4o Chap. 33. An Expofitionupon the Book,ofJ o B. Verf. 24. given man a blank CO write downe what he would have done to bring this about, he could never have foundit out ; but mull have perihed for ever in his fin. The thought ofa ranfome in this way hadnever entred into the heart either ofmen or Angells, if God himfeifhad not revealed it; Therefore the Açofle Peter having Ipoken of the great diligence of the old Prophets (arching into and inquiring about that great myflery,theway and means of mans falvation, concludes ( r Epifl: r. s z. ) which things the t. n- n[snss 4.of gells deire to loakinto. Theword there ofd notes acurious prying into that which hath force veyled or fecret rarity in it. We may conceive the Apof le in that word alhiding to the Cherubims, which by Gods command, to Mofes, were made with theireyes looking downe to the Mercy-feat or propitiatory in the Holy of h©lyes (Exod. 25. zo. ) figuring the ranfome in the Text, yea and expreffed by the fameHebrewword. The livingAngells doe that which thofe reprefentative AngellsTeemed to doe, they look carnally at the myfiery of our redemption made, or ranfome given 'by.Jefus Chrif}. There is fuch anexquifitenefs in this in- vention, the deliverance of man by Chrift, that the Angells de- fire to look into it, even as men delire to fee rare inventions. And this exceedingly commends the wifdome of God in our redemp- tion, that it was a fecret to the very glorious Angelis. They did not know it,but-as it was made knowne to them ; nor did God (as it feemes) make it known to them firilly or immediately, but it was revealed to them, occafionally by the revelation of it firfi to the Church ; as the Apofile dothmore thenintimate, (Eph. 3. ro.) To theintent,that now untoprincipalities and powers in heavenlyplaces, ( that is the holy Angelis) might be known by theChurch the manifold wifd me ofgod. As if, had it not been for the light given to andfpread abroad in the Church, the Angells had been in the dark to this day about that matter. And doubt- lefs if the Angelis didnot gather uptheir knowledgeof that my- fiery by the mmiferyof theApofiles preaching it to the world,in a way of information, yet by their contemplation of what was done in the Church,& of the goodnefs ofGod to the Church,they faw as in a glaffe, that manifold wifdome of God which before they fawnot, or were ignorant of. Now if the holy Angells knew not thismyflery, but as it was revealed, much leffe could man. we ( faith the Apoflle, x Car. 2. 6, 7, 8) 9.) fpeake wvifdome among
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=