68 The Glory of the Gojpel, So tha~ ( ~keep to th-; f~.;p~-;,f cl1e Apofikin this Epifile,) take all the knowledge of God and Chnfi difcovered m the mofl choice and curious peeces of Grecia11 Learning or of the Cenmontal Law, whic!1lar exceeded their Philo(o. phy; both which as it fhould feem by the fecond ChaJ>ter ~ thele Coloffimu fo ga– nihly doted upon : And let a behever wnh the E~e ot Fanh look upon Chrill,as difcovered m the glafs of the Gofpcl, and then with the other Eye look upon tile other, and what Will all thofe other appear, at befi but wan, dead and livelels Pictures, Shaddows,as he calls them ver. 1 7· whofe Rudiments and Graved Co– lours are fa id to be the Rudimn1ts of this World, TrtJdrtioll of Mm, vcr_. 8. whofe Varnifbnlfo is but the e11ticemg words of nlflls wrfdom, ver. 4· But this is lively, real, the Colours rich, the Varnilh, Glor)•,Riches of Glory being bejlow– edupon it; whereby tz.J i11 a Gtnjs we fee the Glory of the Lord which c,m11ot be P.rmted, 2 Cor. 3· ult. . But you will fay what is the Gofpel but a verbal fiory told us when preached or red or meditated on ,it reprefents Chrifi to us but as words ufe to do and word; are but Vmbr£ rernm, _Shadows, I'ictures, and indeed lcfs lively, How comes it then to reprcfent Chnfr fo really? And to be as a Glafs reprefenting Chrifr to us fo truly? I Anfwer, That as a Glafs m it felf iS but an empty thing,unlefs the Objects to be feen in it be directly placed before it and by light difcovered in it, a Glafs reprefents nothing to us; and fucb I confefs the Gofpel is in it (elf a meer verbal reprefenration, but to believers the Saints in the Text, the Spirit of the Lord joyns with thefe words, prefcnts Chnfr by a fecret hidden and unheard of aCl: to the Eye ofFaithin the preaching or reading of it; Opens Heaven,and tau– fes the glory of Chrifr to fhine as prelent in it in a lively real manner. And foie follows in that 2 Cor. 3· ult.We all beholdas in aGtajs theglory of the Lord,evm as by the Spirit of theLord: AndLafily, which is the firangeft of all the refl, Are chnuged ill/o tht.fame Image. That whereas a man may look long enough upon other PiCl:ures though never foricha~d glorious, and go away a& he comes, his countenance no whit altered; but thrs rs fuch a reprefentatlon as by beholding of it, we are changed into the fame Image, and the riches of Chrifr are made ours; which riches are Chrifr in you, f&ys the Text,the firangefi Glafs and Pict– ture that ever yet was feen in the ·World. The next thing that commcndsit, is, that it is a Myfiery, and indeed how can it be otherwife, if God's wifdom bath been imploycd for the inventing of it,and that as the utmofr way of manifefring himfelf, and therefore 1 Cor. 2 . 7• it is cal– led the wi(dom of God ill a M;f/ery; And if the Doctrine of Popery, which in imitation of God, the Devil invented, to fet up his eldefi Son Antichrifi, defer– verb to be called a Myfiery of iniquity, another Gofpel, and yet not another; and ifthe falfe doCl:rineofthefe in Thyatyra be called depths, though of Satan, Rev.2.14- (And indeed Popery is the greatefr Myfiery that ever created under– franding hatch'd,ifall the Frame and Policies and Myfieries of it be cooGdered,) Then furely this which is God's Gofpel, made for Cluift, as t~at for ·i\·ntichrifr, which is the mafier piece of his Wrfdom. And Secondly, If Chrifr be the fubjeCl: of it,it mufi needs be a Myfiery, called therefore, Cot. 4· 3· The Myflery of Chrifl; and in that regard it is aMyfiery, and a great My!\ery too, 1Ttm. ~· 16. Wllhout cotJtrovtrfy great is the M)'· flery of Godlilufs ; God manifefl itJ the Fte/h being the fubjcct of it, coming therein to reconcile the World; Which plot, conlidering how things fiood be– twixt God and us, and laying thefe conclulions that God will not put up the lea{\; wrong at mens hands, now fallen, without full fatisfaction, which they nor any ·Creature is able to make, and yet that Nature that did offend mufr fatisfy; Had it been referd to a Confultation of all intelligible Natures, A11gels mrdMm, that ever were or fhall be, it would have wilderd and plunged their thoughts to Eter· nity how it might be done, and 'after Millions of years confultation they would have returned anfwer, they could not think of nor find out any. Great, therefore is the Myfiery of godlinefs, God to this end manifefied in the FleOJ, and that fo great as now it is revealed all the World that hears and fee< into the plot mutt needs acknowledge it fo; without controvcrfy generally, wuhout mouth as the word fignifics, :1"'"1''";'. And
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