122 .An Expojition of the Epiflle ~ But faith a poor Soul, will God fave Sinners indeed, (when the Soul begins to Serm. IX. believe this in good earnefl:,) hatl1 God a mind to fave fuch linners as lam, faith ~he? I have realon to be content to be faved then, and fo he g1veth up Ius foul to God and to Chrifl:, and fo the bargain is made : Faith is to know the Myflery of huwilJ, it is refolved into that, i wiH give you but a familiar inflance, that the knowledge of this one thing is tvorth all the refl. Suppofe that one had lived in Sotomo11's ttme, had been a Subjetl: to Sotomo11, a great favo~rite in his Court, and had run into Treafon, fo that it was in Solomon's power to take away his life; and Solomo111lJOuld yet ufe h im exceeding kindly, open to him all his heart; you know he had the moll: knowledge that ever man had, both in matters of Nature, and in the Book of the Law, and he fhould tell him all his Notions ; and he had as many Notions in his Head,as there were Sands on the Sea 1l10re, for it is faid he had a heart as large; he had a vafl: knowledge; and fuppofe that Solomon lhould have told him all thefe: This poor man being a Traytor, and in Sotom01ls power to put him to Death when he would, if he had known but one thing of him, that SoJomo11 would but fay to him, I will pardon thy Treafoli, I will fave thee, thou fhalt not die; this would have pleafed him more than all the knowledge Sotomo11 could havo imparted to him, So I fay here, we are Traytors, and have deferved death, and it is in Gods power to defl:roy us, if now God reveale unto thee that he hath an intent to fave Sinners, happily he cloth conceal other thmgs from thee, thou hall: not a large underflanding, thou canfl: not take in much; but this I know, that God hath a mind to fave Sinners in Chrifl:, and I will give up my fdf unto him. But doll: thou know further, that he meaneth tofave thee? It is worth all the knowledge elfe in the World, why I Becaufe it is the myflery ofhiswill: Secondly; Sec the Grate df Cod in applying himfelf to all forts of believers, in revealing the Gofpel towaek as well as !lroog.: He bath applyed himfelf to \veak Capacities. If the Gofpcllay all in great hidden Wifdom and rationali– ties, and that a man mull: know all the depths of wifdom in it, all the rationali– ties of it, the coherence of one truth with another, before he can be faved: Many poor weak underfl:andings fhould have been undone, and never fhould have come to be faved . God doth load your hearts but with one truth, I wilJ fave Sl1mers in and through Chrifl, Hall: thou learnt this in the Gofpel ? This will fave thee, the Gofpel is the Myfl:ery of his will. And,my Brethren, he hath applied himfelf to weak underflandings in faith too; why did he choofe Faith of all Graces to fave a man by? Becaufe the poorefl: in the World, the weakefl: underfl:anding can believe and trufl:; when he heareth that God will fave Sinners, he is able to trufi God, as fl:rongly and as firmly as the wife!! under– fiandingmanin the World. Nay, your weak men, they areaptell to believe; they are more fuited for Faith, let them but have this revealed to them, that Cod will fave poor Sinners , it lies but in a trufl; when a mans heart is convinced of this, and a poor foul is able to do it, he cloth it as fl:rongly as the greatefi un– derfl:anding in the world can do. Thus God hath applied himfelf. Laflly, Though the Gofpel be a my!lery, yet you fee God bath made it known, Obferve from hence,. that God cares not who knows it. He kept it indeed hidden a while,but now he would have all men fee it, fo it is Ephef. J· g, w.Tbat alt mm might fe~ what u thtfeJJow)bip ofthe Myjlery,f!Jc.It is the Glory ofGod and of our Rehgton, that we delire to have all known,all the myfl:eries of it. We do not as the Papills do, that keep things from the people. Know it to the uttermofl: on Gods name, and let all God's People in their fphere and place Pfophefy,let them be all asProphets,to know theuttermofl: myfl:ery ofGod's will; God bath abounded, not to Miniflers only,but to all his Saints, in all wifdom and prudence,and bath made known the myfl:ery ofhis will to them;let them all get whatknowl•dge they can ofit. It was not the nature ofother Religions to do fo, the )Nife Heathens and the Prie!ls of theEgyptians and other HeathenNations,hac\ Myfl:eries
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