iV E. R. 10. Epheflans, Chap,;. 377 they profitedby beholding the Church , even Gods wifdome, - whichprincipally is to be conceived of that wifdome of God, the fountaine of the moft wife work of our Redemption. Obi. then hence, Where the manifold wife workandwifdome ofGodis to be Peen, its his not'. dealing but his Church. The Lord doth thew great wifdome in the Gods manifold creation and fuflentation of all things, Pf41. r 24. I Ctr.I. 3I. The Lord w;rd? dod, pccially ap doth (hew great wifdome in hisadminifiring of chefe earthly eftates, - peace ;n h letting the wicked douri;h, tAing them in a fnare, humbling the god- dca1mgto- ly, &c. Such a wifdome which not the fowleofthe heaven, the molt Wards his winged and mounting conceipt , cannot comprehend. lob. 28. when Church. we thinke we attaine, we arefarce from it; none can underítand this work from the beginning to the end : but his worke of Redemption and trayning the 9°:urch ofall timesthereto, is full of fnare more ad- mira%le wifdome: More particularlythere arc foute things which may :Dore things open it untous. Wherein his That God fhould raifehis Church to fuch glory, having let them pearec a'P- fall tohell: and that byChrilt. Ifone have a piece of curious work- t, manfhip, if onebreak .c afuoder,we fay , it were a great cunning to make all whole againe: now God, whenhe had let us the workman - fhipof hispwnehand, be utterly defaced; hath not only reftoredus as wewere, but bettered our eftate, for his mending is better then his making, when hehealeth , he Ieaveth no ícarre. Now that through death,through fhamefulldeath, he fhould raife us to fuch a glorious life, this is more admirable. The Lords wifdome in theChurch gathered did the more appeare a bythis,thache by fo diverfe comics did compaffe the end he propoun- dcd,his end was the gloryofmercyand jullice, this firlt for thoufands ofyeares he attained, by taking one nation, leaving the world to their owne wayes; but from the Church ofthe Gentiles fine it was gathe- red, hedid fe ch thefame purpofe by a farre diverfe courfe, by taking in the world which he had not fo refp éted, and caning off that Nati- on, forthe body ofit, whichhe had formerly loved. Wherefore the Apoftle,Rom. r I.33.dothexclaimwhen he confiders this, oh thedepth oftheknowledge andwifdomeofGod! The Churchnow gatheredofIcwes and Gentiles did bbferve God in tpirit and truth , in a more fpirituall kind ofworfhip , whereas the Church before time had ufed a more carnali and externals fervice; whichdid Phew forth the great wifdomeofGod:for as it is wifdorneitt a houiholder tocarry one kindofhand over hischildren in nonage, a, nother when theyare atyeeresof difcretion: fo in Godthis was mani- fold wifdome to prefcribe divers and convenient worfltips to his Church, in infant-.onekind, in the riper ageöfit another. Thedivers graces confpiring together in this end , the edifying of the whole:for look as it was in man a wife invention that could de- vife many founds fo according, as to make one juft melody: foto give fo divers gifts, t Cor. 12. all which fhouldhave fo fwect agreement and 3- 4
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