118 An Expofttion ofthe Epiflle ~ the Saints, as you !hall fee by comparing the 2) and 26th. vcrfes together,) tht . Ser. IX1n. M;•f/ery wb1ch bath bem hid from .Aget, and from Gmeratzo11s , 6111 11ow zs ~madt mmlifef/ to his Saints, to whom he bath madt k~ow11 thr rzches of thr glo- · ry ofthi< Myflery. My Brethren, the My!lery of Gods w1ll, and the nches and the glory of it, the Saints only know. . But I rather think that the aime of it here, (though th1sbe atru~h, and I !hall have occafion to mention it by and by,) yet I think the mam tlung mtended here is not to e~prefs the difference of wicked mens knowledge. of the Gofpel, and godly mens. But it is taken for the fub!lance of the Gofpel1t felf. The Dotl:rin of the Gofpel it is called the My!lery of Gods will, 1 Tim. I. 16. Great .zs the M;flery of godlmefs, Godmrmift!1ed i11 thejltjh: T he Ootl:nn of falvat10n by Chri!l was a great My!lery. · Here I muft open two things to you; I. Why it is called a ~·l1rry. · 2. Why the M;•fleryoj his will. . Firft, why it is called a Myf/try; A Myjlery, is that which IS a Secrtt biddt11, a thing unknown, which could no way have been known, unlefs it had been re– vealed by him that !mew it: a My!lery is properly a thing hidden. 1 Cor. 2. 7· Weprtach the wi(dom of God i11 a Myf/ery, tvm the hiddmwifdom wbich God oufai11ed /Jrforetheworld: Therefore it is a My!lery, becaufc it is hidden, So a fecret unknown is called a My ftcry in the 1 Cor. I 5. 51. Behold I /hew .JOt< a M)·flery, what is that? WejhalltJot allj/ttp, but wrJha!J all buha11grd. Some men !hall not die at the latter day : Who knew this before l It was a thing un– known, it is not in all the Prophets, nor in all the Old Tefiament, it is a thing we had not known, had not Paul told it us, it was a Myfiery. Now to come to the Gofpel,it is a hidden My!lery, the mofi hidden fecretthat ever was. It wa. hid where all the world could not have found it; no, all the wit of men and Angels could not have found it where it was hid. it was hid in God's breafi, in God's heart, bidin God; you !hall fee the very exprellion in Ephej; J• 1 o. To makt all mmJet what is thefellow/hip of the M)'f/ery, which from the beginning of the worldbath been bid i11 God. Ifyou will know, faith he, in what field it lay, it was hidden in God. Hid Jrom whom l Firfl, From all the wife r.1en in the world, they could never have found it out, Thole that fearch into Myfieries of State,and would know .Arca11a ImperJj, they think they are wife men,and that they know great matters;what faith theApof1le, I Cor, 2. 8. We (peak the wzfdom of God in a M)•f/ery,evm the hiddm wJjiiOfl,, which 11011e of the Princes of thu worldknrw. They that have all fecrets in their heads, and know how to govern States and Kingdoms, none of them all knew this, nor could ever have known it. Nay,Seconuly,The Gofpel was hid from all the Saints in the Old Tefiament,as nowitisrevealed, inColo{: I.26. The Apof1lefaithitwas hidden from .Age.s amiGemrations, .from all the Generations pafi; hid from the beginning of rhe world, as you have it Ephef.l· 10. You !hall find in 1 Prt. 1. 10, 11. That the very Prophets that wrote the Scripture, did not fully underfland what them– felves wrote, in all things concerning the Gofpel; Of which Salvatio11 (faith he) the Prophtts have mquired a11d fearched diligently, (they enquired by l"ayer, and learched diligently by fiudy of their own writings, ) who prophr– citd of the Grace that jhouldcome tmto;-ott; fearching what, or what mmmer of !Jme.tbe Spirit of Chrzjl which WtU in them did jigtJi(ie, whm it tefhfitd brfore hand theJttfferings of Chrifl, mrd the Glory thatjho11ldfollow;tmto whom it was rrvtrJied, tbat 11ottmto thtm{elvts,btltti1Jto tts,thty did minij/tr the tbi11gs which ,,re 11ow reported uflto yott. They had them in their writings indeed, but they minifired them to us, aod that was the chief anfwer they could get llpon all their prayersand fiudy. Laflly, It was hidden from the Angels. The Angels were near God, but they were not in his bofom, they were his Favorites indeed, they were Couni– ers, they flood round about him, but they !mew none of it; no, God hid it from them. Not a Creature !mew it,not an Angel in Heaven knew it as we now know it.
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