Spiritual P erfeaion. require us to believe it: Our Minds could not firmly Aifenr to his Word, but would be fl oating between faith and Doubts: And if God intends we lhould underflallll his Meani ng, how can we reconcile hts Wtfdom wtth Ins Wtll, tf he does not fpeak to us in the fame fenfe as Men do to one another. S· We are obliged to believe fupernatural Doctrines no farther than they are reveal'd. God does not _require our Aifenr to an Object beyond the Merit of it: that is, the degrees of tts Revela tion. We cannot fee an Object more fully than 'tis vifible. The truth of Evange lical Myfieries. is clearly reveal'd, the manner of them is. not difcover'd. To attempt the Comprehenfive knowledge of them, is perfe<'lly vain: for 'tis Impoffible Im perci~e nr, and of Dangerous Confequence. ' 1. ,'Tts lmpoffi ble. Supernatural ' Truths cannot be primarily and immediately di(: cover d by Reafon, but are only known to the D1vme Mwd, and communicated ro John L ' '· Created Underll• ndings according to the pleafure of God. N o man hot /; /ern God at a»J time; t he on!J he?.otten Son , who is in the hofom of the Father, has declar'd him. The ~~; ! ;· ~~rce~i~dc:'~~d~hh,ri~ rsfl:~~ "1u~t~t·a~~e ;:e:3e1o~0i~.th'c;~~hc~n:;fv~ ~h;te· fee~;; of his Eternal Wi fdom, the defign of our Redemption, and reveal' cl it in his own rime: Eph.. '· 9· 'Tis therefo re call'd the MyflerJof his will. 'Tis call'd tbe MJfleqof Faith: that is, 'tis j,/km J. 9· received by Faith. 'Tis call'd the MJ.f/erJ of the /(jn~dom of God; conceal'd from the R;~,,\9::~. 'Vorld, and only known in the Church. The fubhme DoaJines of the Gofpel it is impoffi ble for the clearefl fpirits of Men to dilcover, without fpecial Revelation, were they as pure as they are corrupt, and as fincere as they are perverle. This Word My. fl ery is never applied to the Revelation that God has made of his Wifdom in the Framing the World, and in the ElfeEts of his Providence, becaufe fince the Creation, it has been expos'd t<? the fight of all Reafonable Creatures. Men were not commanded to believe in order to Salvation, till by Experience they were Convinced of the Jnfufficiency of Reafon to direEt them how to be reflored to the Favour of God. The Apollle • Ca<. ' · ,_ declares, for •fttr that in the wifdom of God, the ,.orld 67 .vifdom kne.v not God, it plea[td God, 67 tbe fooli/hnefs ofpreaching to fove them that b, /ieve. The Doctrine of the T rinity is purely fupernamral: for the internal diflinction of the Perfons in the Divine Nature, by thetr incommunicable Characters, is only proper to God. The Counfels of the Diviae \Vil1 are above any Created Underftandiog: Who knows tb( things of 4 man, but ~;~ tu;~~tfr ;;~7:l0u;,0:~~"~:~:~h~:~~fub'Cm~:: ~:d t;e,%:~~cifr ~rdunie~fi:O~~~: but they could never know the Decrees of God , though in his immediate Prefence, but as gradually reveal'd: 'tis faid of the Myfleries of his Counfels, th'J dejire to look into them. We cannot form a Conception in our Minds, but what takes its rifc from fi:n fible things. 2 • The attempt is Impertinent: for God has reveal'd thofe great Myfleries fufficiently for faving Faith, though not to fatisfie ralh Curiofity. There is a !mowledge of curio· fity and difcoutfe, and a knowledge of doing and performance. The Art of Navigation requires a knowledge how to govern a Ship, and what Seas are fafe, what are dangerous by Rocks and Sands, and terrible Tempefls, that often furpr_ife thofe who Sail in them: but the knowledge of the Caufes of the Ebbmg and Flowtng of the Sea is not neceffary. To believe favingly in Chrill, we mufl know that be is the Liviog and True God, and True Man, that dyed for our Redemption; but 'tis not neceffary that we lhould know the manner of the Union of his two Natures. 'Tis prudent to Confine our inquiries to things which are poffible and profitable to be known. The di fcovery of the manner of Divine Myfleries is not fuitable to the nature of Faith, for 'tis tbe evidence of things not {een: the obfcurity of the Object is conliflent with the certainty of the Affenr to it: and 'tis. c?ntrary to !he en~ of Revelation: which is to humble us in the modeft Ignorance of Dtvtne Myflenes whtch we cannot Comprehend, and to enlighten us in thole things which are requifite to be known. 'Tis the Glor7 of God to conceal • mmer. He faveth us by the fubmiffion of Faith, and not by the penetration of Reafon. The meanefl Underflanding, as well as the mofl raifed, are equally capable of Sa lvation. The light of Faith is as much below the light of Glory, as 'tis above the Jig~~ ~~a~~redang;rous Confequence. There is an Hydropic Curiality, that [wells the Mind with Pride, and is thirfly after the Knowledge of tlungs unfearch.able. T hts Curiofity has often been fatal to Faith. 'Tis like a man's endeavour to climb up to the inacceffible point of a Rock that is ver_y hazardous, to fee the Sun to tts brtghrnefs, which may fafely be .feen from the plain Ground. The fearchmg tnto the. ~nfearchable things of God's Nature and Decrees, has been the occalion of many permcwus Er~Ti;
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