A SERMON on , ---- ----=::---:::-:-:-:::--:-:-:---. -- -- -·-– once. The Old World began with a little knowledge, th.;yhad th~'Vor1J1 ip of God and the Sacrifices, and they knew the Day ol Judgment , as Euocb the Se– venth !fomAdam prophecied of it. They knew fome fundamental Truths the grounds of faith; but they knew Chri!l by piece·meal. They knew fome;hing of themfelves, becaufe Adam fell but the other day; but they knew little of Chri!l, that was revealed unto them by piece-meal. Thu' the Lord dorh ufe to reveal himfelt~ he bath done rhus with the Church in general. Although he did reveal all, for the matter contain'd in the New Te!lamwr, that !hall be revealed to the end of the World; yet in regard of rhe Light whereby this is difcerned, God harh gone on by piece-meal. Confider the recovery of the Light of the Gofpel from under Popery, how it was by piece– meal. Men at firfi knew but a httle, the1r hearts were only fer again!l Images and Popery, they knew but a few pieces of the Truth; but Wick!J(Je and .1ohFt Hns went further. In Lttthfr's ume they knew Juflification by faith and tben p 0 • pery fell down about Lt~thfr's ears, and he faid, if they would 'grant that he would go on further; but when God had unreav'd all the Tiles, that Popery'was ready to be pull'd down, then Calvin comes in, and more was reavealcd. Thus God doth go on""""''"'' to reveal himfel; and as he dealt with the Peo– ~e of the Jews,in regard of the matter,and as with us for the manner, ( for the jfws bad the matter revealed to rhemb~ piece-meale, bur we had the matter gi– ven at once, but the hght whereby we dtfcern tl11S, IS,..,,.~,.,,) fo With panicu– lar Chnfhans ; he cloth d1fcover to them fir!l themfelves, and then they think thot at their firfi eonverlion they fee a greot deal in their hearts, yet be goes 011 further to reveal more corruption unto them, and then he reveals Chri!l and his Electing Love to them,he leadsthem like Scholars through feveral forms,and rho at fir!l in the Center, they know all that is neceffary to falvation, yet things are beaten out afterwards unto a Circumference, They know enough of Chri!l at fir!l to fave them, and of themfelves enough to humble them, yet God fuffers the wheel to go over them again and again. In rc:tding the Scripture obferve it, read a Chapter to day, and when a man gerteth his heart into a fpiritual frame he will fee many truths,let him read it the next day, and he will Ice fomething more,&c, the reafon is becaufe God reveals himfelf .by piece-meale. Rta{on, Becaufe indeed men are uncapable of all at once; 1ohn 16, 12. Our Sa– viour though be came to reveal all fulnels, yet how uncapabfe were the Ap(Jfi!es to apprehend it, he was fain to deliver over fome of them to the Comforter ; Paut when he came to preach to the Corimhimu, 1 Cor.~· 2. he had many truths which he could not reveal unto them, for fo long as they were carnal, they were not capable of all truths,but as the flelb is emptying out of a man, fo knowledge grows, fo Ifai. 25. r3· he was fain to fpeak by piece-meale Li11t ttpoll Line, a11d Precept 11po11 Precept, as ye teach young Children a little now and a little then, for they cannpt endure to be held long to their Books;fo isGod fain to do with his. And as in reaching young Schollars what do Tutors? They do read over fir!l a Compendium fome lhort grounds of Logick, and then another Book which is a S)flema, and then direct them to luch Commentaries that do enlarg~ truths; fo God doth teach fir!l by Catechifms, which contain lhort fundamental truths, and then be goes over many rrurhs"in a larger manner in their hearts.APainter draws at the firfi bur a few lines, with a black Coal, he wdl draw the lhape of a man's Face,but afterwards he goerh over it with Colours and Oyl; fo God cloth with his Church, and with private men even as a Ma!lerdoth with his Apprentice,he will not teach him all his knowledge at firfi, but he referves fomerhing, that bappily he will not reach him before he be to go out of his Trade, he teacherh him by de– grees; fo God bath bound himfelf by Covenant, to reach you to know him, but fomerbing ye !hall not know till you are to go from under his tuition. And this he cloth, fir!l ro humble his People, he will have them know bur in parr, though young Converts have bur a little knowledge, how proud are they? Much more if they had all at once. And likewife Secondly, to !hew the treafures in himfelf. In Chri!l are trea– fures that will bold digging to the end of rhe World, men would be weary, if they had the fame light flill ; therefore God goes on to difcover,though the fame trurh,yet with new and divcrfe lights. Thus God reveals himfGlfby p1ece·meales. r.Vfr,
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