1 24 An Expojition of the Epift!e --~--~~~--~ W' God's making known the my!l:ery of his will and the preaching of the Gofpel, Serm. IX. and inlighcning of men unto life by the Gofpel, it doth not depend upon,nor 1s it ~ difpenfed according to preparations in the Creature, but it is according to his good pleafure. There are thofe that affirm otherwife, but this one place com– pared with many others, fufficiently confute it_. Havi11g made k11own tmto us 1he myflery of bis wilt ,ucordi11g tobMgoodpleaft;re. If you would !mow why the dofpel is preached in that powerful manner in E11gl.mdor in Lo11don, and not in many other places of the world, and not in many other places of the Kingdom; It is meerly upon the good pleafure of God. It is a thing that will never be anfwered. Why did God fuffer the Gmti!es fo long, three thoufand years to walk in their own ways without revealing to them the my!l:ery of his will, (for it was JOOo. years and upward after A6raham,)and chofe the Jews to whom he would make known his Law; He dealt 11ot fo w1th at!)' Natio11 ( faith the Pfalmifl,) 11eitber bad tbe Heatbm the k11owfedge of hu Law? itwas meerly God's good pleafure. Mofes tells them, 'Dmt, 9· 6. that it was not for their righteoufnefs ·, for they were a !l:iff·necked people, in ob!l:inacy they furpaffed all other Nations, they were the moll: perverfe and the moll: unbelieving people ofany other in the world. And 'Dmt. 10 . '4· Behold (fa1th he,) the Heavm of Heavens is tbe Lord's thy God, the Earth atjo with at! that tberei11 iJ, o11{Y tbe Lord had a deligbt ifl thy Flttbers to love them, and he chofe their Seed after them, even you above all people. it was meerly the good pleafure of his will that did it. And why cloth Mofes mentio~ his Title, of being Lord of Heaven and Earth, but to fhew that th1s proceeded from Ins fove– raignty that he cbofe this people and revealed the word to them? Allthe Earth (faith he,) u mi11e, a11d I have Angds ;, Heavm, I lletd no ma1111po11 Em·th at all, He might have left them all to their own ways : Tbe HetlVfll of Heavms iJ mhu, and the Earth al(o with all that is therein, MAt.ll·'$· You fhall find in that place I quoted even now, that Ch,ri!l: refolveth it, why· God revealed it to Babes, into the fame principle, by the Title he giveth God there when he giveth him thanks. I thank thu, 0 Father, Lordof Heavm a11d Earth, becaufe thott, ~c. God fheweth his liberty in this, And do but mark upon what occafion thofe words of Chri!l:'s come in. At that time ( faith the Text,) JeJtaan(wered m1d (aid; Father,Ithankthee,~c. Our Saviour, he had in the z.o and 21th. verfes upbraidecl the Cities wherein moll: of his mighty. works were done, becaufe they repented not. Woe to thu Chorazi11, woe to thee Brthfaida, if the mighty works which were done in thee, bad6a11 done in Tyre and Sy•don, thry wottldhave repmted lo11g ago, inSackctoth mtd Afber. If God had gone and revealed the Gofpel according to prepar~tions in men, certainlyhe would not have pall: byTyre and Sydo11,and preached 1t toChorazm and Bethjai– da;for he faith that Tyre and Sydo1J would have made better ufe ofit, they would have repented long ago. And Tj•re w~s of all Nations the moll: ingenuous to the Jews, they helped to build the Temple,you know,yetGod pall: by them.A't that time]eJtts anf..vertd tmdfaid,I thmtlt tbee,O Fatber,Lordo{Heavm mzd Earth, that th~u bafl bid thejf thingsfrom the wife atJd prtidmt, a11d revealedthem to' Babes. Thougoejl in revealing the Gofpel qy 110 fuch conditio11s i11 mm, 6ut do}/ it as t~e Lordof H~avm and Earth out of thy goodplea{ttrt. And fo much for that, Accordi11g t.ohugoodpleafure; ·Which hepurpofedin him[elf,· Thefe words [which he pttrpofedin himfelf,] foltle Copies , and as good as any other,) leave .,.e_o~7o out, and fo they do not refcrr them to the gth,verfe,. but to the 10th. He p11rpo[ed in himfeif., to gather togethgr i11 o11e a/J tbit~gs in Chrifl, Yet becaufe fome have it, and thus you fee it i• read, and in– deed more generally by Interpreters , therefore by referring them to this 9th. verfe , let us fee the reafon why thefe words [which he purpo{ed i11 himj'elf J come in after all as having relation to his good pleafure. It might fir!l: be faid, It is true God cloth it out of his good pleafure, but yet, notwithfianding though his own \\'ill call: it, is.there nothi,ng at all he lool>s at in the Creature wby he cloth it? · · Nothing
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