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V
E
R.9.
Ephefiana,Chap. t,
107
And needes it
muff
be fo, for the great
volume
of
the whole creature
hath not
one
letter or
fyllable
in
it
of
this
wifdome
:
They
reveale a
wif.
dome, for
in
wifdome
God
made
the
heavens,
and
founded
the Earth
in
underflanding
;
but thole who knew
this wifdome beff,learned nothing
P:.:
of
this
faving
wifdome
in
Chrift,
r Cor.
r.
Againe,
there
is
no fparke
of
light
in
man
by
nature,able
to
conceive this
fecret:The wifdome
of
the
Law, the light of nature
reacheth
not,for
the light
of
reafon difcerneth
that God
is
to
be
loved &
honoured;that
I
am
to doe,as
I
would
be done
to,and
not afterithat meafure I would
not receive;But
of
fàving mankind
lofl,by
faith on Chrifl,& repentance,there
is
nolight left which
can
trace
any
lep
of
this
dofrrine.Thirdly; the
knowledge
it
fell
is
of
that
height,
that
from what time we have the fpirit which
doth
teach
it
,
we cannot
in
this
mortality know
it any
thing
as
we fhould, we
fee
but
in a
glaffè,
know but
in
part,
like
Children, which
know not fully the things
they
know
:
Now
that
which
is
hid
in fo
great
meafure from
us,who
are
now
light
in
the the
Lord
;
how great
a fecret
is
that
in
it
felfe
But
to
open this
a
little further.
The
Gofpell
of
falvation may be
a:
called a
Myflery in
three
regards:
r.
abfolutely, becaufe it
is a
thing
ofit
felfe
within the
will
of
God,
which
no creature
by
it
felfe
is
able to
know
:
If
a
thing
within my miede be fuch,
that
no
creature can know
it,
further then
I make
it knowne
;
none
doth
know
the
things
in
Man,
but the
fpirit
of
Man;
how
great
a
deepe and fecret
is
that which
is
with
-
in-God
himfelfe
.
a.
Thus
it
ceafed
when God
did firff reveale
it,but
yet
2>
a Myflery
frill in
regard
of
the
fpare revelation, and (mall
number
of
thofe to whom
it
was
manifefted.
For
a
thing
is
not
onely hid while I
keep
it in
my
felfe,
but while
I thew
itonely rofome
few perfons more
Deere
me,it
is a
fecret
matter
fill. If
the
King acquaint force
two or
three
of
his
molt neere
favorites
with
a
fecret,
it remaineth hid frill, and
a
fe-
cret,in comparifonofthings commonly knowne
:
Thus
was
the Gofpell
a
Myflery,
when it
was
made knowne
to
the people
of
the Jewes onely
;
but
continued no
longer
a cíMyftery
inthis
fenfe,
when now it was
no-
torioufly publifhed
to
all
nations.
Thirdly,the
wifdome
of
the Gofpell,
3;
is
frill
a
uvyftery, when
it
is
now divulged,in regard
of
thofe
whofe
eyes
are
not
opened to
fee
it, and
their
eares
boated to
attend
to
it
:
as
newes
fo
common every where,that they
are no newes, are
frill
fecret
to
fuch,
who
being deafe, have never heard
ofthem
;
thus
it is
at
this day,a hid-
den riddle
to
many Chriffians by outward
profeffion.
Now
the Vfe
of
it
is,
to
rebuke
the
prefumption
of
men,who thinke
fo
of
their underffanding,
as
if
a
word
were enough
for them
in
thefe
matters;who hope they are not
to
learne this
point now:yea,fome proud
fhallowheads,
who
can
finde
no things in the Scripture eloquent
for
phrafe, or profound for matter
:
but
this knowledge
of
Chrift
is
fo
hid-
den in
a
deepe,
that
nothing
is
to
be compared
for
fecrecy
with
itin
the
whole world
;
and
when humane Arts
are
fo
abtirufe, that we cannot
conceive them
without
forcereading and explaining
of them
;
how
can
we finde
outthis deepe riddle
of
God,
if
we plow
not with
his
Heyferr
How
can
we underiland
the
myfery
of
his
Word, if
we
havenot
an In-
terpreter r
This