and fo prect.ous doth not tou~ch our hearts ;_ and in po?"effrng it with joy. if we arc not fenfible of the rngagement the Father of Memes hath lard upon us, we !ball be the ungratefullef\ wretches in the World. 2. This incomprehenfible Myllery is worthy of our m6f\ ferious thoughts and f\udy, that we may arnve to a fuller knowledge of I t. And tO mcJtc us, It Will be fit to confider thofe.e~cellencies, which will render it mof\ defirable. Knowledge is a quality fo eminent, that rt truly ennobles one Sp.mt above another. As Reafon rs the fingular Ornament of the human Nature, \Vhereby 1t excels the Brutes ; fo m proportiOn Knowledge, which is the Perfection of the Underlranding, raifcs thofe who are Poileffors of it, above others that want it. The Tef\imony of Solomon confirms this, Ecclef. 2. I l· Then 1 (aw that Wifdom excels Fofly tU far ~ [ ;g!Jt excelleth !J.tr~neft . And accordtng to the. Narure and quality of Knowledge, fuch ts the advantage It bnngs ~o us. Nm~ the; Dotl:nne of the GOfpel exeels the moft noble Science~, as well contempla~wc as .pra8~ck_: It excels the contemplative in the fublimitv of the Object, and in the ccrtarnty of Its Pnncrple. I. In the fublimit y and greatnefs of the Object : and it is no lefs than the higher\ defign of the Eternal Wifclom, the mof\ glorious Work of the great God. In the Creation his fOot!feps appear, in o~r Reden:ption. his Ima~e : I_n rh~ Law his Ju~icc and Ho1inefs, but in the Gofpel alllus Perfectrons fhme forth 111 then· bnghtef\ luf\re. fhe bare Theory of this inriches the Mind, and rhc contemplatiOn of Jt aheas the Soul, that 1s convcrfant about it, with the highcft ~dmiratio_n, and mo~ fi~cerc an~\ Jailing delight_. . , . It affects the Soul wrth the hrghef\ aclmrratron. 1 he Orongef\ Spmts cannot com- ~:E ?:i~:~: ~·~fi~~ ~~'~l~~a~rr:;~c~~,~ li~~~coy~de~~~l~~~~{~J<;u~~dl~~~~:~~l~~g~:~~~~~~!~y ~anT~~e. 1us m~1mx fore· yet npon conlidcrin£? one p_art of the Dtvme W1fdom, breaks forth m afiomf11~enr, :~~~~1,0 ,Pu~1; Oh the depth oftbe riches of the U1~do;r_J and K.;towledge of God I Ho111 rmfearchable are hu. _Dejt1:1?r~ ~~t~~~ :~e~l;ca~~nt~~~ir~~~~r;~~;~:~~l~ng13b~~:r~:~g ~~:: a1~3t~,1~ ~~~~t~r~~1~r ?l~f:riT:~, ~~ r~;p~~~! ;:i~~~q;~~n~f: defeCts of our undcrfiandings wuh A dmn~ation . As the Pfol":ift cxprc!fes lumfelt~ _Lord, w.ru. fuJ.dw· holl' n·ondrrjul.:re thy tboughts to us.~1•ard! f_he ~ngcls ~dare d11S gl~n~us Myft:ry wttl~ an ~:'i;!,~2~::; ;;r~~,~lc~\; ~~tren;~,\sr ~~~~~·, :j,; z;vo:J~~ ~~~~rr;lt~~e::;a~r~n~a~~~~r~~~~· (' :r,~~~~:l~~~!~;. fame vtfiblc effc8: 1s not kno\\·n ) ts the tmp_erje{fion. and torment of the Spmt ; but that wh ich ar ifcth from the knO\vlcdgeof tho[c tlu~gs wlur.:h ar: moll above our conceptt~n and our hope is the highdl: ad"~dncement of our Mmds,_ and bnngs the greatefc fat~taChon to" the SOl/ Now the connwance of our Redemption, was t_ntlnite~y above the flight_ of Reafon, and our expeCtation. ~¥hm the L ord .'"':ned ~he Captrvt~ of Ston, the] we~e as m 4 dream , P{i:d. 12b. 1. The way of accomph01111g tt was fo m~re~hble, that It feem'd rather the PiCture of Fancy, than a real Dchverancc. t\nd there 1s tar greater rcafon that rhe rdCuing of us from thC Powc1~s .of Hcl~, an_d the rcltoring us to L:tbcrty and Glory by Chri(t, lbould raifc our wonder~ l he Go! pelts called amarvellom Ltght, 1 Pet, z. 9· up· un
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